What's new with produce?

Produce Grower magazine recently sat down with Jim Brown, a Controlled Environment Agriculture specialist at CropKing, to discuss trends in the produce market and how the local food movement is affecting farmers and their crops.

Produce Grower: Has there been a change in the market for produce, particularly over the last few years?

Jim Brown: From our growers’ perspective, yes. One of the things that has helped them and has been an advantage to our growers is the increased interest in locally grown produce. So people particularly at farmers markets as well as grocery stores and direct markets, which some of our growers have. People are pleased to be able to talk to somebody who grew the product and grew it somewhere close to where they live.

PG: Do you think growers are feeling more pressure to meet their customers face-to-face for that very same reason?

Jim Brown: I think growers are feeling the opportunity. I’m not sure that it’s pressure. It’s an opportunity to meet their customers face-to-face and answer their questions. Most producers realize that it’s well worth the time, because most customers will have a few questions to begin with, and then they will be customers from then on.

PG: That makes sense. Is there any specific produce that’s experiencing a spike in popularity right now?

Jim Brown: Actually, our growers are finding more market for leaf lettuce from the greenhouse than, say, ten years ago. People understand that it’s more nutritious than most of the head lettuce on the market coming in from outside the area.

To some extent growers are listening for some different herbs that they can grow. So certainly people out there who are buying from hydroponic growers, if they have trouble finding a fresh herb, the grower might try it if there’s enough demand for it.

PG: I know microgreens have grown in popularity and they’re good for growers because they can turn it around pretty quickly.

Jim Brown: And it doesn’t take a lot of space to grow a small quantity of microgreens. A number of our growers do grow them on a fairly small basis. I mean we’re talking about a 4x4 foot space in the greenhouse is all it takes, and usually it doesn’t take a lot of light, so it doesn’t need to be a prime production location in the greenhouse.

PG: Absolutely. One of the things that we’ve noticed in the past year or so is that customers and consumers seem more interested in the nutrition aspect of the product than previously.

Jim Brown: Oh yeah.

PG: Is that something you’ve experienced?

Jim Brown: Yes. That’s a common question: How nutritious is it? One of the things that customers know and understand is the fresher produce is, the more nutritious it is. But often people not familiar with hydroponics will ask, “If it’s grown in water is it nutritious?”

Of course, we can answer them fairly quickly and easily by saying, “Even out in the field, what plants take up is solution. We just put what the plants need in the water solution and feed them hydroponically. When the plant gets what it needs and is happy, it’s going to grow relatively fast and it’s going to develop completely.”