marketing opportunities for season extension

Marketing Opportunities for Season Extension

Presenter: Patricia Tripp

Director of Sustainability, Food Safety and Local Resources

Introduction

What is Season Extension?

Any practice that allows a crop to be cultivated or harvested outside its

normal production season.

East Coast Competition

We must position the state to compete with growers to the south of us.

NC Competition

Small to Mid-sized Farms must compete with Large Farms

Season Extension

Introduces new ideas, new technologies, & new crops to farmers that may be seeking

an alternative crop or higher returns from their efforts on their

current property.

Local food is not

a trend...

Benefits of Season Extension

• Spread out cash flow throughout the year

• Increasing overall farm profits

• Maintain relationship with customers gaining loyalty

• Take advantage of price premiums

• Increase yields

• Increase quality (extend shelf life)

• Year-round employment fostering loyal workers

Direct Marketing Strategies

• Farmers Markets (extending hours) • CSA’s / CCA’s • On-Farm Sales & Agritourism • Retail

• Restaurants • Grocery • Institutions

• Wholesale

Retail markets are a great outlet for

early and late season

production.

Restaurants

Example of a market that tends to exhibit more seasonal variation than other retail segments as Chef ’s try to meet the local food demands and connect with their community.

Grocery

Example of a market that tends to exhibit less seasonal variation than other retail segments because demand for food is year around.

Institutions

Challenge:

Tapping into this market is difficult as schools are not in session during prime season.

NC Farm-to-School

Gaston County

"NC Cooperative Extension Agency personnel helped us locate a GAP certified sweet potato farm. We served fresh baked sweet potatoes at all grade levels.”

- Gaston County Schools, NC

NC Farm-to-School

USDA Farm-to-School Census

NC School Districts spent over $34 MM on local food purchases during

the 2011–2012 school year.

50% of these districts say they will buy more local foods in the future.

NC Universities

Successful Enterprise

Diversified

Product

Diversified

Markets

Community

Support

GAP

Certification

THE GOAL

To meet the increasing demand for locally grown food while providing economically viable solutions for producers in your regions through

season extension.

Resources

http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/state/nc

SEASON EXTENSION and Market Opportunities

Steve Moore Elon University, [email protected] harmony-essentials.com, [email protected]

Extending your market or extending your growing season?

Controlled atmosphere storage (cold or CO2 ) Processing (dehydrating, canning, pickling etc.)

Methods of Extending the Production Season (warm season as well as cool season)

Climate adaptations in plants The basics Crop and variety selection Natural microclimate enhancements Built microclimates enhancements

Importance of Variety Selection Cold growth difference between Outredgious (L) and Oscarde (R) lettuce

Planting and Harvesting Guide for Piedmont Vegetables and Herbs

Methods of Extending the Production Season (warm season as well as cool season)

Climate adaptations in plants The basics Crop and variety selection Natural microclimate enhancements Built microclimates enhancements

Natural Microclimate Enhancement: cold season growing

Select darker soils Slope exposure Use water bodies for temperature modification Control cold air Ice coatings Provide shade Use wind

Individual plant protection Mulches Floating row covers Low tunnel covers Small “cold” frames Large walk-in frames

Built Microclimate Enhancements

Effects of various inner covers on Poc Choi planted in a winter production high tunnel

With 6 mil plastic inner cover

With Typar inner cover With no cover

TYPE OF PROTECTION LIG

HT T

RAN

SMIS

SIO

N (%

)

DURA

BILI

TY

AMO

UNT

OF

PRO

TEC

TIO

N

COST

COST

PER

YEA

R

INDIVIDUAL PLANT PROTECTORSwater filled protectors 5-10 years up to 16 $3 each $.30-$.60 eachIndividual covers 5-10 years $2-20 each $.20-$4.00 eachFABRIC ROW COVERSTufbel 92-95% 2-5 years 5-10 degrees $.23/ sq.ft. $.046-$.125/sq. ft.Typar T-518 70% 3 years 6 degrees $.039/sq. ft. $0.013/sq. ft.Agribon 19 85% 1 year 2-4 degrees $.01/sq. ft. $0.01/sq. ft.Agribon 30 70% 1-2 years 4-6 degrees $.02/sq. ft. $.01-$.02/sq. ft.Agribon 50 50% 1-3 years 6-8 degrees $.04/sq. ft. $.013-$.04/sq. ft.Agribon 70 30% 2-5 years 8 plus degrees $.05/sq. ft. $.01-$.025/sq. ft.PLASTIC ROW COVERSZip House (501) 90% 2 years $.29/ lineal ft. $0.145/lineal ft.Plastic (6mil, 4 yr, greenhouse) 92% 4 years $.08/sq. ft. $.02/sq. ft.Slited row cover (.5 mil) 95% 1-2 years 1-4 night, 10-30 day $.008/sq. ft. $.004-$.008/sq. ft. Polycarbonate 83% 25-30 years $1.60/sq. ft. $.05-$.06/sq. ft.LARGE STRUCTURES (own construction labor) $2.60 (est.)/sq. ft.Hoophouse (12'x96')(single layer 6 mill plastic) 25 years $.13/sq. ft.Unheated passive solar greenhouse (30'x96')(2 layers, 6 m 83% 25 years 34 (plus) degrees $2.08 (est.)/sq. ft. $.18/sq. ft.

