“We have some of the best produce in the world and our farmers are happy to fill your needs,” said Kevin Hardison, a longtime agricultural marketing specialist for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, based in the state capital of Raleigh. “We are in a great location and we can meet the needs of the markets up and down the East Coast, as well as the international community and out west.”“That is great news because the southern staples market is extremely hot right now,” Hardison added. “More and more consumers realize that these produce items are nutritious, delicious and can satisfy an appetite. People are looking for healthier ways to eat and unique tastes and North Carolina farmers are providing them with answers.
“The return to outside of the home eating and a need by restaurant operators to think outside the box with their menus is also helping our farmers as well,” Hardison continued. “Everyone wants a twist and these produce items can provide them and enhance just about any menu.”
Still, Hardison emphasized how important it is to keep promotional activity going on a steady basis. “We are very active on that front and right now we are basically focusing on several different marketing programs including in-store displays and demonstrations,” he said. “For example, the in-state stores of the Harris-Teeter supermarket chain just concluded a promotion for North Carolina watermelons and cantaloupe. We have also done promotions with the Piggly Wiggly chain to promote our various products.”
Hardison noted that an in-school program that provides state-grown produce for students is already paying dividends. “We work hard on this program because it provides our students with healthy foods and also helps them to understand what is grown in North Carolina,” he said. “That builds a connection with these young people and, hopefully, they will hold on to the fact that these products grown by local neighbors are making a difference in their lives as they get older.”
The state Dept. of Agriculture also takes on some of the responsibility for increasing business for state farmers. “We always try to seek out new market channels to increase sales and connect our growers across the state,” Hardison said. “We do a lot of shows here and abroad and at IFPA and we want to be at other events in the state and across the nation. Our job is to put our growers in front of the buyers.”
The future means keeping things moving in the right direction, a challenge for a state that is realizing large population increases that also means losing farmland.
“Truthfully, so many people are moving into our state that we are losing farmland and that is putting a strain on the overall industry in our state,” Hardison said. “That means that growers need to be more tactical and may have to switch crops. On the other hand, these new people are all going to be hungry and our farmers offer them a great, delicious and safe food supply.”
