A tiny percentage of Iowa farmers are turning to diversified vegetable and fruit production to augment or replace their fields of corn and soybeans, the Des Moines Register reports. The paper says that the chance for farmers “to diversify their crop mix, receive more income and avoid the price volatility that has squeezed profitability recently for corn and soybean producers can be enticing.”
Although the USDA counted 962 farms raising vegetables across 7,700 acres in its 2012 census, Iowa is still the land of corn and soybeans. The USDA data shows 47,000 Iowa farms grew corn and 41,000 had soybeans on 23 million acres.
Greg Rinehart, who farms vegetables 55 miles northwest of Des Moines, told the paper: “It’s a huge difference on prices.” Rinehart had expanded his operation to grow an estimated 40 kinds of fruits and vegetables, along with conventional corn and soybeans. “We’re doing it for business. We don’t want to lose money. That’s why we’ve expanded the vegetable end of it, because you can kind of see what sells well, and those prices don’t drop like commodity prices,” Rinehart said.
Eric Franzenburg, president of the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, told the paper that produce production in the state is increasing, in large part because of growing participation by younger farmers just starting out in agriculture. “Fruit and vegetable production is generally more expensive than corn and soybeans, but often generates higher revenue per acre and doesn’t require sweeping plots of land or gigantic equipment. Further interest is likely coming from corn and soybean growers looking to spread their risk amid a prolonged slump in commodity prices,” the paper said.
The activity also seems to be focused near cities. “In and around the Des Moines area there are a wide range of producers that are producing specifically for that Des Moines metropolitan market and, of course, many of them can make a decent living,” Iowa State University economist David Swenson said. “But you get out into the more rural areas of the state and you can’t do that. You’re not going to have the local demand.”
Sen. Charles Grassley told the Register that as lawmakers prepare to begin debate on the farm bill in 2017, additional support for fruit and vegetable growers will depend on how much money is available and how aggressively the producers push for help. “We don’t hear from this group of people very often,” Grassley was quoted as saying. “They need to be speaking up.”