Florida tomato production and value down in 2005-06
Florida tomato production and value down in 2005-06
NAPLES, FL -- Attendees of the 2006 Florida Tomato Institute, part of the 31st Joint Tomato Conference being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, here, heard some bad news delivered by Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee. The news was that Florida tomato production was down 5 million packages and the value of the crop is almost $200 million less this season than it was the year before.
"Last year was not what I would call a good year," Mr. Brown said. "With Hurricane Wilma and a near-freeze in February, it was almost a doubly whammy. Hurricane Wilma devastated this area of the state and the tomato industry with it. The value of the crop was $466 million -- almost $200 million less than what it was. We harvested about 5 million packages less than last year."
Mr. Brown said that there was "less volatility in pricing, with lower highs and higher lows" ranging from a high of $25.31 during the scarcity from Hurricane Wilma to a low of $4.48 in the spring.
He said that managing pest problems, such as requiring the destruction of crops after harvest in Dade, Lee, Hillsborough, Orange and Suwannee counties to prevent infestation by the Q-type whitefly, as well as "stewardship of labor and methyl bromide were important" for the industry.
"The cost of growing crops is going up by leaps and bounds, and we need to get unit costs down to where they are profitable as an industry," he said.
Mr. Brown's comments were not all doom and gloom for the state's growers, however.
"We are working diligently to provide a good food-safety network to grow and provide the safest tomato product we can," he said. "We hope that this is one of those good years with a strong and viable industry going forward."
Mr. Brown made his comments during his "State of the Florida Tomato" address Sept. 6 at the institute, a day-long event with numerous educational seminars that has taken place for over 20 years at the Joint Tomato Conference.
Other presentations included one by Mike Aerts of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association titled "Methyl Bromide CUE Status for 2007 and Beyond."
"The future ain't what it used to be, and the industry cannot be solely dependent on a single chemical, it has to be diverse," Mr. Aerts said.
Mr. Aerts noted that the United States represents about two-thirds of the methyl bromide -- a chemical he said that is considered a Class 1 ozone depleter -- used worldwide, and that the U.S. government is feeling pressure on all sides to reduce its use and to appease the growers who still depend on the chemical.
Seventeen fruit and vegetable sectors still have a critical use exemption to use methyl bromide, but "only tomatoes, peppers and strawberries used all of the bromide allocated to them in 2005," Mr. Aerts said. "This is going to come back to haunt us. There is no turning back and there is no easy legislative fix as this is only important for two or three states. Bromide will go away, and we will need to know what to do when that day comes. Growers need to stay engaged in the issues."
Martha Roberts of the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Science told those assembled during her "Food Safety and the Florida Tomato Industry" presentation that statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention indicate that 12 percent of foodborne outbreaks in the United States were associated with fresh produce. That number included 1,490 illnesses from Florida tomatoes in eight recent outbreaks.
"We need to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables and tighten our safety belt, and these are not contradictory," she said.
Dr. Roberts said that illnesses attributed to Florida tomatoes were due to contamination by strains of Salmonella, and as a result of numerous outbreaks, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has reclassified cut, sliced and diced tomatoes as a "potentially hazardous food" that needs to be handled like milk, raw meats and eggs.
"This is to [growers'] protection, as cut, sliced and diced tomatoes will no longer be able to be mishandled, and this will protect producers of fresh tomatoes," she said. "Growers must think Salmonella, and with the record of illness, there will be more regulation. We can be proactive."
Dr. Roberts said that in 2005, the industry began efforts to amend the federal marketing order as well as to craft tomato-specific good agricultural practices and best manufacturing practices that will require registration and education, provide for penalties and have requirements for retailers, food safety and food processors.
In addition, the FDA has also introduced a Produce Safety Action Plan with the goal to develop long-term regulations to ensure produce safety.
"We need to make sure we don't have the same problems as commodities in other states," she said.
John VanSickle of the University of Florida's IFAS spoke of the current high energy prices in a presentation titled "Impact of Energy Issues on the Florida Tomato Industry."
"We have some significant impacts in what we are paying for energy, and the impact of higher energy prices on fresh produce is that several input prices are higher at the farm level, increasing costs that are shared by almost all growers," he said. "The cost of delivering product to market will increase and impact those who grow farthest from the market."
Mr. VanSickle said that as the cost of fuel goes up, we are "still in a state of flux, as we haven't absorbed all costs yet."
To take advantage of rising energy costs, he said that Florida should increase its production in four growing districts -- Palmetto/Ruskin, Dade, Palm Beach and southwest Florida -- by nearly 10,000 acres. Palmetto and Ruskin would see the greatest jump, nearly doubling their production acreage.
