Arkansas

Small-Scale Growing Makes Big Move in Arkansas

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:50:45 GMT

Arkansas agriculture is known for grains and fiber crops — rice, cotton, soybeans and so on — but it is also a big player in some specific produce crops. For example, it is one of the top states in the country for peanut production. Also, while it is only 10th in the nation for overall soybean production, it boasts itself as No. 1 in the U.S. for edamame.

But it is also a state seeing a boom in small, diversified growers, according to Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension specialist at the University of Arkansas. And those small growers are growing.

“We’ve seen a really big increase in the number of people who have taken advantage of the USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) funds to receive high tunnels,” she said. “Oftentimes those growers are smaller-scale, diversified vegetable producers, and they are adding cut flowers into those production systems as well.”

There is another interesting small-scale produce trend being seen in Arkansas: people adding agriculture into their lives.

“We’re starting to see a development of very, very small farms; almost what you would consider a backyard gardener selling produce,” Perez said. “They will grow for their family, and then they will have excess that they will sell either to a local food retailer or add a little pop-up farm stand in their driveway.”

She explained that these small backyard growers sometimes work together with larger, but still small, farms that effectively act as a produce aggregator. These are supplying another Arkansas trend: small farm shops.

“It’s kind of a resurgence of the mom-and-pop grocery,” said Perez, noting that they tend to be open a several days a week and get produce and value-added items from “whoever they can source from within their community.”

“People are adding ag in small increments to their lifestyle instead of it being their primary profession,” she said of the trends, which she called innovative. “It’s pretty interesting to see someone’s approach to returning to ag.”

Established Arkansas growers such as Matthews Ridgeview Farms are also expanding and diversifying. Autumn Campbell, sales manager, said the farm has added acreage in recent years and has increased its offerings.

(Photo courtesy of Matthews Ridgeview Farms)

Established Growers Also Growing and Diversifying

Innovation, growth and diversification are not limited to those just returning to ag in Arkansas. Established growers such as Matthews Ridgeview Farms, which has more than a century of continuous growing experience, are also expanding and diversifying.

Autumn Campbell, sales manager for Matthews Ridgeview Farms, said the farm has added acreage in recent years, on top of a 2018 expansion, and has broadened its offerings.

“The last couple of years, we’ve added a new (sweetpotato) variety that we’re growing: the murasaki,” she said. “It’s not a new variety, but it’s a new item for us to offer our customers, and it’s done really well. There’s a big demand for that.”

The company is looking ahead to how to meet future demands for that new product too. Campbell said that the farm currently sells the murasaki as a bulk No. 1 in 40-pound cases. “But we’re looking to possibly expand into a bagged item or a microwavable sweetpotato item with that variety. And we’re always open to what our customers are doing or new projects they might have in mind.”

Campbell said throughout her 15 years with Matthews Ridgeview Farms, she has seen a change in what drives change in agriculture. Rather than farm to table, the force of change recently has been “table to field.”

“Farmers have had to evolve with what’s going on in the rest of the industry,” she said. “Things change and specs change and what certain retailers are looking for change. It’s not as basic as it used to be.”

Campbell gave the example of, in the past, a grower could send a U.S. No. 1 sweetpotato to retailers — fairly basic and straightforward.

“Now you’ve got certain size specs and you have to evolve and have electronic sizing, which is what we did when we expanded back in 2018,” she said. “So, it’s really just changed from the outside and there’s a lot of technology in agriculture now, which helps things go a lot smoother. They are still hard workers, but we have had to evolve and work smarter.”

In keeping with the Arkansas produce trends, as Perez noted how hyperlocal growing and sourcing depends on relationships and community, Campbell described relationships as a key component of sustainability at Matthews Ridgeview Farms.

“Relationships are so important in the industry,” Campbell said. “Obviously there’s a lot of legal things and technical things and paperwork that keeps you sustainable, but most of all it’s the relationships that we have.”

