Vegetable growers in the Northeast experienced significant draught in 2020, which is continuing through 2021. Growers selling to foodservice markets had to adjust their marketing, but those selling to grocery stores or direct-to-consumer have seen good sales. Like other agricultural commodities, vegetable demand has shifted but is still strong.
Farm Credit East recently hosted a webinar featuring a panel of experts to discuss the Northeast's fruit and vegetables industries, and how COVID-19 has impacted markets. This post summarizes their discussion on a multitude of topics, including supply and demand, consumer preferences, costs, marketing and labor challenges, as well as future outlook predictions.
On April 17, the USDA unveiled details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program for agriculture, which includes $16 billion in direct support to agricultural producers and $3 billion to purchase and distribute agriculture products to Americans in need. Read a summary of these two main components.
Producers in many areas of the Northeast who are growing a variety of nutrient-dense vegetables for the fresh market are well positioned to take advantage of market trends. The policies impacting vegetable production, U.S. vegetable consumption patterns and what producers can expect this year is discussed in this outlook written by Bradley Rickard, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University.
