NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As the time of year for fresh produce approaches, tomato growers and enthusiasts are preparing for another growing season.
In Tennessee, producers are also looking at ways to increase their market opportunities. One way is through a federal Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) that will fund the Tennessee Tomato Initiative.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), the recipient of the grant, will launch the project to provide producers necessary information to determine if a grower-owned organization can increase national recognition and markets for the state’s tomatoes, according to information from the agency.
Stanley Trout, a consultant for the initiative, said with more competition and regulations, the idea of doing more to help growers work together to solve problems and find markets for their product is what has driven this project.
"From July to October you’ll find tomatoes anywhere from New York to Denver and Dallas, and most anywhere in the eastern U.S. We share that marketplace more now with Canadian products," he said. "But we know we have a great tomato; we just want to find a better way to share that story."
That includes encouraging buyers to look at Tennessee tomatoes and spend more money in the state on its produce.
Trout, who has been in the marketing and sales side of the produce industry for the last 25 years, noted Tennessee tomatoes can already be found in many of the bigger chain stores as well as in farmers’ markets, and this initiative is designed to help all growers no matter their operation size.
"We’re looking at helping everybody who grows anywhere from a half an acre to a 500-acre grower," he said. "We’re trying to find a spot and a way to help all these growers."
In doing so, Trout will host three regional meetings to discuss the benefits of forming a statewide growers association, according to TDA. While it’s difficult to get an exact total of growers in the state, he has about 300 on a mailing list who will get notices about the meetings.
And with such big numbers comes a big economic impact. Trout said that will vary from place to place, but as a whole it ranges from $50 million-$60 million annually and covers about 4,000 acres of production.
"It’s a dynamic business and truly a free market enterprise," he said. "But the market changes, and it changes by the hour."
One thing going for Tennessee produce growers as well as those in other industries is the enormous tourism industry in the state. Trout said many of the visitors coming to Tennessee take advantage of its growers and many sales venues.
"Tennessee has rapidly growing farmers’ markets where people like to meet and talk to the growers and know where their product comes from, so that is a part of how we promote our tomatoes to the consumer at that level."
He said during the upcoming meetings, growers will be asked what their level of interest is in this initiative; once that is known, the group will look for grower volunteers and take steps toward forming an organization if that is what growers want to do. He wants this to be a grower-driven initiative, to make sure they get what they want.
