Weather challenges had an effect on some of the early spring/summer produce coming out of Georgia, but growers remain optimistic for a good season.
Vidalia sweet onions, peaches, watermelons, blueberries, blackberries, leafy greens, spinach and broccoli are some of the items available from Georgia during the summer months.
“We’re having a bad peach season so far,” Matthew Kulinski, director of marketing for the Georgia Department of Agriculture, said in early May.
A late frost and mild temperatures that limited chill hours will limit peach production this year, especially early in the season.
“Hopefully the later varieties will catch on,” he said.
Some blueberries also were affected, but most seem to have recovered.
“We’ll have quite a good volume of blueberries,” Kulinski said.
Expect to see more citrus coming out of the Peach State starting in November.
“We’ve had major investments in citrus production,” he said.
Many satsuma trees have been planted, and they’ll come online over the next few years.
A cold spell in December affected the entire Vidalia sweet onion industry, said Troy Bland, CEO at Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms LLC.
“Some of our Vidalia sweet onion plant stands took a hit,” he said. “But they recovered nicely.”
Shipping started April 17 — the official start of Vidalia season.
The company grows Vidalia sweet onions, Peru sweet onions and Sand Candy brand sweet potatoes.
“This year’s crop is beautiful, and our sizing is pretty normal,” Bland said. “And while we don’t have a huge crop this year, the supply and flavor are excellent.”
Baker Farms LLC, Norman Park, Ga., expects its volume to increase this year despite temperamental weather.
“We are fortunate in the area of southwest Georgia, where we can and do operate year-round, except in extreme conditions,” said Heath Wetherington, director of operations.
The company sells bulk greens and bagged, triple-washed greens, such as collards, turnips, mustard, kale and cabbage. Baker Farms also offers specialty greens, such as cilantro, spinach, broccoli and chards, seasonally.
Reidsville, Ga.-based Shuman Farms will ship Vidalia sweet onions from Georgia under two brand names — RealSweet and Mr. Buck’s Farm Fresh — throughout the Vidalia season, said John Shuman, president and CEO.
“We are also shipping our RealSweet Rubies, a sweet red onion grown in the same sandy soils as our Vidalias,” he said.
In conjunction with its growing program, Shuman Farms has a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, especially in its home state of Georgia, Shuman added. The company has implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices, he said.
Kulinski said volume overall in Georgia this year should be up compared to last year.
“We’ve got great producers who know how to grow wonderful product,” he said.
Labor challenges
But as volume increases, labor has become one of Georgia producers’ biggest concerns, Kulinski said. Finding enough workers, meeting rising wage requirements and “navigating the H-2A process,” can be difficult.
“There are workers who have worked on farms in Georgia for generations, and we have difficulty getting them to the farms and navigating the bureaucratic paperwork of the H-2A program,” he said.
Labor can be problematic at Bland Farms, Bland said.
“We anticipate for what’s ahead and prepare as best we can,” he said. “We have been working with the H-2A guest worker program for over 20 years and are able to fill some of the gaps in our labor pool.”
Baker Farms has participated in the H-2A program for more than 25 years and is “fortunate to have the same crews of Baker-trained workers returning each year,” Wetherington said.
But he added that the state’s 9.5% mandated minimum wage increase “is a challenge and perhaps gives Mexico sources an advantage in pricing.”
Inflation impact
Inflation is another challenge Georgia grower-shippers face.
“Inflation has impacted the cost of fuel, labor, cardboard — pretty much everything,” said Bland, who added that pallets that used to cost about $7 each now cost more than $15.
“This is a cost that we do not pass on to our retailers,” he said.
Freight costs also have increased dramatically over the past two years, he said.
“We expect these challenges to continue for the immediate future and do what we can to offset them without passing the increases down to customers,” Bland said.
Inflation has boosted the cost of all inputs, Wetherington said. But he added that, “The increases seem to be settling more now.”
