“Fall sets the tone for our entire year,” said Stewart Mann, vice president and general manager of the cooperative. “As we transition out of Georgia and into Florida, this is where our long season begins — and it’s crucial that we start strong with healthy crops and solid yields.”

Though Pioneer’s operations extend throughout the Southeast, Florida remains its heartbeat. In the fall, the cooperative’s production shifts southward, spanning regions from High Springs and Hastings to Okeechobee, Indiantown, Belle Glade, Clewiston and Homestead.

“Sweet corn is our biggest offering — we grow and ship it year-round — but we also handle a full range of commodities in the fall,” Mann said. “That includes green beans, cabbage, broccoli, radish and leafy greens like romaine, green leaf, red leaf, iceberg, cilantro, parsley, escarole and endive.”

Founded in 1948, Pioneer was built on a cooperative model that still defines it today — farmer-owned, farm-direct and focused on bringing produce from the field straight to retailers and foodservice customers. The cooperative now represents more than 12,000 acres of production during the fall season alone, a number that’s been climbing steadily as new growers join the fold.

That growth includes the recent addition of R.C. Hatton, a longtime Florida grower known for its sweet corn, cabbage and green beans. 

“Adding R.C. Hatton gave us quite a bit more acreage and some great people,” Mann said. “We’ve also welcomed many of their employees into the Pioneer family to ensure a smooth transition.”

The cooperative has also been broadening its footprint beyond the Sunshine State. Over the past year, Pioneer added Cayuga Produce in upstate New York and two Indiana growers — JMR Farms and Cardinal Farms — as well as partners in Honduras to strengthen winter supply continuity.

“This expansion helps us provide customers with a consistent, high-quality supply throughout the year,” Mann said. “Our customers, whether they’re in retail, foodservice or international markets, depend on us to deliver, and these partnerships make that possible.”

The 2025 growing year has not been without its challenges. Persistent rains in September and early October created early yield pressure in parts of Florida, though Mann noted that the overlap with Georgia’s late season helped balance supply.

“The crops look good overall,” he said. “We just had a lot of rain in the beginning, which will challenge yields early on. But we’re managing through it.”

Pricing, however, has been another concern. 

“We’ve seen depressed prices across the board for most commodities,” Mann said. “Sweet corn is near inflation-adjusted historical lows. It’s been a tough year for growers, but as a cooperative, we work together to get the best possible returns for our members.”

Despite the tough market, Pioneer’s customer base remains strong. The company supplies most major retailers and foodservice providers and also ships product to Canada and Europe. Mann said tariff pressures have been largely mitigated thanks to strong long-term relationships overseas. 

Even with market headwinds, Pioneer is planning aggressive growth for the year ahead. 

“We’re expanding our foodservice offerings with new broccoli florets and expanding our snipped and chopped green bean programs for both foodservice and retail,” Mann said. “We’ve also increased acreage on cabbage and broccoli and added a grower producing about 1.5 million cases of peppers out of Florida.”

That momentum, combined with a 75-year legacy of farmer ownership and commitment to quality, reinforces Pioneer’s place at the forefront of Florida agriculture.

“There aren’t many companies that can say they’re farm-direct,” Mann said. “At Pioneer, there’s nobody in the middle. We’re owned by our growers, and we take the product directly from our farms to consumers’ tables. That’s the way we’ve done it for 75 years, and it’s the way we plan to keep doing it.”