Testa Produce Local Produce Initiative

Why Now?

Testa Produce decided several years ago that Local Produce was going to be an initiative that was here to stay, and one to push.  In the last 5 years, several world events have occurred that we can not ignore and need to help solve - recognition of global warming, fuel economy improvements, crude oil prices on the rise, and drought.  What does that mean for us?  California currently produces a little over 50% of all Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts that are consumed in the U.S. every year.  California also surpassed Wisconsin as the #1 Dairy producing state.  What happens when there is a drought in California?  Farmers can’t plant fields, existing fields aren’t watered, crop failure, sizing issues, and more.  When California produces 93% of the nation’s Broccoli, 89% of the Carrots, 84% of the Avocados, 94% of the Tomatoes,  and 78% of the Lettuce, what happens when those fields are shut off to water?  We are all out of that product until the growing region transitions.  This is why we need a more diverse reliance on growers from multiple regions all throughout the year.  It’s the same concept when you look at any issue - from Energy independence to investing money.  Diversify.

Fresh & More Flavorful

Local Produce is fresh and more flavorful.  From the time produce is packed in the California fields to the time it lands on Testa’s dock, 4 days can pass.  Commercial farms also grow for color and size.  That’s why when you go to the grocery store or open any box of produce from us, the product looks uniform.  Local farmers tend to grow more varieties of a particular fruit or vegetable.  The shapes and sizes may not be packed by size or grade, but these varieties are picked for flavor.     

Reduces Carbon Footprint

With the state of the world today, every measure possible should be taken to reduce our individual carbon footprint.  Something that can be done easily is to eliminate a delivery day, or not take second or third deliveries.  Not only does stopping the truck and having the engine run consume fuel, but the trucks can never be completely turned off - Reefer units must stay on to ensure product is delivered at the proper temperature.  Let’s look at this on a large scale - the distance from the Salinas Valley to Chicago is roughly 2,300 miles.  This single trip, one way, would be about 169 gallons of fuel for an average diesel truck.  Compare that to the 100 mile journey to Michigan on a single tank of gas, with plenty to spare.  Let’s do the math - that’s a savings about 160 gallons of gas, per one way trip.  Multiply that by 20 (the number of weeks of the average Midwest growing season) - that is 3,200 gallons of diesel fuel.  Multiply that by all the distributors in the Midwest, and that is a lot of oil saved.  How’s that for lessening our dependence on foreign oil?  Just one catch - we are used to getting Lettuce year round, Strawberries in January, Peaches in December, and Avocados in March.  Avocados can’t grow in the Midwestern climate, Strawberries only grow for 3-4 weeks in the summer (with good weather), and Lettuce can only grow when it doesn’t freeze at night.  This, in addition to local farmers not being able to produce enough for demand, means that we can’t look at produce as the ