No grower is an island

Relentless pests. Increasing energy costs. Competition from imported produce and foreign companies. Changing consumer dietary concerns and needs. If you think I’m referring to issues that face U.S. produce growers, you’re right. However, as the Produce Grower team saw in recent months, these are concerns that we share with produce growers in other countries as well.

In May, I attended the International Congress for Controlled Environment Agriculture in Panama City, Panama, where there were growers, researchers and other industry members from all over the globe presented, discussed and debated a variety of topics related to controlled environment agriculture (CEA). Attendees hailed from 24 different countries, but had one goal in common — grow more efficiently using CEA. I asked organizer Chris Higgins why events like this one are so important for the industry, and he said that if we go at it alone, we won’t go nearly as far. “Collaboration is king in today’s world. There is plenty of competition in areas of agriculture and it is my opinion that none of us have the budgets needed to solve all the problems we are facing,” he said. More on this event on page 30.

In June, Assistant Editors Chris Mosby and Cassie Neiden made the trip to United Fresh, one of the largest fresh produce shows in the U.S. With the ever-present concern of how to feed 9 billion people by 2050, growers are looking to do more with less. Healthy eating trends were a hot topic, with a slew of new “snacking” varieties and packaging. Produce is becoming a much more important section in grocery stores and even major chain stores such as Walgreens and Dollar General (more on that on page 34).

Lastly, I attended the Veggie & Fruit conference for Mexican growers in Mazatlan, Mexico, a show co-organized by Produce Grower and AgroExcellence. The show was well attended by growers looking to strengthen and expand their operations, who shared concerns of input costs and changing import-export legislation. There was an emphasis on marketing products as locally grown and diversifying production to include exotic or unique crops to take advantage of those demands.

When it comes down to it, it’s more valuable to collaborate to move the industry forward than trying to work through it alone. And participating in these types of events can be a key part of the solution. Have you attended any events so far this year? What were your takeaways? Drop me a line at kvarga@gie.net.

kvarga@gie.net | (216) 393-0290
Twitter: @Karen_GIE