Florida growers hold steady through a year of disruptions
A number of issues affect Florida produce growers right now. Those include weather, the ongoing global supply chain disruptions, increased pressure from the supply of foreign products, and the domestic labor shortage. Growers remain focused on doing what they do best, however.
“Our members are the best in the world at what they do, and despite all of these challenges, they are working every day to get fresh fruits and vegetables from the field to retail and foodservice destinations without interruption,” said Christina Morton, director of communications at the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.
Overall, the amount of produce coming out of Florida won’t change much. Weather has delayed some items, though.
“It depends on the crop, but volumes should be similar to previous years,” Morton said. “A few crops may be light due to the January freeze event, but they’ll pick up quickly in the coming weeks as we head into Spring.”
A few late items shouldn’t hurt the region, considering the wide swath of fruits and vegetables coming out of Florida.
“As Florida produce is first in season domestically, many Florida commodities are in peak season in the spring, such as blueberries, tomatoes, sweet corn, leafy greens, bell peppers, squash, watermelon and more,” said Donna Watson, who works in industry communications at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Those in the agriculture industry are thankful for the drivers and workers who are responsible for keeping supplies and products moving. But there is only so much they can do. Florida growers were hit hard by labor and freight shortage last fall.
“Unfortunately, the truck driver shortage reached critical levels in the fall and has not subsided,” Morton said. “The pent-up demand from the pandemic just exacerbated the shortage of truck drivers that was already bad.”
The uncertainty of the workforce is also a top concern. A domestic workforce no longer exists, so Florida specialty crop growers have had to rely on the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program more and more to secure a stable workforce.
“It’s a very real and serious threat to labor-intensive agriculture in this country, not just in Florida,” Morton said. “Without this workforce, American food security is at risk, and the pandemic really reminded us how important it is for us to be able to supply our own food.”
Still, Florida growers remain optimistic about the season ahead.
“Our growers have been busy for months preparing to bring a bounty of fresh, U.S.-grown fruits and vegetables to the tables of millions of American consumers,” Morton said.
Reaching American consumers is a big job. Florida growers get help spreading the word from the state.
“The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services supports Florida growers through the 'Fresh from Florida' campaign, which continues to demonstrate success by increasing brand awareness and consumer confidence,” Watson said. “During spring, the marketing campaign encourages shoppers to purchase Florida-grown products through Hulu ads, social media, digital media, in-store signage, circular ads and online shopping platforms.”
