C34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 11,1981
Vegetables seen as
DOVER, Del. Delaware
farmers who want to improve their
income should consider growing
vegetables in addition to their
present enterprises, says
University of Delaware extension
economist W T. McAllister.
While the idea won’t appeal to
everyone, it can be profitable
because of favorable growing
conditions and closeness to major
metropolitan markets, he says.
By raising fruits and vegetables
as well as corn and soybeans, some
growers could well increase their
farm income enough to bring
another family member into the
business
Because vegetables offer the
opportunity for high returns on
small acreage, they’re a good
option for the young farmer who’s
long on ambition and short on
capital
They’re also a good bet for well
established farmers who want to
make more money
McAllister, who spoke about
Delaware’s advantages as a
vegetable-producing state during
the recent annual meeting of the
Delaware Potato and Vegetable
Growers’ Associations in Denver,
considers the Delmarva peninsula
a “land of economic opportunity
for agriculture ”
He says the area is well-suited to
many kinds bf agricultural
production, including fruits and
vegetables The land is flat, open
and easily tilled The growing
season is fairly long
Although rainfall is spotty and
unreliable, it totals between 40 to
50 inches most years. This is
enough to keep ground water levels
high-especially under the sandy
soils of Sussex County-so irrigating
crops has not been a problem
Some of the fresh-market crops
presently grown in Delaware are
snap beans, sweet corn, peppers,
Irish potatoes, eggplant, cabbage,
broccli, cauliflower, brussels
sprouts, cucumbers, peas, limas,
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach,
asparagus, horseradish, squash,
cantaloupes, watermelons,
strawberries, peaches, apples, and
blueberries
It’s also possible to grow lettuce
and other greens, radishes, onions,
turnips, beets, carrots and other
root crops Many of these thrive in
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cool weather and could be used to
extend the growing season.
What makes the outlook
especially bright for Delaware
produce growers these days are
the fresh-market opportunities,
says the economist
One fifth of the total population
of the United States-50 million
people-lives within 300 miles of
Dover. Within a 200-mile radius
are 19 million potential customers
for Delaware-grown fruits and
vegetables Within 10 miles-an
easy one-day haul-live 14 million
people
This is the most concentrated
market any place in the country,’’
says McAllister. “If you don’t want
to take advantage of the op
portunity, that’s entirely up to you
But it’s there ”
He sees the Mid-Atlantic and
Northeast as a large deficit market
for many things Delaware farmers
now produce, or could produce By
‘deficit” he means that growers in
the Northeast don’t currently raise
enough to satisfy demand As a
result, farmers in the South,
Midwest and far West consider the
industrial Northeast a prune
market for what they grow
Rising transportation costs are
changing that picture, however
Back in 1976 the average cost of
hauling produce to market by
tractor trailer type trucks was 58 6
cents per mile. By February 1980
that cost had jumped to 95 cents
That’s a 62 percent increase in only
four years.
Rates continue to go up. Truck
rates are no cheaper for Delmarva
farmers But the distance to
market is much shorter. This gives
them a distinct competitive ad
vantage
Take the cost of shipping
produce to New York City by
truck, for instance.
Hauling costs from Tampa to
New York - a distance of 1200 miles
- rose $439 between 1976 and 1980.
Over the same period, the cost of
shipping wmtei id early spring
vegetables, camaploupes, and
other fruits 2500 miles from
Phoenix to New York went up
nearly $lOOO
The cost to bring a truckload of
produce all the way from Los
Angeles rose by about $l2OO
One reason the Delmarva broiler
• SEAT CUSHIONS
way to boost Del. farm
industry has been able to hold its
own against competition from
other parts of the country is this
same closeness to market What is
saved on transportation com
pensates for higher production
costs and keeps local companies
competitive, explains the
economist
Delaware farmers may have
excellent market prospects, but no
one’s likely to come begging for
what they grow, he warns.
‘There aren’t any chain store
buyers or wholesalers sitting
around waiting for what you
produce,” he says
‘lf you want a place in these
markets you’re going to have to
create it by being competitive in
ill that you d" First, »oa ...uot
NEWARK, Del If you live in a
rural area, chances are you’re
served by a septic system Does
this sewage disposal system serve
just as adequately as the sewer
system in town’
Septic tank systems generally do
a good job, says Delaware ex
tension agncltural engineer Er
nest Walpole However, septic
system owners should keep a few
precautions in mind. If you have a
stopped-up drain, use the
recommended dosage of drain
opener but no more. Moderation is
the watchword with a septic
system, he explains
The effluent in a septic tank is
broken down by bacterial action.
Most solids are broken down into
liquids and gasses. As new
material enters the tank through
household drains, an equal volume
of disgested material overflows the
tank and enters the perforated tile
of the seepage bed, where it filters
out through the upper layers of the
soil.
There is always a small per
centage of material that won’t
break down This collects as a
layer of solid sludge on the bottom
of the septic tank. Depending on
the size of your household and
whether or not you have a garbage
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i CITY
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j Hours.
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I Sat 730 12
Septic tanks need help to do their job
LAWN CARE DISTRIBUTORS
Box 25 Martmdale PA 17549
Phone 215 445 4541
Dealer Inquiries invited,
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know what the market wants.
Second, you’ve got to produce that
particular item competitively in
terms of price, quality, service and
all the other things that either
attract a buyer or turn him off ’ ’
It’s not enough to be able to do
this, either The product also has to
be m 1 .' •i e u c many ways to do
Ulis.
Just as production is a science,
so is marketing
/ McAllister considers it rare to
find both sciences wrapped up in
one person or one family
"I think in many cases farmers
do an excellent job growing the
product, but they’re not always
equally skilled in selling it,” he
says
‘That’s why I thmk you need
disposal unit feeding into the
system, the tank should be pumped
out every three to five years to
prevent it from plugging up the
perforated tile and backing up the
system.
Are septic tanks safe’ Yes,
explains Walpole, since laws
protect the public health by con
trolling minimum distances bet
ween septic tanks, and minimum
distances between tanks and wells
And since not all soils are suitable
for septic tanks, the law now
requires percolation tests before a
septic system is installed. The
percolation test determines
whether the soil has the capacity to
filter out harmful substances so
that they won’t enter the ground
water.
Though percolation tests weren’t
required years ago, if you have an
older septic tank, vou needn’t
ZIP
income
someone or some group to help you
with marketing, if you’re in
terested in producing it m large
quantities and moving it into
metropolitan areas.
“Your market connection may
be an aggressive local broker who
has good knowledge and contacts,”
he says, “or an organization like
the auctions in Laurel and New
Jersey It could be a strong group
like the Delaware Produce
Growers Association or some other
organization or expert who can
help you penetrate the market.”
Until you’ve succeeded in doing
this, fi om the standpoint of profits,
it doesn’t really matter how good
you are at growing the stuff But
the opportunities are there, and
they’re excellent, he conclndps
worry. And problems would have
shown up long ago, says Walpole
If your house was built within the
last five years, you can be sure
that a percolation test was per
formed.
In some areas septic tanks tend
to get waterlogged during periods
nf high water table, especially
during the spring of the year. You
can recognize this problem if the
household drains empty very
slowly The Imes are already full of
water, so the waste has nowhere to
go At tunes like this, says
Walpole, you’re smart to minimize
the amount of waste water you put
mto the system. Take shorter
showers, don’t flush the toilet
unnecessarily, and consider taking
out the garbage the old fashioned
way instead of putting it down the
garbage disposal unit.
READ
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