Consumer Awareness
Production to Produce
Clients often approach Ag Consulting Solutions with a general idea of what they need, and this project was no different. Farmers face many challenges when cost of production is higher than market prices. Our objective is to provide educational tools for consumers in order to understand the complexities involved in US farming operations. It is crucial for our community to support American farms by purchasing produce grown in the US. Ag Consulting Solutions provides experts for the fields, but the responsibility to stand up for farmers who feed America is shared by all Americans.
Explore Production
Ag Consulting Solutions is on a mission to educate consumers and bridge the gap between farms and tables.
Farmworker Appreciation Day
Ag Consulting Solutions would like to give recognition to all the hardworking farmworkers helping farmers reach more tables!
H-2A programs help farmers meet the growing demand for agricultural labor. These programs involve preparation and documentation for recruited farmworkers. Despite the recent wage increase for H-2A programs, last year's certified positions increased by 15.3%. This significant increase provided over 300,000 seasonal employees for farming operations forecasting labor shortages. These individuals help growers meet tight production schedules and harvest deadlines nationwide.
Sweet Corn Harvest
Poulan is a quiet little town in Georgia but at this time of year there’s a lot of hustle and bustle coming from D&D Ag’s farming operation. Impressive mule train harvests are what most would consider a packinghouse on wheels. If that doesn’t make you curious, well then how about the fact that it has two floors? From top to bottom, crates are assembled, packed with corn, and placed on trucks leading huge hauls straight to hydrocooling. After this chilly bath, sweet corn is placed in semi trucks that are iced down for a cool and quick delivery to a grocery store near you!
Watermelon Harvest
Summer is right around the corner and nothing symbolizes the season more than a watermelon. From cookouts to pool parties, from toddler snacks to adult slushie packs, watermelons bring the fun!
So how do large, sweet, summer-starters get from the field to your table? Today we go behind the scenes to bring production knowledge a little closer to consumers in the produce sections. These Florida melons are harvested, get their fancy mini-melon stickers, are sized for their respective boxes, and stacked for transportation. Ag Consulting Solutions has been watching over these minis for the past few weeks. It’s time to see them off into the world of produce and markets. Enjoy! I
Tomato Tying
One tie, two ties, three ties, four...if you’re still reading this, let Ag Consulting Solutions show you more! Last week we ran into a tomato crew on the farm who showed us how tying tomatoes gets done at full speed. These determinate varieties are tied about 4 times.
Can you imagine the amount of work that goes into tying thousands of rows of these plants? Now multiply it by 4!
Snap Bean Harvest
Thanks to 5 Brothers Produce and the dedicated team of snap bean growers, Ag Consulting Solutions has had the opportunity to make a difference in crop quality from the center pivots down in Florida to the breathtaking valleys in Tennessee. When consumers open a bag of 5 Brothers snap beans, they are sharing in the celebration of these beautiful harvests with packers, farmers, consultants, crews, truck drivers, and so many more!
Half Runner Bean Harvest
Our production to produce feature takes us to Jackson Farm in Grand Ridge, FL this week! These white half runner beans contain white seeds within green pods and are harvested by hand. They are picked and packaged into crates weighing in at 28 lbs. This shipment will immediately leave for VA where many will surely enjoy this sweet and tasty bean!
In addition to these beautiful beans, Jackson Farm provides vegetable U-Picks, boxed produce, and bulk orders for several of your veggie needs. Stop by or give them a call to experience a well-cared-for harvest on your plate!
JACKSON FARM
7681 Shady Grove Road
Grand Ridge, Fl 32442
850-592-5579
Cabbage Harvest
RC Hatton Farms’ Jonathan Allen takes us behind the scenes in south Florida this week! The few times that we saw him in the field was enough to reveal to those of you watching that this farm truly stands behind their mission. Providing high quality produce and valuing employees by working as an effective team is clearly what has driven the success of this operation.
In today’s short clip we get a brief description of how cabbage makes its way to the produce section. Fresh market cabbage is harvested by hand, and packed into boxes containing about 16 heads. Processed cabbage begins in the same fields where they are harvested by hand, cored on the spot, placed onto a harvest belt, and stored in bins. These bins are then transported to a processing plant where the cabbages are shredded, sanitized, and packaged.
Varieties are selected based on location or zones, but did you know packing or processing also makes a difference? Varieties such as Cheers form bigger heads and are typically used for processing. The Bronco variety forms a very dense head that is smaller, allowing a more consistent fresh market pack.
When you walk into the grocery store and select your fresh or processed cabbage, remember it most likely had the purpose of being in that form, and in your hands, before the seed was even planted!
Freeze Protection
It’s incredible what growers do to ensure the success of their crops! Freezing temperatures in south Florida earlier this season called for a very interesting protective measure. Hundley Farms in Belle Glade, FL uses helicopters to reach the inversion layer (which is where the cold layer meets the warmer layer that has risen). The helicopters fly horizontally at this level, pushing down warmer air with their propellers.
The next time you cook that sweet and juicy corn on the cob, take a second to appreciate the level of care that went into those golden kernels!
Transplanting Watermelons
That’s a wrap for watermelon transplants! These recycled and customized school buses in the field are a clear-cut sign that melons are among us! Crews work on filling the transplant holes with watermelon plants. The bus provides an area to exchange empty trays for full ones while moving down the rows. These buses will also move with the crews when harvesting melons, making this a significant piece of melon farm equipment!
Staking Tomatoes
Staking tomato plants on a commercial farm requires efficiency. Air hammers and special crews can enhance both speed and accuracy of this task.