Opportunity with hard times

Kristy J. O'Hara

The intense heat and drought that much of the country has experienced this year has wreaked havoc on farmers’ crops. Many plants didn’t survive, and ones that did came at a high price after needing far more care and attention than in past years. Some experts predict that produce prices will increase drastically these last few months of the year as a result, and while this could be a bad thing for the consumer and for outdoor farmers, for indoor farmers like yourself, it’s a golden opportunity. Your crops haven’t suffered from the heat. You haven’t had to spend tons of extra money on water. And you can earn new business from outlets that, like you, are looking to keep their costs fixed, so if you can offer them a product that costs less and is just as good as what they would traditionally buy, it could mean more business and money for you.

Our October issue of Produce Grower explores a few opportunities you may want to look into that could help boost your business. Our cover story takes a look at the fascinating aeroponics technology that involves growing in the air. Another feature looks at a website that connects farmers with restaurants. Both are great opportunities to explore other avenues. Another feature also looks at a company that improved its operations by investing in some technology. Whatever the idea, it’s important to look at the marketplace from a holistic viewpoint to see how other misfortunes could be opportunities for your business to grow.

We hope you enjoy this final issue of Produce Grower for 2012, and we hope you’ve found it a valuable resource to help you grow your produce operations this year. As always, we want to hear from you and know how we’re doing, so be sure to drop us a line with your comments and what you’d like to see more of next year.

kohara@gie.net
Twitter: @GMmagEditor