One of the biggest problems in agriculture is the mismatch of demand within a particular region for a particular crop, and the supply. Historically, a localized failure of a staple crop might have lead to a famine. Up until recently the modern world has solved this problem through commodity trading that allows many food crops to be shipped halfway across the world to where they are in high demand.

Since 2016 or so, we’ve seen this system begin to fail as the U.S. has erected tariffs on imports from other countries. Farm commodities are one of our country’s largest exports, and our trading partners have retaliated against U.S. tariffs by throwing up tariffs on corn, soybeans, almonds and other crops. This has given other food-producing countries an economic advantage. In the process, farm exports from the U.S. have plummeted. The farm economy is in a major recession as a result.

California has not escaped the damage. Although our state grows most of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the U.S., almost half the crops grown here are commodities that have been dramatically impacted by the drop in exports. Walnuts, almonds and grapes grown for wine have all taken a hit.

Terra Firma is relatively isolated from the economic impacts of tariffs — and we may currently be benefiting from tariffs on tomatoes grown in Mexico. 100% of the crops we grow are sold domestically, and 99% of those are sold within California.

But despite all the marketing hype, “growing local” has major downsides. We are experiencing one of them here this week, as demand for the summer crops we grow this time of year drops off dramatically after the Fourth of July holiday.

Crops like Watermelons, Peaches, Sweet Corn and Tomatoes are in high demand for the two weeks prior to the holiday. But they don’t just “turn off” afterward, and there is no pause button. They continue producing, at the same pace or even greater, once the holiday is over. And unlike corn or wheat, they are highly perishable.

Unfortunately, much of our local demand drops off dramatically after the holiday — from wholesale produce buyers to CSA subscribers. Give that our delivery area is in one of the largest population centers in the state, this is a bit puzzling. Apparently a large percentage of people in the greater I-80 corridor leave the area in mid-summer. Presumably wherever they go, they are still eating summer produce. But it’s not Terra Firma produce — unless they took it with them.

Not being able to sell all the food you grow is certainly a big problem economically. You lose income, but you lose the investment you made in the crop. And harvesting a crop you can’t sell increases the loss, especially with labor-intensive vegetable crops. The only sensible choice is to leave the crops in the field. But that is a painful decision to make.

Most people who farm for a living do so because they want to feed people — there are dozens of more ways to make a living that are far easier. It hurts a farmers’ soul to see perfectly good food crops plowed under.

For us, the mismatch between our farm’s primary market — our CSA — and our most abundant production season is profound. We could easily grow twice as much summer produce in July as we can sell. On the flip side, our busiest months for CSA subcriptions is January — which is almost the opposite of July as far as produce abundance goes.

If we were manufacturing CSA boxes instead of growing them, the decision would be simple: just shut the farm down after July 4th and re-open just before Labor Day. But we’re farming, and that’s not how it works.

Thanks,

Pablito