• Latest
  • Trending
Equipment manufacturers set the pace for specialty crops innovation

Equipment manufacturers set the pace for specialty crops innovation

May 20, 2022
Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

September 9, 2025
Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

September 8, 2025
Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

September 8, 2025
From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

September 8, 2025
The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

September 8, 2025
Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

September 7, 2025
Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

September 7, 2025
Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

September 6, 2025
British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

September 6, 2025
Mechanization Multiplier: How Leningrad Oblast Achieved a 17x Labor Efficiency Boost in Beet Harvest

Mechanization Multiplier: How Leningrad Oblast Achieved a 17x Labor Efficiency Boost in Beet Harvest

September 5, 2025
The Shrinking Beet: How Retail Demand is Reshaping Agronomic Practices in Table Beet Production

The Shrinking Beet: How Retail Demand is Reshaping Agronomic Practices in Table Beet Production

September 5, 2025
The 1.6 Kg Beetroot: Analyzing a Backyard Anomaly and Its Lessons for Commercial Production

The 1.6 Kg Beetroot: Analyzing a Backyard Anomaly and Its Lessons for Commercial Production

September 4, 2025
  • Company
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Vegetables News
  • NEWS
    Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

    Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

    From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

    The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

    The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

    Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

    Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

    Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

    Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

    British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Israel’s Water Crisis Reaches Breaking Point: Agriculture Bears Brunt of Unprecedented Drought

    Israel’s Water Crisis Reaches Breaking Point: Agriculture Bears Brunt of Unprecedented Drought

    Kazakhstan’s Agri-Strategic Pivot: A Data-Driven Shift from Wheat to Value-Added Crops

    Kazakhstan’s Agri-Strategic Pivot: A Data-Driven Shift from Wheat to Value-Added Crops

    Pushing the Climate Envelope: Kaliningrad Farmer Targets 15-Ton Watermelon Harvest

    Pushing the Climate Envelope: Kaliningrad Farmer Targets 15-Ton Watermelon Harvest

    Hungary’s Sour Cherry Crisis: Frost Decimates Harvest While Global Demand Soars

    Hungary’s Sour Cherry Crisis: Frost Decimates Harvest While Global Demand Soars

    Cabbage Compound Breaks Down Dental Plaque by 90% – A Game Changer for Oral Health and Agriculture

    Cabbage Compound Breaks Down Dental Plaque by 90% – A Game Changer for Oral Health and Agriculture

    Winter Warriors: The Cold-Hardy Vegetables That Defy Frozen Soil and Keep Growing

    Winter Warriors: The Cold-Hardy Vegetables That Defy Frozen Soil and Keep Growing

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

    Garlic and Onion Import Surge: Kyrgyzstan’s 360% Increase Signals Deeper Agricultural Challenges

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

    From Reject to Premium Feed: How Uiseong County is Transforming Substandard Garlic into High-Value Animal Nutrition

    The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

    The Garlic Guardian: How One Spanish Chef is Rescuing a Culinary Heritage and What It Teaches Us About Agricultural Biodiversity

    Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

    Beyond the Finish Line: How Garlic-Themed Marathons Are Boosting Agricultural Communities

    Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

    Pacific Northwest Sugar Beets: Record Yield Potential Meets Water Management Challenges

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

    British Sugar’s 2024 Campaign: Strategic Staggering of Factory Openings Optimizes Harvest Logistics

  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
    • All
    • Climate
    • Crop protection
    • digital (smart)
    • dron
    • Fertilizer
    • Research
    • weed
    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Beyond the Field: How Cooperative-Led Education is Revolutionizing Garlic and Onion Production

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Heritage Garlic Under Threat: The Clash Between Preservation and Progress in Danyang’s Premium Garlic Project

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Navigating Risk and Reward: British Sugar’s New Contract Options Reshape Grower Economics

    Israel’s Water Crisis Reaches Breaking Point: Agriculture Bears Brunt of Unprecedented Drought

    Israel’s Water Crisis Reaches Breaking Point: Agriculture Bears Brunt of Unprecedented Drought

    Kazakhstan’s Agri-Strategic Pivot: A Data-Driven Shift from Wheat to Value-Added Crops

    Kazakhstan’s Agri-Strategic Pivot: A Data-Driven Shift from Wheat to Value-Added Crops

    Pushing the Climate Envelope: Kaliningrad Farmer Targets 15-Ton Watermelon Harvest

    Pushing the Climate Envelope: Kaliningrad Farmer Targets 15-Ton Watermelon Harvest

    Hungary’s Sour Cherry Crisis: Frost Decimates Harvest While Global Demand Soars

    Hungary’s Sour Cherry Crisis: Frost Decimates Harvest While Global Demand Soars

    Cabbage Compound Breaks Down Dental Plaque by 90% – A Game Changer for Oral Health and Agriculture

    Cabbage Compound Breaks Down Dental Plaque by 90% – A Game Changer for Oral Health and Agriculture

    Winter Warriors: The Cold-Hardy Vegetables That Defy Frozen Soil and Keep Growing

    Winter Warriors: The Cold-Hardy Vegetables That Defy Frozen Soil and Keep Growing

  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING
No Result
View All Result
Vegetables News
Home AGROTECHNOLOGY

Equipment manufacturers set the pace for specialty crops innovation

by Tatyana Ivanovich
May 20, 2022
in AGROTECHNOLOGY
0
Equipment manufacturers set the pace for specialty crops innovation

Most of us eat some type of specialty crop every single day. Whether you’re eating your fruits and vegetables, or even using certain seasonings to help complete that perfect dish, you’re using specialty crops.