single layer poly (Coeva 7.8 mill) 92% 25 years 34 (plus) degrees $2.08 (est.)/sq. ft. $.10/sq. ft.Heated greenhouse (30'x96') 83% 25 years $4.17 (est.)/sq. ft. $.35/sq. ft.

$2000-$4000/yr to heat Total/yr $1.04-$1.74

Courtesy of Harmony Essentials: Dedicated to the Vision and Practices of a Sustaining Food System, Steve and Carol Moore, (1/8/03)

NRCS

Seasonal High Tunnels (SHT) Interim Practice Standard Code 789 10,500 tunnels $61 million

Reasons to Extend the Growing/Marketing Season

Maintain important sales outlets and customers

Spread out cash flow Spread labor more evenly over the year Sell products at higher (out of season)

prices Provide customers with greater diversity of

products Fresher and more nutritious produce

Reasons to Extend the Growing/Marketing Season (cont.)

Produce higher gross sales and higher income per unit of area

Avoid insect and disease pressures Improved product quality Moderate climate change irregularities Contribute to a more sustaining food system

by lowering energy demands. distance food travels, creating a more regional food system

Isolation for seed production

A few challenges to keep in mind

Salinization Symphylans Nitrogen management Nematodes

Effects of Salinity in Greenhouse Pepper Production (2003) High: 3.89 dS/m, Medium: 2.51 dS/m, Low: 0.85 dS/m

Symphylan and Pepper Root Damage

Root knot nematode on Kale

High Tunnel Crop Opportunities and the Economic Potential

Sanjun Gu

Horticulture Specialist

North Carolina A& T State University

State Extension Conference-Nov. 6, 2013

Outline

• Determining factors for season extension with high tunnels

• (Vegetable) crops for high tunnels

High Tunnels • Unheated, plastic-covered structures that

provide an intermediate level of environmental protection and control compared to open field conditions.

Environmental control 1. A single layer poly provides one hardiness zone of

protection, and a second (the row cover) will provide another zone of protection (zone 5 with two layers approximately equivalent to zone 7)—Spring, Fall and Winter.

2. Air temp. can be reduced by 4 degrees Fahrenheit with 30% shade—Summer.

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Deg

ree

C

High

Low

Warm Season Vegetables in High Tunnels

Hig

h T

un

nel

Hig

h T

un

nel

Field

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

Air temperatures: Greensboro, NC

32°F 50°F Last/First day Spring Fall Spring Fall

Average Apr-04 Oct-31 Apr-07 Sep-22

Earliest Mar-05 Oct-04 Apr-01 Sep-01 First Quartile Mar-25 Oct-25 Apr-02 Sep-14

Median Apr-07 Oct-31 Apr-05 Sep-22 Third Quartile Apr-12 Nov-07 Apr-08 Sep-28

Latest Apr-26 Nov-16 Apr-29 Oct-16

Based on data of 110 years

Frequency

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

5

9

12

18

14

30

17

5

1

4

11

21 23

29

18

2 2

Latest Spring Frost First Fall Frost

=Average

Temperatures Requirements

Crops Base (°F) Minimum (°F) Optimum Range (°F)

Onion/Spinach 35 35 55-75/60-65

Carrot 38 45 60-65

Strawberry 39 40 65-75

Asparagus 40 50 60-80

Beet/Broccoli/Coll

ards/Cabbage 40 40 60-65

Lettuce 40 35 60-65

Potato 40 40 60-65

Pea 40 40 60-65

Squash 45 60 65-75

Bean, Snap 50 60 60-70

Cantaloupe 50 60 65-75

Pepper 50 60 70-75

Tomato 51 50 70-75

Cucumber 55 60 65-75

-20

0

20

40

60

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Hour

Tem

p (

F)

Outside High tunnel +Row cover

Papaya in Virginia

Know your HT…

• Your high tunnel(s)

– Double layer or single layer poly HTs

– Single bay or multi bays

– Hay-Grove: three seasons

– Moveable?

– Is this a NRCS supported?

Temperature Difference

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

7:0

0

8:0

0

9:0

0

10:

00

11:

00

12:

00

13:

00

14:

00

15:

00

16:

00

17:

00

18:

00

19:

00

20:

00

21:

00

22:

00

23:

00

0:0

0

1:0

0

2:0

0

3:0

0

4:0

0

5:0

0

6:0

0

May 24-25

Double

Single

PAR, umol/m2s

0

500

1000

1500

2000May 24

Double

Single

What to Grow?

