NEWSLETTER ARTICLES

Small Farms and Specialty Crops

SOME IMPORTANT GUIDELINES FOR DIRECT MARKETING
TO GROCERY STORES
by Mark Gaskell

Growers with experience in direct marketing of fresh fruits and vegetables to grocery stores have found that consistency is one of the most critical factors for success. Groceries are increasingly opening up to local purchasing, although the practice still varies widely from chain to chain and even from store to store. But stores are finding that emphasizing fresh, locally grown produce can be profitable and attractive to consumers. Such items as “FRESH MARKETS” and “FARMSTANDS” are becoming popular as in-store promotion devices emphasizing locally grown produce. Karen and Frieda Caplan of Frieda’s Finest, the Los Angeles-based specialty wholesaler, are using their weekly newsletter to the produce industry to encourage locally grown produce purchases. Frieda’s “Hot Sheet” encourages retailers to “keep running those ads featuring local farmers” and also goes on to say: “people everywhere are rediscovering the pleasures of fresh ingredients from local farms... a simple connection to the land. And produce retailers all over the country are doing an excellent job of reading the trend.”

A study done in North Carolina and reported in the "Growing for Market" newsletter in June 1995 identified key direct purchasing criteria cited in a survey of 13 retailers and 3 wholesalers. They cited consistency and reliability as the most important factors in deciding where to buy organic produce. Although some of these criteria are more often problems cited with organic produce, they apply equally to producers of conventional produce as well.

Those surveyed claimed they purchased 50 to 75% of produce from wholesalers and the rest directly from growers. They cited the following criteria for selecting suppliers in order of importance: supplier reliability, attractive appearance of the produce, timing of the harvest and delivery relative to their needs, consistent packing and grading, and price or value of the product.

Among problems with growers which they cited most frequently were: inconsistent supply, limited availability and varieties, difficulty and time costs of coordinating purchases from multiple suppliers, and inconsistent grades and standards. Among key criteria used by buyers to select growers are: ability to commit items one week in advance of delivery; consistency in quality; and grower experience with retail store operations.

These are all important aspects of the produce industry which are basic considerations for growers expecting to deal in some way with the traditional wholesale distribution chain. There are clear grading standards established in the industry for most types of products, and there are also standard packaging types, weights, and counts.

It is incumbent on the grower who is interested in direct marketing to become familiar with these standards and norms. Those who are able to supply diverse products of consistent quality over the longest possible period will be most successful at penetrating these markets.

UPDATE ON WINDBREAK EVALUATION IN SANTA CRUZ
by Mark Gaskell

Growers inquire from time to time about perennial plant materials suitable for use as windbreaks. There is interest in windbreaks for a number of reasons: protecting high value crops from wind blasting and scarring, as host species for beneficial insects, or wildlife habitat, or just overall farmscaping. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Cruz are five years into an on-going project to evaluate different windbreak species for Central Coast conditions. They reported an update recently in their quarterly publication The Cultivar.

They are evaluating a total of 19 native and introduced shrubs and trees. The more outstanding species to date are the ironwood (Casuarina cunninghamiana) and the Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa). These species were planted as 4” to 10” tall plugs in 1991 and are now over 20 feet high. The ironwood is native to Australia and widely used as a windbreak all over the world. According to John Farrell, Research Associate at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UCSC, the windbreak effects are enhanced when the ironwood is combined with the fast growing native Monterey Cypress. Both species were planted on seven-foot centers with three ironwoods alternating with each single cypress. The trees are just now beginning to touch, and eventually every other ironwood will be removed leaving alternating ironwood and cypress on 14-foot centers.

Several higher value, slower growing species are in a lee shelter row created by the faster growing ironwood and cypress. These species include California Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), chestnut (Castanea sp.), California black walnut (Juglans hinsii), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), and loquat (Eriobatria japonica). It is expected that these species will eventually fill in the windbreak and provide longer lifespan to the planting. Although these slower growing species may take 10 to 50 years to mature, they ultimately will offer products with more economic value.

The fastest growing among this second group have been the alders which are about 12 feet high and the oaks at 10 feet. These two native species are also drought tolerant once established. All of the species required some initial protection from gophers and ground squirrels during the first couple of years after planting.

The carob, walnut and chestnuts are more demanding. The carobs in particular are sensitive to transplanting and are intolerant of wet conditions. Carob should be reserved for special situations where more intensive care is possible. Walnuts are also prone to fungal diseases. The chestnuts required sheltering from wind and sun in early years, but have fared well once established.

A third group of eleven species is planted on six-foot centers in another leeward windbreak row. This group contains fruit and flower bearing species. This group of more shrubby species is meant to fill in the lower canopy as the larger species grow taller.

The shrubby native California lilac (Ceanothus thrysiflorus) is thriving filling a four-by-four foot area, elderberries (Sambucus caerulea) are approaching mature height of 10 feet. Autumn olive (Eleagnus umbellata), and Russian olive (E. angustifolia) are two nitrogen-fixing species that after five years of growth are above eight feet high, and native California Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica) and the native Catalina cherry (Prunus lyoniui), although delicate when young, is now a vigorous 12-15 ft. high.

Several species have been more delicate to establish. Filberts (Corylus avellana) and feijoa or pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana) are producing fruits, even though they have been plagued by ground squirrels, pests, and diseases. Feijoa is grown commercially on a few farms on the Central Coast, and the possibility of using it both as a windbreak and an income crop is interesting. Toyon (Heteromeles arbustifolia), a native species, has had disease problems, and Siberian pea shrub (Caraganus arborescens) has also not done well. For further information on UCSC’s windbreak project, watch for future issues of The Cultivar, or contact the CASFS, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, or phone 408/459-3240. Ask for the handout entitled Trees and Other Perennials: A Resource List.

Back to Small Farms Page