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- Many Specialty Crop Opportunities for Ohio Growers
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- The next time you find eggplant, cluster tomatoes, seedless cucumbers or specialty colored peppers at your local grocery store, check the label. The crops may be Ohio-grown.
More and more Ohio growers are supplementing their farming of traditional field crops with specialty fruits and vegetables, spurred on by growing market demand, promising profit and research enhancing the feasibility of producing successful yields.
The Ohio State University (OSU) South Centers along with researchers from OSU and other universities throughout the United States have taken the reins in the field of specialty crop research, studying the economic and environmental feasibility of successfully raising cash crops in Ohio, both in the field and in the greenhouse.
“The idea of growing specialty vegetable crops and berries in Ohio has really taken off,” said Brad Bergefurd, OSU Extension Horticulture Agent for the OSU South Centers at Piketon. “We’ve collected enough production data over the last 10 years from our research trials to know that raising specialty crops is a pretty good recommendation for growers. There definitely is a growing market there for it.”
OSU researchers have studied a smorgasbord of specialty crops, including berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, seedless watermelons, Asian eggplant, bitter melon, greenhouse tomatoes and lettuce, greenhouse strawberries and specialty colored potatoes, and the production techniques that can provide the best yields both in the greenhouse and under field conditions.
Greenhouse crop production is of special interest for farmers, specifically southern Ohio tobacco growers. Said Bergefurd, “Tobacco growers traditionally have their own greenhouses and are looking for alternative crops to raise in between tobacco growing. Plus, they have all this space in the greenhouse that is not being utilized in the off season.”
Innovative and revamped greenhouse growing techniques have allowed researchers to focus on specialty tomatoes, such as cherry tomatoes and cluster tomatoes like those grown in Holland, seedless cucumbers, raspberries, strawberries and leafy and Bibb types of lettuces.
“We can grow the raspberry plants throughout summer, chill them down in the fall, defrost them in the greenhouse and force fruit production and harvest the next March or April,” said Bergefurd. “And the berries are of better quality because they are not exposed to typical outside environmental conditions. The technology originated in New York and was just revamped for southern Ohio conditions.”
Researchers have also adopted the float bed technique for growing vegetables popular with tobacco farmers. The system, involving plant-filled Styrofoam trays floating on a bed of water, supports a variety of green vegetables and herbs, including leaf lettuce, Mizuna spinach, mint and basil.
Greenhouse production research has also been done with hydroponic strawberries, a project sparked by growers who were interested in raising berries all season. “We are looking at berries grown in pots and in bags and comparing the two systems to see which one produces the best growing situation without sacrificing yield,” said Christie Welch, horticulture program research assistant.
Field studies at the OSU South Centers at Piketon have seen success in growing Asian eggplant and bitter melon, two exotic fruits that have found a niche in Ohio’s growing Asian and Mediterranean markets. The crops, which have adapted well to Ohio’s climate and appear to resist major insects and diseases, are a hit with statewide produce markets looking for a local supplier of exotic and unusual commodities.
“Produce buyers are very pleased that the crops are grown locally and that they may be able to secure a local supply,” said Matt Kleinhenz, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center researcher who has worked jointly with the researchers at the OSU South Centers on the new crops projects. “On several occasions, produce buyers have indicated that they will work with their growers to secure these new commodities.”
That’s good news for farmers looking to raise a new product. And if consumer demand is not convincing enough, a bountiful pocketbook just might be. Specialty crops, such as raspberries and strawberries for example, generate a higher rate of return than traditional crops. Though the process is labor intensive, initially expensive and involves several years of patience, the end results can be profitable for a farmer. For example, strawberries generate 30 times more profit per acre than no-till soybeans.
For more information and results of the vegetable and specialty crops research that has been conducted in recent years by OSU Extension personnel, visit the OSU Veg Net Web site at http://vegnet.osu.edu or visit the OSU South Centers Web site at http://south centers.osu.edu/ or contact Bergefurd at (740) 289-2071 or in Ohio (800) 297-2072.
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