"Sustained increases in energy prices will hurt Mexico and California much more than Florida and other East Coast producers," he said. "The dynamic nature of these markets and the highly inelastic nature of demand could cause significant shifts in production if these energy prices are sustained."
"Last year was not what I would call a good year," Mr. Brown said. "With Hurricane Wilma and a near-freeze in February, it was almost a doubly whammy. Hurricane Wilma devastated this area of the state and the tomato industry with it. The value of the crop was $466 million -- almost $200 million less than what it was. We harvested about 5 million packages less than last year."
Mr. Brown said that there was "less volatility in pricing, with lower highs and higher lows" ranging from a high of $25.31 during the scarcity from Hurricane Wilma to a low of $4.48 in the spring.
He said that managing pest problems, such as requiring the destruction of crops after harvest in Dade, Lee, Hillsborough, Orange and Suwannee counties to prevent infestation by the Q-type whitefly, as well as "stewardship of labor and methyl bromide were important" for the industry.
"The cost of growing crops is going up by leaps and bounds, and we need to get unit costs down to where they are profitable as an industry," he said.
Mr. Brown's comments were not all doom and gloom for the state's growers, however.
"We are working diligently to provide a good food-safety network to grow and provide the safest tomato product we can," he said. "We hope that this is one of those good years with a strong and viable industry going forward."
Mr. Brown made his comments during his "State of the Florida Tomato" address Sept. 6 at the institute, a day-long event with numerous educational seminars that has taken place for over 20 years at the Joint Tomato Conference.
Other presentations included one by Mike Aerts of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association titled "Methyl Bromide CUE Status for 2007 and Beyond."
"The future ain't what it used to be, and the industry cannot be solely dependent on a single chemical, it has to be diverse," Mr. Aerts said.
Mr. Aerts noted that the United States represents about two-thirds of the methyl bromide -- a chemical he said that is considered a Class 1 ozone depleter -- used worldwide, and that the U.S. government is feeling pressure on all sides to reduce its use and to appease the growers who still depend on the chemical.
Seventeen fruit and vegetable sectors still have a critical use exemption to use methyl bromide, but "only tomatoes, peppers and strawberries used all of the bromide allocated to them in 2005," Mr. Aerts said. "This is going to come back to haunt us. There is no turning back and there is no easy legislative fix as this is only important for two or three states. Bromide will go away, and we will need to know what to do when that day comes. Growers need to stay engaged in the issues."
Martha Roberts of the University of Florida's Institute of Food & Agricultural Science told those assembled during her "Food Safety and the Florida Tomato Industry" presentation that statistics released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention indicate that 12 percent of foodborne outbreaks in the United States were associated with fresh produce. That number included 1,490 illnesses from Florida tomatoes in eight recent outbreaks.
"We need to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables and tighten our safety belt, and these are not contradictory," she said.
Dr. Roberts said that illnesses attributed to Florida tomatoes were due to contamination by strains of Salmonella, and as a result of numerous outbreaks, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has reclassified cut, sliced and diced tomatoes as a "potentially hazardous food" that needs to be handled like milk, raw meats and eggs.
"This is to [growers'] protection, as cut, sliced and diced tomatoes will no longer be able to be mishandled, and this will protect producers of fresh tomatoes," she said. "Growers must think Salmonella, and with the record of illness, there will be more regulation. We can be proactive."
Dr. Roberts said that in 2005, the industry began efforts to amend the federal marketing order as well as to craft tomato-specific good agricultural practices and best manufacturing practices that will require registration and education, provide for penalties and have requirements for retailers, food safety and food processors.
In addition, the FDA has also introduced a Produce Safety Action Plan with the goal to develop long-term regulations to ensure produce safety.
"We need to make sure we don't have the same problems as commodities in other states," she said.
John VanSickle of the University of Florida's IFAS spoke of the current high energy prices in a presentation titled "Impact of Energy Issues on the Florida Tomato Industry."
"We have some significant impacts in what we are paying for energy, and the impact of higher energy prices on fresh produce is that several input prices are higher at the farm level, increasing costs that are shared by almost all growers," he said. "The cost of delivering product to market will increase and impact those who grow farthest from the market."
Mr. VanSickle said that as the cost of fuel goes up, we are "still in a state of flux, as we haven't absorbed all costs yet."
To take advantage of rising energy costs, he said that Florida should increase its production in four growing districts -- Palmetto/Ruskin, Dade, Palm Beach and southwest Florida -- by nearly 10,000 acres. Palmetto and Ruskin would see the greatest jump, nearly doubling their production acreage.
"Sustained increases in energy prices will hurt Mexico and California much more than Florida and other East Coast producers," he said. "The dynamic nature of these markets and the highly inelastic nature of demand could cause significant shifts in production if these energy prices are sustained."