Despite the widespread prevalence of specialty crops – along with the fact they currently possess a market value of $79.8 billion (which accounts for more than 16% of total agricultural output) – so often this segment of agriculture gets overlooked.

It’s easy to understand why. “Specialty crops” is a relatively broad term, and one which encompasses many different things. According to the 2004 Farm Bill, specialty crops are defined as “fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Even this definition is broad, given that so many different products can fall under “fruits” and “vegetables.” And often, when we talk about agriculture, the focus finds itself aimed primarily at row crops or animal agriculture. While row crops constitute a select few crops that are oftentimes harvested with a combine and make up the majority of U.S. farmland, specialty crops are most often found in California and Florida.

However, the number of specialty crops being planted are growing more and more in areas across the United States. Recent estimates found there are now more than 184,000 specialty crops farms spanning over 10.4 million acres of farmland. Despite the fact that U.S. specialty crop production is a big part of overall U.S. agricultural production, it does face a number of significant challenges.

Challenges and opportunities

U.S. producers often find themselves at a disadvantage on a global (and even domestic) scale because, in most areas across the country, year-round production is impossible. And, unlike with row crops, specialty crops can’t be raised in bulk and stored to be sold throughout the year due to freshness concerns. In addition, specialty crops are often much more weather sensitive than their row-crop counterparts. This makes them extremely vulnerable to instances like the recent extreme weather seen across the southern part of the U.S., which resulted in specialty crop losses of more than $600 million.

To make matters worse, domestic production has also been hit hard by the ongoing trade war. The U.S. continues to import a number of specialty crop products, which drives down domestic prices, and other countries have hit U.S.-produced specialty crops with high tariffs. Meanwhile, Europe has imposed over $4 billion in tariffs on a number of U.S. products. The impacts of those tariffs could be substantial, with North Carolina State estimating sweet potato exports alone potentially seeing a reduction of $70 million.

As is the case with most things, specialty crops have been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19 emerged last spring, it was estimated that Florida strawberry production alone lacked 30% of the labor it needed. Specialty crops are one of the most labor-intensive forms of agriculture that exists today. This is because most operations have a heavy reliance on H-2A temporary agricultural workers. During the pandemic, many of these workers were cut off from coming to the U.S., and those who were permitted had to have special accommodations, as producers also must provide these workers with housing as well. Even before the pandemic, however, the demand for workers had already far exceeded supply.

While numerous challenges exist, it isn’t all bad news for the specialty crop sector. An annual growth rate of 2.6% is projected over the course of the next decade, and commodity prices have already climbed nearly 40% since 2011. Ultimately, though, it remains to be seen if the challenges facing specialty crops will limit the extent to which producers are able to take advantage of opportunities for growth.

Increased innovation among equipment manufacturers

Specialty crops are often sold in the form they are harvested, largely because aesthetics matter to many consumers. This has made developing harvesting equipment even more difficult, as most people don’t want to buy bruised or damaged fruits and vegetables. As a result, several manufacturers have found ways to develop machinery that can harvest these products in a gentle enough way, so as not to damage the product. Doing so has helped make the equipment more appealing and for some specialty crop products, such as potatoes, harvesting equipment has been around for ages. However, for most, harvesting equipment is still relatively new and not as widely adopted.

While the mechanization of specialty crop harvesting has been slow and very difficult due to the nature of the crop and consumer expectations, a number of products are already on the market today, including harvesters from AEM member companies New Holland, Pellenc, Gregoire, The Morning Star Company and Oxbo.

Most of these machines can match the output of 20 people on a per-hour basis. This goes a long way in helping to address the labor shortages that this industry faces, while also providing a more secure and reliable source of food. In reducing labor needs, machinery also improves producer margins due to the reduced labor cost that would otherwise be needed. All in all, they make the industry more attractive from a producer standpoint through the improved margins and a worker standpoint due to reduced physical labor and better paying, skilled jobs.

AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year.

– Austin Gellings, Agricultural Services Manager, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)  

Tags: crops
Previous Post

KWS confirms guidance for the year after a successful third quarter

Next Post

Iso-Flo conveyor reengineered with monobeam construction

Next Post
Iso-Flo conveyor reengineered with monobeam construction

Iso-Flo conveyor reengineered with monobeam construction

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy of vegetables.news app

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • AGROTECHNOLOGY
  • IRRIGATION
  • SEED PRODUCTION
    • Vegetables
    • Fruit
  • PROCESSING

© 2020-2024 VEGETABLES NEWS