C36—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 21,1981
Cannery closings don’t dim Delaware vegetable outlook
right now Processors are planning “We’re just hitting the tip of the
to increase local acreage and fresh iceberg as far as boosting our
market opportunities are also very yields per acre here,” he says,
good. “But growers can do it if they’re
Rising transportation costs have willing to update their practices.”
affected long-distance shipment of For instance, lima bean yields
fresh produce, giving Delmarva could double over the next five to
growers a competitive edge in 10 years, just by switching to
reaching major Northeastern improved varieties. Improving
markets. But some local farmers fertility and management prac
are afraid they won’t be able to tices will also mean cranking out
compete with producers in the more vegetables per acre.
Southwest or Florida on a yield- Looking over these and other
per-acre basis. prospects, he says he is optimistic
This was once true, but it’s no about the future for vegetable
longer so, says Orzolek. production in Delaware
LAUREL, Del News of two For one thing, despite the
recent cannery closings won’t closings, there are still about 40
affect Delaware vegetable processors of fruits and vegetables
growers as seriously as some on the Delmarva peninsula
people fear, says University of
Delaware extension vegetable
specialist Mike Orzolek
Though farmers who have been
counting on contracts with these
particular firms will have to find
other outlets for their peppers and
some may need to switch to other
crops, they still have plenty of good
market options, he says
About 1500 acres of peppers were
grown for processing in Delaware
last year Acreage could be down
to around 600 because of the
closings But the rest of the land
will probably remain in vegetables
of some sort, rather than going into
com or soybeans, predicts the
specialist
Cumberland honors
4-H dairy members
:ys _jry ..iql from
left, are Sharon Cornman, past President of the 4-H Dairy
Club, newly elected President, John Stamy, IV; and Galen
Smith who was presented his 15 year 4-H Leader Award.
John was also recognized as a finalist in the Pennsylvania
Holstein Distinguished Junior Member Contest. The banquet
was held last week.
At the Cumberland County 4-H Dairy Banquet Raymond
Shoemaker, left, Eastern Milk Producers, presented Doug
McCullough, Newville with the Outstanding First Year
Member Award and Sam Glesner, Newville, received the
Outstanding 4-H Dairy Member Award from Ron Hoffman,
representative from Farm Credit Association. The banquet
was held at the South Middleton Fire Hall.
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Many Delaware farmers already
have contracts with these other
firms for everything from sweet
and hot peppers to sweet corn,
peas, lunas, snap beans, tomatoes,
carrots and cabbage And demand
for processing vegetables could
well be up this year
Many carry-over processed
vegetable stocks both canned
and frozen are way down from
1980, while unfavorable weather in
some parts of the country has
reduced anticipated yields, so
don’t write off the processing
market, says Orzolek
There are also plenty of fresh
market opportunities for
Hmm mm *m,fn *AJ*mT mS m SAMipAPW
-IV. t
R.D. 4125 FLEETWOOD, PA. 19522
Delaware-gfown produce In
recent years there’s been a steady
gain in fresh vegetable acreage in
the state up 15 percent to 20
percent each year, he estimates.
From about 12,000 acres in 1979,
production rose to about 15,000 last
year and he expects a similar
increase in 1981.
Total processed acreage came to
about 30,000 acres in 1980, mostly
because the return on vegetables
grown for processing is lower than
fresh and farmers compensate by
planting more
Even so, the profit from
vegetables grown for processing is
as great or greater than that from
corn or soybeans This is one
reason he doesn’t expect to see
former pepper acreage switch
back to these crops
A good manager can make more
growing sweet com, pickling
cukes, tomatoes or hot peppers.
And though they pay less, pease,
Umas and snap beans (for
processing) are also very com
petitive with Delaware’s two main
feed grains
Peas probably pay more to grow
than most small grains and, being
a legume, they provide nitrogen
for the next crop planted, which
cuts down on fertilizer costs. They
also can be double cropped, so
they’re a nice, profitable early
cash crop
Some of Delaware’s major fresh
market crops are potatoes about
5000 acres were harvested in 1980;
sweet com 2000 acres last year
and going up; cucurbits like
cucumbers, watermelons and
cantalopes —6000 to 7000 acres.
Other vegetables grown for fresh
distribution include peas, snap
beans, limas, sweet peppers and
cole crops like cabbage,
cauliflower and broccoli. Some of
these are retailed to supermarket
chains. Some are sold at roadside
markets, and some are available
on a pick-your-own basis.
Melons did so well last summer
that there’s some danger that
farmers may get carried away,
plant too many this year and flood
the market, warns Orzolek.
There’s been a lot of interest in
raising staked tomatoes for fresh
market use on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia, he notes Some Delaware
growers have been considering the
idea, too But he’s counseled those
he’s talked with to adopt a wait
and-see attitude.
The practice is very labor
intensive and there may not be
enough consumer demand to make
the crop competitive with cheaper,
mechanically harvested ones.
Incidentally, there’s a
strengthening demand for
mechanically grown tomatoes
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