The fresh market fruit and vegetable industry in
Wisconsin is large, diverse, and increasing annually. Production and pest management practices range from conventional
to certified organic and the crop is marketed in a wide variety of ways.
Approximately 1500 fresh vegetable and 200 berry
growers sell fresh produce in Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin conducted
a survey of fresh market growers in 2001-02 to understand and report practices
used by this industry.
Fresh market growers can be defined as those growers
of vegetables or berries that market their crop directly to the consumer.
Common markets include road-side or farm stands, farmer’s markets, subscription
or community supported agriculture, U-pick, retail grocery stores, and
restaurants. Growers excluded from this survey include large commercial growers
in the state that grow a single commodity that is sold “fresh” such as potato
growers raising table stock or cabbage grown for slaw. However, large sweet
corn growers that market their crop directly for example, were included in this
survey.
Funding for the survey was provide by the Pesticide
Use Risk Reduction (PURR) project through pesticide overcharge money. The funds
were administered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and distributed by the
Center for Integrated Agriculture Systems at the UW. The mission of PURR is to address both the potential short- and
long-term management impacts of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. This survey will help determine the impact
of FQPA on the fresh market produce industry in Wisconsin and prioritize
research and extension programs to help growers make th transition to reduced
availability of certain pesticides.
The Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service (WASS),
a division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer
Protection (WDATCP), has conducted a survey of the acreage, yield, and
production for large-scale fruit and vegetable commodities yearly. In addition,
the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) routinely conducted
pesticide use surveys, the most recent being completed in 1996. However, both
surveys concentrated on commercial producers that typically grow a single crop,
but not on diverse, smaller-scale, fresh market growers. In 1996, a production
and pest management survey was conducted by WASS via funding by the National
Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (NAPIAP). The 1996 survey
focused primarily on management practices and pesticide use. Comparisons will
be made between the current and 1996 surveys to help understand the evolution
of the fresh market industry in the state when appropriate data is available.
The survey measured the current production and pest
management practices to determine the value of Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
strategies to fresh market growers. The survey also attempted to determine what
barriers prevented IPM adoption. In addition to management data, the survey also gathered information on
demographics and marketing. All of this information will be used to help guide
University specialists as they develop programming and educational
opportunities for this group.
Apple growers were excluded from this survey because
their production practices vary considerably from vegetable and berry growers.
A database of fresh market growers was created from
lists derived from the following agencies:
· DATCP Agricultural Showcase and Berry Brochure
· Wisconsin Berry Growers’ Association
· Wisconsin Fresh Market Vegetable Growers’ Association
· Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
· UW-Extension Healthy Farmers Healthy Profits
· UW Cooperative Extension County Agents
· Farmer’s Market Coordinators
· Other growers
The fresh market grower database included 901 farms.
The survey was distributed to 270 random growers, representing 30% of the
database. An introductory letter was sent to potential survey recipients in
August 2001 (Appendix A). The first mailing of the survey was sent in September
and requested completion by November 1.
A reminder was sent in November that included a toll-free number for
growers to contact for assistance in completing the survey. Seventy-three of
the original survey recipients were replaced for various reasons including
undeliverable addresses, no longer in business, or not growing the crops
surveyed. By the end of 2001, 105 of the 270 surveys had been completed and
returned (39%). A second mailing was sent out in January and an additional 26
surveys were returned providing a total response rate of valid surveys at 56%.
In addition to the bad addresses and transient nature
of the industry, there is a concern about how accurately the survey sampled
fresh market growers in Wisconsin. Some growers are from diverse cultural
backgrounds and do not speak English, making it difficult to survey Hmong or others of this very important group
of growers.
This report is divided into the following sections:
respondent demographics, farm characteristics, labor, crops grown, marketing,
and pest management.
Of the 131 growers that completed the survey the
ratio of men to women as the primary farm operator was 4:1. Farming continues
to be a male-dominated industry. However the
20% of female who were primary farm operators illustrates more women are
managing fresh market farms. The age
range of the respondents was 33-80 years with an average age of 52.
The tenure of the primary farm managers indicates 50%
have been farming for less than 10 years which was similar to what was obtained
in 1996. The experience ranged 6 months to 42 years with the median being 10
years. Only one woman has been the primary farm manager for more than 25 years.
Twenty-two of the 26 women that responded as being the primary farm manager
have been that position for 10 years or less (85%). The majority of the male
farm managers have been managing their farms between 11 and 25 years. However,
there were 16 men who have been the primary managers for over 26 years as
compared with the one woman who’s managed her farm for more than 40 years.
English is the primary language spoken by fresh
vegetable and berry growers. However 3%
indicate that Hmong is also spoken in their home, 1.6% speak Spanish, and 2%
listed other languages: primarily German and Pennsylvania Dutch.
