Higher costs, late start accompany start of season for Arkansas organic growers

Peebles Organic, Augusta, Ark., is a USDA-certified organic vegetable operation that farms about 2,000 acres, said Shawn Peebles, owner and general manager.

“We grow organic sweet potatoes, organic edamame and watermelons,” Peebles said, noting a diverse list of customers that include produce shippers, processors and retail customers.

“It has been very wet and cool, we are late getting started,” Peebles said. The firm is about 80% organic production, he said.

Higher input costs are a reality this year, he said. Despite the use of the H-2A program, labor is tight.

“The labor supply is hard, we have struggled with it already this year and it is early,” Peebles said.

The company is using solar energy to help power its pump system and also employs advanced GPS technology in its tractors.

Continued success for organic produce at retail, he said, will be cemented with educating consumers about the differences between organic and conventional produce, he said.

The firm has no new packs this year, but Peebles said he feels that packaging long-term may trend toward more reusable than disposable packaging, which he said will allow the consumer a cheaper product.