Nov 14, 2007

Young Vegetable Growers Ponder Their Futures

The Vegetable Growers News sought the opinions of young vegetable growers to get their perspective on the future of the industry – and their own future aspirations.

Paul Ruszkiewicz, 31, is a fourth-generation onion grower in Orange County, N.Y. He farms in partnership with his father, John. They grow 180 acres of onions on muck soil in the town of Pine Island. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two young children. Ruszkiewicz is chairman of the Wallkill Valley Drainage Improvement Association and New York Onion Industry Council, vice president of the Orange County Vegetable Growers Association and on the boards of the New York State Vegetable Growers Association and Orange County Farm Bureau.

Jasen Tubbs, 18, farms in Wayne City, Ill. He rents land, but also works on the farm of his parents, Fred and Noelene Tubbs. He grows pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn, among other crops. He’s an FFA alum.

Adam Hohl, 28, farms on 800 acres in Donnellson, Iowa. He has a wife, Julie, and a young son. They grow corn, soybeans and wheat along with 42 acres of pumpkins, squash, gourds and summer vegetables for their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). They are members of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association, Buy Fresh Buy Local and the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

Why did you decide to become a grower? Do you have a farming background?

Ruszkiewicz: I grew up on the farm. When I was old enough, I started working for an hourly wage. When I was in high school, I asked my father if I could have a field of onions rather than an hourly wage, which he agreed to. I bought my first piece of farmland when I was 18 and rented it back to the farm to pay the mortgage. I farmed part-time through high school and college and then returned to the farm full-time when I completed my master’s degree at Cornell. Growing up on the farm, I developed a strong appreciation for the business and the industry.

Tubbs: I have been involved in farming since I was 4 years old. I do tillage work, spread fertilizer, plant, apply nitrogen and do my own harvest. I decided to become a specialty crop grower to diversify my farm and also to use it as part of my FFA SAE project.

Hohl: After college, I moved to St. Louis and managed a restaurant. After having our son, my wife and I wanted a better way of life to raise our son. At this point, we returned to the family farm. I grew up with traditional farming, i.e. corn, beans, wheat, alfalfa, etc. I enjoyed growing up in this lifestyle, but wasn’t passionate about traditional farming. As a sophomore in high school, I started a small pumpkin patch for my FFA project. I sold the pumpkins from a hayrack parked next to the highway, with a jar that people could make their own change. I continued this throughout my high school years and passed the tradition to my sister when I moved to college. My mother continued the pumpkin patch after my sister left, adding a little more every year. After deciding to move back to the farm, I automatically thought about how much I enjoyed the pumpkin patch and decided that we could turn it into a profitable business. During the past three years, we have grown from 5 acres of pumpkins to 42 acres of pumpkins, squash and gourds, and have made a successful transition into agritainment.

Do you own the farm? If not, who does? Is it a family operation?

Ruszkiewicz: My father and I farm together, and each of us owns land and equipment. We also rent land, which we both pay equal shares of the rent.

Tubbs: I do not own any of the ground. Part of it is owned by my family, and I cash rent 40 acres. I help my dad farm his acreage.

Hohl: The farm is a family operation. My dad continues with the traditional farming, while my wife, mom and I manage the agritainment side of the business.

If you own the farm, did you inherit it, or start on your own? Please describe how it happened.

Ruszkiewicz: I bought my first 17 acres in high school. Since then, I purchased 35 acres from a neighbor who retired four years ago. I also bought out my uncle (25 acres and equipment), who retired from the business three years ago.

If you inherited the farm (or will inherit it some day), what was the transition like? What are the challenges that might be faced by growers in similar situations?

Tubbs: I will someday inherit the family farm, along with my younger brother. I do not anticipate any problems with the transition. Some families do not get along, and this causes issues that sometimes cannot be resolved and the farm has to be sold.

