“Our squash (from Georgia) is starting to wind down as are the peppers,” he said. “Our broccoli production is still going strong, and our Georgia sweet corn should run strong through the Fourth of July.”
McFadden said the spring FOB prices on most of the vegetable commodities has been fairly strong, with the exception of sweet corn.
He said the East Coast sweet corn crop has been plentiful with not enough promotional pricing to empty the supply chain. On the plus side, the broccoli market has remained solid as they prepare for the start of their summer production. “We will have North Carolina sweet corn and cucumbers starting up,” he said. Squash and broccoli are ready.
McFadden also noted that Parker Farms has one of the more robust organic vegetable sales sheets in the area with all of the same commodities certified as organic. He said the market price for organics is another bright spot on the sales board as demand continues to grow. “Our organic volume is remaining steady, which is our business strategy,” he said. “We like to stay in our lane with steady year-over-year growth. We try not to expand too quickly.”
He said the demand is very good for organics with Parker Farms representing perhaps the largest organic grower in southern Virginia and servicing the larger retail partners on the East Coast with significant organic vegetable needs.
He added that another growth area for the company is its value-added category. Parker Farms expanded its Virginia production facility to create a dedicated value-added section. “It is demand driven,” McFadden said. “We have some nice contracts with retailers and we are expanding that business. We are doing a lot of tray packing of sweet corn and squash and several other items.”
Also newsworthy is the company’s continued accumulation of third-party certifications illustrating its commitment to good farming and handling practices. “We recently received our organic handler certificate and we are also being certified as a Bee Friendly Farming pollinator,” he said.
McFadden said the company’s trek up the East coast will move to Pennsylvania next and then to Upstate New York after that. The Pennsylvania production will feature a good portfolio of mixed vegetables while the Northern New York fields will highlight mostly broccoli and sweet corn. “We move up the East Coast from spring to summer and then come back down through those same farms for our fall production,” he said.
As a general overview comment on this season, McFadden said it is going well with no major hurdles. Crops are coming in mostly on time, with relatively good markets and minimal logistics or labor issues.
