- Trever Meachum Takes Helm of
Michigan Vegetable Council
By Karen Gentry
Associate Editor
Trever Meachum has several goals in mind once he starts his two-year term as president of the Michigan Vegetable Council (MVC) in 2001.
Meachum, partner in High Acres Fruit Farm and Paw Paw River Produce LLC in Hartford, Mich., wants to continue the smooth transition to combine the Great Lakes Vegetable Growers Convention and Farm Market Show and the Michigan State Horticultural Society show next year. The first combined show, the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo, will take place Dec. 4-6, 2001 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Meachum has been working on committees for more than three years to make the combined show a reality. “I think it’s a way to make both organizations stronger by combining conventions. It will probably be the biggest show in the Midwest,” said Meachum.
“I want the council to focus on making the ag industry in Michigan more profitable,” said Meachum about another main goal. Thirdly, the council will try to secure more money for research. Meachum said he believes more funds for research can help show growers ways to be more profitable.
Profitability is the growers’ biggest challenge, according to Meachum. He believes the MVC can band together in a unified voice and provide input where needed on issues such as labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, lost chemicals, urban sprawl and zoning concerns.
Working with legislators is one way to get more economically priced labor in Michigan, Meachum believes. Vegetable growers have banded together for common goals such as when they received the Section 8C permit for the use of Dual herbicide for peppers and onions.
Five years ago Meachum was just a couple years out of college when he was nominated to serve on the MVC. “An individual nominated me, called and asked me to serve. They roped me in and trapped me,” said Meachum with a laugh.
Actually a larger fruit grower than a vegetable grower, Meachum works in partnership with his father, Douglas and brothers Jason and Ryan. They grow strawberries, tart cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, apples, juice grapes, corn, soybeans, bell peppers and specialty peppers. They own approximately 700 acres and rent out another 50 acres. Meachum and brother Jason also own a commercial cold storage and dry goods distribution center. They store commodities like apples and blueberries in bulk and lease space to major companies such as Welch’s, Knouse Foods and Burnett Foods.
Meachum charts his own destiny by visiting other states and learning more. He constantly seeks out new, more efficient ways of growing vegetables and fruits. After visiting growers in Georgia, Meachum developed a pepper harvest aid for his operation. “You definitely need to get out of house and go see other states. Your neighbor might not give an answer but another state might,” he said.
Meachum plans to travel to Florida this month to learn new things from growers there. He’ll work alongside some of his employees who return to Florida in the winter.
Since graduating from Michigan State University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in horticulture he has worked full-time on the farm. “We’ve expanded the vegetables since 1993,” Meachum said. Meachum originally started growing vegetables because their peach and nectarine acreage was declining and they needed a good fill-in crop for their labor force.
Before planting his first pepper, Meachum watched the winter harvest and learned about the plasticulture system used by pepper grower Dave Corbett of Valdosta, Ga. The Meachums planted their first peppers in 1995. They now grow 25 acres of bell peppers and five acres of specialty peppers. Meachum calls peppers a profitable niche crop, picked from July 20-Oct. 1. They grow for the fresh market and sell direct to grocery and chain stores.
“Due to fire blight, we’re obviously going to decrease our apple acreage. Our vegetables will be increased. I haven’t decided on which vegetable,” he said about future plans.
Meachum is also a member of the Michigan State Horticultural Society and the Michigan Plum Advisory Board. He serves on the MACMA Apple Division Committee and as secretary of the Hartford Township Planning Commission. He is also president of the Van Buren County Farm Bureau Board.
