A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003
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OPINION
(Continued from Page A 10)
of disease-resistant varieties of tomatoes, snap beans, and
pumpkins; cultivar evaluations; no-till pumpkin produc
tion techniques; atrazine alternatives for sweet corn; high
tunnel and plasticulture techniques; and greenhouse bio
control strategies to name a few.
Seven years ago, the PVMRP applied for a matching
grant from the Department of Agriculture to promote
Pennsylvania vegetables on billboards across the state.
That effort inspired the department itself to undertake a
produce promotion program that has developed into the
“Simply Delicious” Promotion that has resulted in the
state spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to
promote vegetables (and fruits) on billboards (more than
350 last year), on point-of-purchase materials in super
markets, and on radio and television (more than 2,000
television ads were aired last summer). The department
has also used its influence to encourage supermarkets to
purchase more local produce. While the PVMRP cannot
claim credit for all that the state has done through the
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“Simply Delicious” program, the PVMRP is part of the
foundation upon which the “Simply Delicious” promotion
was built.
The board of growers responsible for guiding the
PVMRP has adopted the “Simply Delicious” logo and
theme for all of its promotional activities. The PVMRP
has promoted Pennsylvania vegetables on billboards
(more than 40 last year); with point-of-purchase materials
(supplied to about 400 farm markets last year); by new re
leases throughout the summer (which have resulted in
about 100 articles per year in newspapers across the state
reaching, 24 million readers over the years): and with
publications (directories for both growers and buyers).
The program has worked with the Department and
PVGA to represent the industry at the national Produce
Marketing Association trade show as well as at various
events in the state.
The PVMRP is a prime example of how growers work
ing together can help build the state vegetable industry in
ways that would not be possible without growers working
together. The assessment monies collected by the program
have been used to fund research that otherwise might not
have been undertaken. And grower dollars invested in
vegetable research are a proven way of leveraging addi
tional research funds from government sources and else
where for projects of direct benefit to growers. University
administrators recognize that the vegetable industry is
willing and able to annually fund vegetable research.
They in turn are more likely to support vegetable re
searchers with other resources they have available.
Through the PVMRP, growers are helping themselves
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collectively rather than waiting for a government hand
out. The net result, however, has been that for the last
seven years, the PVMRP has been able to double, and in
one case triple, grower assessment dollars for promotion
through the Department of Agriculture’s Matching Grant
Program. None of those funds would be available to the
vegetable industry if the PVMRP did not have grower as
sessment dollars to match the Department of Agricul
ture’s grants. Instead, that money would go to other agri
cultural industries for promotion.
With the change in administration in Harrisburg, it
even more crucial that vegetable growers send a signal to
Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff that vegetable
promotion and the “Simply Delicious” promotion are im
portant to growers. If growers are not willing to promote
their own products through the PVMRP, the Department
of Agriculture may well question the reasonableness of
spending taxpayer dollars that are in tight supply to
promote Pennsylvania “Simply Delicious” vegetables.
Clearly, now is not the time to walk away from the pro
gress the PVMRP has accomplished in the past 15 years.
Now is the time to continue that progress by voting “Yes”
to continue the Pennsylvania Vegetable Marketing and
Research Program. Vote “Yes” for vegetables.
Highlights of the March Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland
Conference are scheduled for the April 19 Pennsylvania
Forage and Grassland Council's (PFGC’s) Foraging Around
newsletter Included PFGC award presentations, conference
updates, and news and information
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