Yolo County organic farmer Jim Durst, seen here during the 2018 asparagus harvest season, says labor shortages have forced him to reduce his overall acreage this year.
Organic Continued from Page 1
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wants part of that market, and formany of them, “it really doesn’t matter where they get it, just as long as theyhave it.” “If they’re buying organic cilantro from Mexico at 30% of what California growers are selling it for, then they’regoing tobuy it fromMexicobecausecheapsells,”he said. Though the drought remains a concern for all California farmers, Durst said his cropping decisions are now influenced morebywhat he thinkshecanharvest, not by what he can sell. Everything he grows must be handpicked, and during the past two years, he said he had to leave 30% of hiscrops inthe fielddue to labor shortages. Thisyear, he’s reducinghisacreageby30%. Wi th res t aurant s coming back , SacramentoCounty farmerCurtis Lucero, who specializes in fresh-market organic tomatoes and is known for his heirloom varieties, said he’s plantingmore of them this year while reducing acres of eggplant and peppers, which haven’t done as well. He described 2021 as “our best year in a while,” having sold nearly everything he grew—and he’s expecting the same this year.Evenso,hesaidhisprofitmargin“went way down” because of higher production costs.Hehasn’t raisedprices inthepast two years butwill need to this year, he said. After cutting short his 2021 season due to lack of surface water, Tulare County farmer James Birch said he plans to grow all his acreage this year because he now has a well. With his crops on drip tape, he said he’s also added more high-tunnel houses, which allow him to use “a lot less water” and extend his season. Birch’s farmersmarketbusinessconsists largely of presold orders from chefs and produce companies, with 20% in walk- up business. He said higher prices so far haven’t hurt demand becausemost of the chefs he sells to operate high-end restau- rants that can absorb the higher cost by raising menu prices. Though his sales to restaurants evaporated in 2020, they’re now “back to normal, maybe even high- er,” he noted. “There’s huge demand for organic pro- duce right now,” Birch said. “The restau- rants that I sell to, they’re looking for or- ganic produce. I think it’s the way of the future. I think theorganic foodmarket just keeps growing.” (ChingLeeisanassistanteditorofAgAlert. Shemaybe contactedat clee@cfbf.com.)
an enduring allegiance to buying organic. Because organic products are typically higher priced, San Diego County grower Noel Stehly said he thinks the sector will take a hit as shoppers pull back spending on organic items in reaction to overall in- flation of food prices. He said he’s already seeing signs of this in his wholesale pro- duce business and at his grocery store, Stehly FarmsMarket in SanDiego. “If people think it’s more expensive, they’re not going to pay for it,” he said. “People think they can get it cheaper if it’s conventional.” As the stateenterswhat couldbeanoth- er dry year, Paul Muller, a partner of Full BellyFarminYoloCounty, saidwateravail- ability—more than market trends—will determinewhat cropsandhowmanyacres he can grow. It will also impact pricing. For now, he’s planting everything from potatoes to leafy greens—crops that are “more water thrifty” during cooler tem- peratures. But the real test will be in the July-September summer months, when “wemight see thiswhole systemget a little bit stressed,” he said. If the farm needs to reduce acreage, Muller said, it may mean dropping some of its wholesale business so it can main- tain farmersmarket salesandsubscription produce boxes—two areas “wherewe can create a dialogue about fair prices.” Tosavewater, Zamorasaidhewill notbe plantingcrops suchaskale, chard, spinach and cabbage that require overheadwater- ing. Instead, hewill growmore leeks, scal- lions, onions, tomatoes and squash that can be irrigatedwith drip tape. With restaurants coming back, Zamora said hemay also look to growmore “bou- tiquestuff” favoredbychefsversusproduce staples that are grownona larger scale. Muller said one area of concern for or- ganic California growers is the influx of fresh-market tomatoes fromMexicogrown in containers or hydroponic systems that directly impact theU.S. market. JimDurst,whogrowsorganicvegetables in Yolo County, shares Muller’s concern. Despite“prettystrong”salesduringthepast two years, he said increased competition fromMexico has driven down prices for U.S. organic farmers. Because of demand for organic produce, he said, every retailer
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