'Exceptional’ Arkansas tomato crop expected

Mon, 22 May 2023 19:45:58 GMT

Arkansas is known for its tasty field-grown tomatoes, and grower-shippers say this year’s crop should put a smile on the faces of produce buyers and consumers alike.

The state has about 2,000 acres of tomatoes, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau, making the commodity one of the state’s largest specialty crops.

“The crops at this time look exceptionally good,” Gary Margolis, owner and president of Hamburg, Ark.-based Gem Tomato & Vegetable Sales, said in mid-May.

Arkansas tomatoes are among the nation’s first field-grown vine-ripes to be harvested each year.

“Arkansas has a significant following for vine-ripe tomatoes early in the summer,” Margolis said.

Some growers could be picking as early as the first week of June this year.

Gem Tomato offers round, roma, and for the past few years, grape tomatoes. The grape tomatoes are picked red-ripe, so they have a high sugar content and superior taste, Margolis said.

“The customers recognize that,” he said.

Round tomatoes are the company’s bestseller, but demand for romas has increased each year since they were added to the product line more than 20 years ago.

Hermitage, Ark.-based Harrod & Hensley Tomato Co. in Bradley County, known nationally as a prime tomato-growing region, offers round, grape, heirloom and roma tomatoes, said Joshua Hensley, operations manager.

Harvest should start at the end of May this year with full-blown production underway by the first week of June.

“We normally get the first tomatoes out of the state of Arkansas,” Hensley said.

Hensley is the fifth generation of the family-owned company, which has only four full-time employees most of the year but as many as 100 workers for the five-week tomato harvest.

Volume should be about the same as last year, he said.

The company also sells tomatoes for four or five other growers.

Despite their popularity, it seems that marketing Arkansas tomatoes can be a challenge these days.

The field-grown tomato segment has been affected by the “exponential growth in greenhouse production” from Mexico and Canada, Margolis said. Competition got so tough that he recommended that his grower, Hamburg-based Triple M Farms, gradually reduce its acreage.

Gem Tomato now focuses on customers in the Midwest who recognize the value of field-grown Arkansas tomatoes and are willing to pay a bit more for them, Margolis said.

Margolis thinks that while greenhouse tomatoes used to be a specialty item, they’ve become a mainstream item, and field-grown tomatoes now fall into the specialty category.

“Field-grown, in our view, is now the specialty,” he said. “We’re growing a limited-production product in a limited window, and we still have customers who are totally committed.”

Greenhouse tomatoes may look good on the produce shelf, he said, but field-grown product still has a loyal following.

“I firmly believe that a tomato that is grown outdoors in that climate is superior to the greenhouse product,” Margolis said.

He also touted the size of Arkansas field-grown tomatoes.

“We strive to grow a big tomato,” he said.

Inflation is another challenge U.S. tomato growers face, Hensley said. Prices probably have tripled on fertilizer, chemicals and fungicides, he said, and the Arkansas hourly minimum wage has risen by $3 over the past three years.

“If you pay 100 people $14 an hour for eight hours a day, and you produce 3,000 boxes, and you can only sell those boxes for $13, you don’t make any money,” he said.

“Realistically, the produce market is probably the most supply-and-demand market there is,” Hensley said. “We have no choice but to sell at whatever the m

Consumers, retailers have eyes on Arkansas tomatoes

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:23:14 GMT

When the arrival nears for a new crop of Arkansas tomatoes, consumers can hardly wait.

At least that’s the opinion of Gary Margolis.

“We view the Arkansas tomato deal as strictly a specialty deal these days,” he said.

Margolis, a tomato marketer who owns Hamburg, Ark.-based Gem Tomato & Vegetable Sales, said Arkansas tomatoes are among the first vine-ripe tomatoes available for the summer season.

Shipments typically start in early June when the Florida deal, which is mostly mature-green tomatoes, is winding down. The California crop typically won’t start until later.

“We see a nice window coming,” Margolis said. “I think the country is hungry for field-grown, vine-ripe tomatoes in the months of June and July.”

Retailers are interested in promotions, he added.

Margolis primarily markets tomatoes grown by Hamburg-based Triple M Farms. He sells them throughout the Midwest and beyond.

“We go from St. Louis up to Iowa and east to Pittsburgh,” he said.

He said that there’s much competition in the marketplace, especially from greenhouse operations and growers who offer heirloom varieties, but he thinks that by selecting the right commercially grown varieties, an Arkansas grower can offer round, roma, grape and cherry tomatoes with excellent flavor, quality and shelf life.

“I consider it a breath of fresh air when summer approaches,” he said. “I think field-grown vine-ripes, especially in the summertime, are superior, and I think our customers recognize that.”

Margolis, who has been working with the fruit since 1982, said tomatoes are a tough business, with increasing production costs and thin margins.

“It’s tempting to cut back in the wake of higher production costs,” he said, “but we’re also seeing rising fobs.”

He said he met with Triple M owners James Meeks and Wendall Moffatt, and they decided to maintain their acreage, even as many competitors cut back.

“They are as efficient as they could possibly be,” he said. “We analyzed our customer base, and we grow our crop for them.”

Margolis estimated that 80% of the company’s crop is pre-sold or committed to buyers who have been customers for decades.

When it comes to selling tomatoes, Margolis is old school.

He uses a pencil and paper to take orders and prefers to talk with buyers in person, not via the internet.

And you’ll often find him in a packinghouse inspecting tomatoes with growers.

“Tomatoes are a hands-on product,” he said. “Batting .500 is good in baseball but not for tomato deliveries.”

Margolis said he follows the crop and lives on growers’ premises in Arkansas, Michigan and South Florida, though he’s trying to slow down as he eases toward retirement.

This should be a good season for Arkansas tomatoes, he said.

“It’s been a wet spring, and it’s been a little bit challenging,” Margolis said, but there was no severe weather.

“The plants are healthy and green,” he said in mid-May, and he expected picking to begin the first week of June, as usual, and to continue for about six weeks.

“Everything looks good,” he said.

The Natural State touts wide selection and quality for its produce

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 22:47:32 GMT

Blackberries, watermelon, sweet corn and tomatoes are just few of the approximately two dozen fruits and vegetables Arkansas growers will be marketing this spring and summer, and they say quality should be excellent.

Consumers always enjoy the Natural State’s strawberries, but that short-lived crop was to wind down by the end of May, growers said.

“The strawberries this year were fantastic,” said Karen Reynolds, grants and program manager for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Grown program.

There are plenty of other tasty offerings to savor.

Peebles Organic Farms, Augusta, Ark., has added buckwheat, sea island white flint corn, benne seed and petite rouge peas to its crop rotation this year, said Shawn Peebles, owner and operator.

“Our first crop, white flint corn, will be harvested in August,” he said. “The others will follow.”

The company currently is shipping organic sweetpotatoes, which will see a 17% increase in volume this year.

“Growing conditions have been excellent,” Peebles said. “We hope to have a bountiful harvest of all the crops this year, and they are great quality.”

Lonoke, Ark.-based Barnhill Orchards, which provides lettuce for a local burger chain and services eight major restaurants, some small markets, farmers markets and sells directly to consumers at its drive-thru operation, launched a raspberry program using cross-arm trellises last year “that went exceptionally well,” said Ekko Barnhill, who handles sales and marketing.

“I think we had five different varieties, and they came off excellent,” she said.

The company also plans to plant more of the small, black diamond variety watermelons this year.

“Hopefully, we’ll have them all summer for our customers,” Barnhill said. They’ll be available starting July 4.

Barnhill Orchards also has increased strawberry production from 5 acres to 8 acres to handle a growing customer base, she said.

She also expects to have a good peach crop this summer, thanks in part to a plentiful supply of water.

Other items include corn, cantaloupe, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, red Pontiac potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and Vidalia sweet onions.

Ranalli Farms, Tontitown, Ark., offers grapes, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers, said Chris Ranalli, an owner of the family operation that specializes in farm-to-consumer sales.

The tomato harvest is expected to start sometime between July 10-20, depending on weather conditions and location, Ranalli said.

Wet weather this spring was delaying planting except for the company’s high-tunnel program, which was added this year.

Ranalli Farms grows cherry, roma and regular slicing tomatoes along with some yellow tomatoes, he said.

The squash and cucumber harvest was expected to start by late May and continue into August.

“Everything looks pretty good so far,” Ranalli said in early May.

Ranalli’s 7 acres of red grapes, which he said grow especially well in Arkansas’ climate, will be harvested during August and September. It was too early in May to know what their quality will be.

“Our weather is very unpredictable,” he said. “A lot of things can happen,” such as a late freeze or hailstorm that could wipe out an entire crop.

“Right now, everything looks fairly good,” he said in May.

Like grower-shippers nationwide, Arkansas producers are coping with inflation.

Inflation “absolutely” has affected sales at Peebles Organic Farms, Peebles said.

Although he expected consumers who currently purchase organic produce from the grocery store to continue to do so, he said inflation likely is to blame for a drop in sales of processed items.

Prices likely will be up somewhat from last year as farming expenses rise, he said.

Inflation hasn’t kept the state from promoting Arkansas-grown fruits and vegetables.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture hosted an event June 6 in Little Rock during which Secretary Wes Ward presented the governor’s proclamation declaring June 9-15 as Arkansas Farmers Market Week, Reynolds said.

Print ads promoting Arkansas specialty crops will run from June through August.

Finally, the second edition of the Arkansas Grown Conference & Expo in January was a resounding success, Reynolds said. This year’s event was held at the Hot Springs Convention Center and hosted 600 growers, vendors and speakers from 23 states — a jump from 450 people from 16 states at the first conference in Little Rock in 2023.

The conference offered a variety of educational and networking opportunities.

“We got great feedback,” Reynolds said, adding that an even better conference is planned for next year.

Arkansas sweet potato season shaping up well

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:41:55 GMT

There should be no gap between old crop and new crop sweet potato shipments in Arkansas, one leading marketer reports.

New crop harvest typically begins in July or August and usually continues into November. Sweet potatoes can be marketed from storage year-round.

The 2019 sweet potato crop has moved out in good fashion and the outlook for the 2020 crop is strong, said Autumn Campbell, sales manager for Matthews Ridgeview Farms, Wynne, Ark.

“Our storage crop looks great and our plants look beautiful; we do not foresee any issues with shortages or a gap,” she said May 12.

Campbell said the company has been “blessed” through the pandemic and has kept its team safe and healthy with appropriate precautions.

“We are proud to be a part of an industry that is so essential to our country and the entire world,” she said.

For the 2020 crop, planting season has been going great and plants look beautiful, Campbell said.

“It’s warming up here in Arkansas and we are looking at a nice crop for this year,” she said. “We are growing every year and excited about it.”

Big footprint

The USDA does not report annual acreage numbers for Arkansas sweet potatoes.

The Census of Agriculture reported sweet potatoes accounted for 4,598 acres in 2017, or about 42% of total vegetable acreages. 2017 acreage was way up compared with 2012, when 2,410 acres of sweet potatoes were harvested.

The report said 75 operations grew sweet potatoes in 2017, up from just 17 in 2012.

The biggest sweet potato region is in Cross County in northeastern Arkansas, and Rick Wimberley, extension agent for the county, said growers there have been receiving big rains this spring.

While that may delay some planting, rains haven’t hurt the crop potential, he said. Wimberley said acreage in the county could be close to about 3,000 acres.

Sweet potatoes represent the biggest part of Arkansas vegetable acreage.

The Census of Agriculture reported Arkansas growers harvested 11,062 acres of vegetables that year in 2017, nearly the same as 11,111 acres in 2012.

The Census of Agriculture reported 748 operations in Arkansas harvested vegetable acreage in 2017, compared with 625 operations in 2012. The state does not report annual vegetable acreage reports; 2017 is the most recent year available.

Watermelons also are a big crop in Arkansas, according to USDA statistics, with 1,822 acres harvested in 2017, compared with 1,880 in 2012.

The Census of Agriculture reported tomatoes also ranked high, with 952 acres grown on 398 operations in 2017. That is down slightly compared with 2012, when 373 operations grew just over 1,100 ares of tomatoes in the state.

2017 Arkansas vegetable and melon statistics:

Fresh market vegetables: 9,500 acres;

Sweet potatoes: 4,598 acres, 3,492 fresh market acres;
Watermelon: 1,822 acres;
Tomatoes: 952 acres;
Turnip greens: 734 acres;
Summer squash: 578 acres;
Snap beans: 403 acres, 107 fresh market acres;
Pumpkins: 363 acres;
Sweet corn: 341 acres;
Southern peas (cowpeas): 284 acres;
Bell peppers: 128 acres;
Lettuce: 100 acres;
Cucumbers: 118 acres;
Okra: 82 acres;
Mustard greens: 68 acres;
Cabbage: 64 acres;
Cantaloupes: 56 acres; and
Potatoes: 62 acres.

Realted content:
Grapes and pecans gain ground
Arkansas sweet potato acreage rises, but tomato acres fall
Arkansas Produce

Arkansas Grown program promotes state’s bounty

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:48:02 GMT

Helping to connect consumers with growers in the state, the Arkansas Grown program provides an online directory of suppliers that any Arkansas grower can join.

The program, administered through the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, began in 2012 to promote Arkansas-grown ag products, according to the state’s website.

The website was developed by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to help buyers locate Arkansas producers. The searchable website, featuring nearly 800 ag producers as of May 2021, is arkansasgrown.org.

Safe Foods Corp. breaks ground on an expansion project

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 19:43:34 GMT

North Little Rock, Ark.-based Safe Foods Corporation, a division of PSSI, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last month for its latest expansion project in North Little Rock.

The ceremony celebrated the start of a $14 million project designed to increase the range of products Safe Foods can produce at its Arkansas headquarters, according to a news release.

The construction of a new blending plant will double the production capacity for Safe Foods’ organic food wash, with the addition of a new reactor and two bulk storage tanks, according to the release.

“Safe Foods is committed to ensuring a safer food supply and helping our clients achieve their goals,” Chris Coleman, president of Safe Foods Corp., said in the release. “With this project, Safe Foods and PSSI will have expanded capacity to manufacture the intervention and sanitation products trusted by meat, poultry and produce processors around the world. Our solutions are already used to protect over 350 million servings of food per day, and this initiative will provide new opportunities to promote food safety.”

The project also includes a new, 55,000-square-foot packaging facility and warehouse that will allow Safe Foods to manufacture 19 additional product lines for PSSI that will be used to protect consumers from foodborne illness, the release said.

Plans also include the renovation of a rail spur and new unloading stations. The expansion is expected to be completed in early 2023, creating at least 20 new jobs, according to the company.

PSSI acquired Safe Foods Corporation in August 2021 as part of PSSI’s strategic growth plan, the release said.

Arkansas produce firm awarded $165M supply contract

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 15:07:38 GMT

Lowell, Ark.-based Kimball & Thompson Produce Co. has been awarded a five-year, $165 million contract to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to military installations and schools.

The award was a competitive acquisition with four responses received, according to a news release. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, according to the release.

Locations of contract performance are Oklahoma and Arkansas, with a Dec. 28, 2025, performance completion date, the release said. Using customers are Army, Air Force, and Department of Agriculture schools and reservations, according to the release.

Top retailers in the Southeast by market share

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:31 GMT

Each year, The Shelby Report showcases valuable retail market share data. In the interactive map below, find each major market in the Southeast. Also, highlighted are the major cities in each market.

All markets are “labeled” or identified by their primary state (with metros or key cities). Percentages are estimates based on annualized sales, industry data, institutional research and store footprints. Shares are updated as market metrics dictate and retailers supply their store lists.*

Market shares are for chains, independents and/or the wholesalers (voluntary or cooperative) which supply them within each region’s distribution area, extending well beyond typical metros or CBSAs. Each market is defined by the sphere of distribution, not by a rigid geographic boundary.

Major cities in each market:

Alabama/Florida/Georgia/Mississippi - Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Pensacola, Panama City, Columbus, Meridian
Central Florida - Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Port St. Lucie
Georgia - Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Rome
Kentucky/Indiana/Tennessee - Louisville, Lexington
Mid & East Tennessee/Kentucky/Virginia/Georgia - Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga
Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama - New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Gulfport, Mobile
North Carolina/South Carolina/Virginia/West Virginia - Charlotte, Raleigh, Roanoke, VA Beach, Charleston
North Florida/South Georgia - Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee, Albany, Brunswick
South Carolina/East Georgia - Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Conway, Augusta, Savannah
South Florida - Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
West Tennessee/Arkansas/Mississippi/Louisana - Memphis, Little Rock, Jackson, Monroe

Sweetpotato grower set for active spring demand

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 19:46:15 GMT

Wynne, Ark.-based Matthews Ridgeview Farms is optimistic for a strong spring sweetpotato season, says Autumn Campbell, sales manager.

“There is strong demand for sweetpotatoes going into spring and Easter,” Campbell said. “We do anticipate good retail support. The demand feels strong, and [we are] moving a lot of volume leading up to Easter.”

No matter the season, Campbell said promotions, spring recipes and health benefits have strong appeal for consumers with retail sweetpotato promotions.

“We have grown our partnerships adding business and increasing sales, offered new convenience with value-added items, expanded our acreage as well as [had] an expansion into a new, larger facility,” Campbell said.

The company has added equipment to its production operation to best meet its customers’ needs best, she said. In addition, Matthews Ridgeview Farms harvested its first crop of the murasaki variety in 2023.

Looking ahead, Campbell said the marketer is optimistic about the future of sweetpotato demand.

“We are optimistic because consumers love sweetpotatoes,” Campbell said. “Sweetpotatoes are no longer a holiday staple. Sweetpotatoes are a preferred option for many consumers, as well as a healthier option.”

Arkansas Grown program heating up for summer

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:00:48 GMT

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Grown program has a lot on its plate this summer, said Karen Reynolds, grants and program manager.

Arkansas Grown was implemented to promote Arkansas fruits and vegetables and support the farmers who grow them, Reynolds said. It also works to “identify gaps between farmers and buyers and help them overcome issues that prevent getting [their products] from farm to table.”

Arkansas Grown tackles its mission in a number of ways.

Activities planned include an advertising campaign to promote Arkansas fruits and vegetables that launched June 1, Reynolds said, and June 11-17 will be Arkansas Farmers Market Week, which will recognize the efforts of local growers and markets.

Perhaps the biggest undertaking of Arkansas Grown is the Arkansas Grown Conference & Expo, created for farmers in the local food system.

The first conference held in Little Rock in January was an overwhelming success, Reynolds said. Organizers planned for 120 attendees and hoped for 150, she said, but more than 450 people signed up.

“We had to close registration two weeks before the event because we had reached capacity,” she said.

Reynolds said the event “was a huge momentum-builder for the industry.”

“A lot of connections were made, and a lot of relationships were built,” she said.

Seventy vendors were on hand this year, and there were farm tours, dinners that showcased Arkansas Grown products and even Arkansas Grown wine-tasting and Arkansas blackberry craft beer. The conference received great media coverage, Reynolds added.

Next year’s conference, set for Jan. 25-27, will be scheduled at a larger venue to accommodate more visitors, she said.

Arkansas Grown membership is free to Arkansas farmers, ranchers and producers.

Arkansas seasonal items now shipping

Fri, 26 May 2023 15:14:57 GMT

Arkansas grower-shippers already are harvesting many of their spring/summer crops, like berries, broccoli, cucumbers and lettuce, and movement will pick up as the season progresses.

Lonoke, Ark.-based Barnhill Orchards will kick off its blackberries, blueberries and a new raspberry program in June, said Ekko Barnhill, who handles sales and marketing.

The firm, which ships to local restaurants and operates a corner market, also will have sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, red Pontiac potatoes, cabbage, broccoli and Vidalia sweet onions during the summer.

The Lonoke area had a mild winter and spring, which led to an early start for its strawberry deal that will run until the end of May, Barnhill said.

“We had a very successful strawberry season,” she said. “Quite a bit of our community comes out and supports us.”

Barnhill Orchards will have pears and apples in the fall.

Matthews Ridgeview Farms, Wynne, Ark., expects its sweet potato volume this year to top last year’s thanks to some added acreage, said Sales Manager Autumn Campbell.

“We have had the rains we needed followed up with necessary sunshine for growing sweet potatoes,” she said.

It was difficult to predict the size and quality of the potatoes since they were just planted in mid-May, but Campbell was optimistic.

“We are experienced farmers and follow the very best practices to produce a quality crop,” she said.

The company still is shipping its 2022 storage crop. The new crop will start shipping in mid-to-late September.

Campbell expects sweet potato prices to remain steady

“I haven’t had any significant changes, and prices have been strong for the most part,” she said.

On the organic side, Augusta, Ark.-based Peebles Organic Farms LLC will offer organic watermelons, sweet potatoes, rice, edamame, soybeans and watermelons, said Shawn Peebles, owner and operator.

Growing weather was “wet and unseasonably cool,” Peebles said. Nonetheless, he was hoping for good quality and sizing on the company’s spring/summer offerings.

Watermelons should be available from late June through early September and sweet potatoes from mid-September on.

The company’s sweet potato volume will be down this year because of reduced acreage resulting from a decrease in demand from processors, Peebles said.

Dealing with inflation

Inflation is having an effect on Arkansas grower-shippers, as it has on producers nationwide.

“It has made the expense to operate as a whole — from farming to packaging, freight and labor … increase significantly,” Campbell said.

The biggest cost increases have been in the areas of equipment, parts, labor and inputs, as well higher prices for new construction and upgrades.

Peebles said inflation has not been kind to the organic industry, where retail prices already were higher than conventional products.

“With inflation on everything in our economy, it has not helped our commodity prices to increase,” he said. “I’m not sure that consumers can afford for prices to increase at this time.”

Expenses at Peebles Organic Farms have more than doubled, he said, “but commodity prices haven’t increased in years, which cuts our profit margin.”

The biggest increases have been the cost of the H-2A guest worker program and equipment parts and repairs, he said.

Sustainability

Sustainability also is a focus of Arkansas grower-shippers, since it’s something that some buyers and many consumers are concerned with.

“Everything we do from field to table plays a vital role in our sustainability,” Campbell said. “Our customers’ compliance needs vary with each customer, and we meet those needs accordingly.”

Peebles said his customers haven’t inquired about his sustainability practices, but that doesn’t mean his operation is not sustainable. Tail water recovery systems, moisture sensors and cover crops are some of the things he has incorporated to enhance sustainability.

Campbell said sustainability adds to the company’s costs, but it’s worth it.

“It’s worth it because we believe in creating partnerships with our customers,” she said. “Being sustainable is being reliable. If our customers grow, we grow.”