Sixty-five percent of the respondents have completed
post high school degrees including vocational or trade school, college, or
graduate school. Only 3 respondents indicated that they didn’t complete high
school. Five people didn’t answer this question. Wisconsin growers are an
educated group. Personal experience working with the fresh market growers suggests
the post-high school educations of some growers are unrelated to crop
production, farming, or agribusiness (e.g. law). The unique challenges to
University specialists in educating the industry on proper production and pest
management practices is designing basic and advanced programming for the
growers. Fresh market growers are often more willing to try new farming methods
in an attempt to become more productive and profitable farmers because of their
previous educational experiences.
The respondents were surveyed how much income was
generated from the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables. The data does not
represent off-farm income nor is it net income after expenses have been paid.
The breakdown of the data across the categories was relatively even and is
represented in Table 1. Ten growers did not answer this question.
Table 1: On-Farm Income
|
Income |
Frequency |
Valid Percent |
|
$0-999 |
12 |
9.9 |
|
$1,000-1,999 |
16 |
13.2 |
|
$2,000-4,999 |
9 |
7.4 |
|
$5,000-9,999 |
19 |
15.7 |
|
$10,000-14,999 |
13 |
10.7 |
|
$15,000-24,999 |
10 |
8.3 |
|
$25,000-39,000 |
15 |
12.4 |
|
$40,000-79,000 |
12 |
9.9 |
|
$80,000 or
more |
15 |
12.4 |
|
Total |
121 |
100.0 |
The farm characteristics obtained through the survey
were not surprising. The industry is
diverse and partially described in this section. Fresh market farms
ranged from 1-94 years in business with a median age of 12 years. The respondents
themselves have been the primary managers for 6 months to 42 years with a
median of 10 years. Nearly 25% of the farms have been in existence for 25 years
or more with an additional 25% being in operation less than 5 years. The 1996
survey indicated that 30% of the farms surveyed had been in operation for 5
years or less. The high number of undeliverable, returned surveys and the data
from this survey and the 1996 survey, suggests barriers to enter these
industries are low.
Organic production systems were used by 32% of
growers whereas 67% of the growers said they used conventional practices.
Generally, older operations tended to be conventional farms while the younger
operations were more likely to be certified organic or consider themselves
organic without having obtained certification.
Table 2: Age of
Operation and Years in Management
|
|
Valid Percent |
||||
|
Total Operations |
Conventional Operations |
Organic Operations |
Primary Manager |
||
|
Male |
Female |
||||
|
< 5
years |
20.6 |
14.3 |
34.2 |
19.6 |
46.2 |
|
6-10 years |
22.9 |
19.0 |
31.7 |
19.6 |
38.5 |
|
11-25 years |
32.8 |
38.1 |
26.8 |
45.1 |
11.5 |
|
26-40 years |
13.0 |
17.9 |
4.9 |
12.7 |
0.0 |
|
> 40
years |
10.7 |
10.7 |
2.4 |
3.0 |
3.8 |
|
Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Only three of the growers indicated their farms have
been in organic operation for more than 25 years compared to 24 conventional operations.
The majority of organic farms (65.9%) have been in operation ten years or less.
In the 1996 survey, 75% of the organic farms indicated they had been in
business 10 years or less.
There is an interesting correlation between the age
of the operation and whether the crops are grown organically. Generally, the
older operations tend to be conventional while organic farms came on the scene
more recently. This may be explained by
the recent demand for organic products in the marketplace. This may also
suggest that older conventional farms are not likely to convert to organic
growing practices.
Calculating farm size with respect to crops grown
presented a challenge since most growers are not growing a full acre of any one
crop except the large-scale crops such as sweet corn or pumpkins. To determine
acreage of crops grown on less than 1 acre, we asked growers the number of feet
of row grown by crop and typical row spacing. Then we calculated acreage by
crop from row-feet and row spacing. When ranges specified and for those
categories that represented a range, the mid-point of that range was used. We
also compared the years in operation, years respondent was the primary manager,
and organic vs. conventional status with farm size (Table 3).
Table 3: Farm Size
|
Years in Operation |
< 5 acres |
5-20 acres |
> 20 acres |
Total |
|
< 5
years |
14.6% |
4.9% |
1.6% |
21.1% |
|
6-10
years |
13.0% |
7.3% |
4.1% |
24.4% |
|
11-25
years |
9.8% |
17.1% |
5.7% |
32.6% |
|
> 25
years |
8.1% |
5.7% |
8.1% |
21.9% |
|
Total |
45.5% |
35.0% |
19.5% |
100.0% |
The data shows that almost half of the fresh market
operations in the state are under 5 acres in size regardless of the age of the operation
and _ of farms are 20 acres or less. Farms greater than 20 acres in size are 5
years or older with the exception of two.
Farms that were less than 5 acres in size were equally
popular between organic and conventional management. Farms larger than 5 acres
were conventional operations. This trend continued when we looked at farms over
20 acres in size where conventional farms outnumbered organic farms 5:1. This
can be explained by the management intensity necessary for organic farms.
Table 4: Farm Size vs.
Management Practices
|
Farm Size |