Backwards and Forward

Looking back over 2012, at least for the garden and the produce industry, it was a story of mixed blessings.  The winter deal in Mexico and Yuma was an unmitigated disaster as overplanting and lack of demand led to rock bottom pricing.  Produce growers must begin to wean themselves from the contract mentality which says you must overproduce to meet your obligations.  The contracts are not profitable enough to offset the returns from the overplanted acres which were usually consigned to market houses with insufficient business to absorb the surplus.   Prices rebounded somewhat as the deal moved to Salinas, but the local deals in the east which expand every year took the edge off.  Buy local is the new mantra, and the chains are scrambling to find growers who can meet the new food safety requirements.  That is not easy, as many family farms can't find the resources and expertise to devote to ramping up their compliance efforts.  Conditions did not improve as the seasons progressed and we are back to where we were last year at this time.   Personally, the garden was a mixed bag with some triumphs and a few abject failures.  The latter included the direct seeded onions and fennel, both of which suffered from the drought conditions we experienced this past summer.  On the other hand, the hot, dry weater led to a bountiful tomato and sweet corn harvest.  The lettuce was also a winner, along with carrots and beets.  With a few more timely rain showers it might have been a banner year.  To paraphrase the old saying, "2012 is dead, long live 2013".   May everyone who reads this blog have a happy and healthy New Year!