Hohl: The farm will stay intact and be handed down for generations to come. We have taken as many steps as possible to ensure that the transition will be as seamless as possible. I look forward to being able to manage the farm and keep all the land intact and eventually being able to pass a successful business on to my children. I believe that the biggest challenge young farmers face is that farming practices continue to change and will continue to change. We will see technology that our parents and grandparents never dreamed about. The biggest challenge will be deciding how and when to best use this new technology to our advantage. I learned many valuable practices growing up on the farm, working closely with my parents and grandparents. When I eventually take over the business, it will be a struggle deciding between proven practices that I have learned and new, unproven technology that promises more.

If you started the farm (or plan to start one someday), what were your biggest challenges? What advice would you give to other prospective farmers?

Ruszkiewicz: The biggest challenge in starting a farm operation is the amount of capital investment required. I was fortunate that I was able to start farming with my father and my uncle and able to share equipment and facilities. This also made it easier for me to obtain financing from Farm Credit as I began purchasing land and equipment. Starting on my own, from scratch, would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible. As far as advice to prospective farmers, I would stress the importance of a well-thought-out business plan.

Tubbs: My biggest challenge has been to find ground to rent to keep my three-year crop rotation of specialty crops. I also struggle with weed control. There are not a lot of chemicals that work on pumpkins and gourds. My advice to other prospective farmers is that specialty crops are time consuming, hard work – a very expensive crop to grow due to all the chemicals – but are a good cash-return crop. I believe you have to truly enjoy this type of crop, or you need to totally stay out of the business.

How do you keep abreast of what’s going on in your industry? Does your information come from Extension? The private sector? Other growers? Conferences and trade shows?

Ruszkiewicz: All of the above. I stay actively involved in a number of ag organizations and also attend the New York state vegetable conference, as well as several other conferences and meetings throughout the year. I also subscribe to a number of trade publications and Extension bulletins. Talking to other growers is also always a good source of information.

Tubbs: I keep advised of new varieties from Justin Talley, whom I sell my product to through Frey Produce; from Papertown Ag, my chemical dealer; other growers; and farm magazines.

Hohl: Our biggest way to keep up with industry standards is through conference and trade shows. At these shows, it is easy to network with other growers in our sector and see what is/isn’t working for them. Most people are more than willing to share success stories with others. Everyone wants to see everyone else succeed and will help as much as possible.

What do you see as the two or three biggest threats to your future as a farmer, and what do you plan to do about them?

Ruszkiewicz: Probably the biggest threat right now is the immigration situation. Without a reliable work force, agriculture in this country is going to have some major problems. I stay involved with Farm Bureau and other organizations that are working hard to get comprehensive immigration reform measures passed.

Another major threat is competition from Canada and other countries that ship food into this country cheaper than we can produce it. This situation was created in large part by NAFTA. Although this and other trade agreements have created problems for American producers, the government seems very reluctant to fix some of these problems. Again, working through Farm Bureau and other organizations, I think that it is important for producers to make their opinions heard.

Tubbs: My biggest challenge is getting ground to farm. The price of farm ground in our county has gone out of sight. For me, as a new and upcoming farmer, to buy ground at this time is not a very good option. I am currently working through FSA with a beginning farmer loan and hope to acquire some ground as soon as possible. Cash rent for ground has reached a new high. The specialty crops allow me to be more competitive, but the corn and soybean ground does not always work on paper. I need to keep enough specialty crops in my rotation to overcome the corn and soybean rent. As of right now, I sell all of my produce to Frey Produce, a major distributor to Wal-Mart. It would be a big devastation to my operation if they would move or go out of business.

Hohl: I believe the two biggest threats are expansion and imports from other countries. I am very active in the Buy Fresh Buy Local program and support it in any way that I can. Right now, Buy Fresh Buy Local is really taking on. Not only can the consumer get healthier by buying fresher produce, but by buying from a local source you put money right back into the community that you live and work in. By continuing to support Buy Fresh Buy Local, the less we have to rely on other countries for fruits and vegetables.