2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Farmers in New Jersey grow small fruit crops such as strawberries and brambles, which account for minimal acreage but play an important role in farm marketing and viability. For example, the 2012 National Agriculture Statistics Service census reported a total of 174 farmers growing only 281 acres of strawberries in NJ. A survey was developed to examine the current size, needs and value of the small fruit industry in New Jersey. The survey consisted of 24 questions with a majority of the questions focused on the status and needs of strawberry growers. Paper surveys were distributed at Extension meetings and grower site visits. Seventy-five growers provided responses to a majority of the questions on the survey. Respondents most frequently rated marketable yield (57%), disease problems (52%), weather (49%), variety selection/availability (48%) and weed pests (48%) as very important to extremely important challenges to growing small fruit on their farm. Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported that growing small fruits was very important to extremely important in attracting new customers to their markets and 86.7% reported that selling small fruit has a greater impact on their farm/marketing operation beyond the absolute dollar value of the crop. Survey participants ranked the following attributes as very important to extremely important to consider when selecting strawberry varieties for their farm: flavor (93.8%), disease resistance (75.4%), yield (73.9%), and size (72.3%). Twenty-eight percent of the strawberry growers surveyed sold their products through wholesale markets including produce auctions, brokers, processors, supermarkets, to local farmers, and/or to restaurants at an average price of $2.20 per pound. Eighty-one percent of growers surveyed sold directly to consumers through farm stands, community supported agriculture, pick-your-own, and community farmers markets at an average price of $3.31 per pound. Fifty-two percent of participants planned to increase their retail sales in 2016 while only 24% planned to increase their wholesale market sales. Sixty-nine percent of participants reported that farming generated 50% or more of their total income. In addition, 42.6 % of participants reported a total gross farm income of $100,000 to $500,000 or more. Thirteen percent of farmers reported that they derived 50% or more of their total farm operation income from small fruits. The information gathered from the survey will help guide New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station research and extension programs in addressing the needs of small fruit growers.