• Organic

• Conventional

• Four seasons

• Three seasons

• Vegetables: Tomato, salad greens

• Small Fruit: Strawberry. Limited information on perennials.

Markets!!! Local vs Import

Spring

Summer

Late Fall Winter

High tunnels NOT for all vegetables Economics!

Modified from Lewis Jett

Crop Ft2/plant Yield/ft2

(lbs.) Price/lb.

Total Revenue

($)

Time

(days) $/ft2/day Rank

Cucumbers 4 2.5 3.00 13500 65 208.00 1

Kale 0.6 1.0 6.00 10800 60 180.00 2

Lettuce 0.2 1.0 6.00 10800 65 166.00 3

Tomatoes 8 2.5 2.50 11250 100 113.00 4

Spinach 0.2 1.0 4.00 7200 65 111.00 5

Carrots 0.2 1.3 3.00 7020 75 94.00 6

Beets 0.2 1.25 2.50 5625 75 75.00 7

Peppers 4 2.0 1.00 3600 100 42.00 8

Ch. Cabbage 1.5 2 1.65 2700 70 39.00 9

Beans (bush) 0.1 0.5 2.00 1800 65 28.00 10

Eggplants 6 0.7 2.00 2520 100 25.00 11

Peas 0.1 0.5 2.00 1800 75 24.00 12

Strawberries 2 0.8 3.00 4320 200 22.00 13

Broccoli 1.5 0.4 2.50 1800 80 21.00 14

Summer Squash 8 0.6 1.00 1080 70 15.00 15

Melons 8 1.5 0.50 1350 120 14.00 16

Annual High Tunnel Crops for West Virginia (1800 ft2 bed space)

Cucumber

• Fast grow

• Productive

• Relatively cold hardy

• Use seedless and all female cultivars

• Trellis

Tomato

• Mostly common crop in high tunnels

• Spring production is typical

• Fall production

– Start seeds in July

– Use determinate type

– Very limited trials

Crop Recommended

varieties

Relative seeding date

Beets Kestrel, Red Ace, Touchstone Gold Early-mid August

Broccoli Gypsy, Packman, Everest Early August

Carrots Napoli, Bolero, Ya Ya, Mid-August

Cauliflower Candid Charm, Fremont Early August

Kale Winterbor, Red Russian August-October

Kohlrabi Winner, Kohlribi Early-mid-August

Lettuce Winter Density, Ermosa August-September

Swiss Chard Bright Lights, Argentata July-early September

Spinach Tyee, Melody, Space Late August-mid-October

Peas Lincoln, Mr. Big, Cascadia Early August

Onions Candy, Red Wing August

Leeks King Richard, Lancelot August

Radishes Cherriette, D’Avignon August-mid-October

Turnip Hakurei (white) August-October

Winter vegetable crops can be harvested in November-December or February-March

Winter Cover Crops increase organic matter, nitrogen and overall soil health

Winter peas and wheat

23

Current High Tunnel Projects at A&T: • Organic Strawberry Trials • Developing a high tunnel vegetable calendar • Parthenocarpic cucumber and grafting • Grafted heirloom tomatoes

Questions &Comments?

Phone:336-285-4954 E-mail: [email protected]

Future Opportunities for Season Extension in Wholesale Markets

Presenter:

Patricia Tripp

Director of Sustainability, Food Safety and Local Resources

Copyrighted: Patricia Tripp 11/13

The wholesale market is a vital link in the vegetable

supply chain.


Market Intelligence

DEFINED:

The process of collecting, interpreting and disseminating information relative to marketing decisions.


Growers Have Questions


Market Intelligence, cont.

PURPOSE IN AGRICULTURE

Reduce the level of risks in decision making for the producer.

Seller determines what the customer needs and wants – No more guessing games.

What products are right for the market - Competitively

Useful in price determination.


Vegetables

Regular Demand

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Potatoes

Peppers

Broccoli

Seasonal Demand

Strawberries

Cauliflower

Asparagus

Winter Squash

Specialty Items


Direct Marketing Assistance Program

Provides growers with the needed information, technical assistance and barrier clearing that is key to increasing direct marketing of farm products.


Advantages Wholesale Opportunities

• Food Safety Certification Assistance • Season Availability • Preferred Crops and Varieties • Anticipated Volume • Post Harvest Handling • Logistic Solutions • Extended Distribution Areas • Direct Marketing for the farms


Growers Have Questions


The Big Question


Direct Marketing Through Wholesale Venues


Extended Distribution Areas North and South Carolina and Southern Virginia


Marketing & Consumer Trends

Ordering

Billing

Delivery

DISTRIBUTOR PRODUCER Grow

Food Safety

New Varieties/Season

Extension Techniques

Year-Round production


marketing opportunities for season extension

Documents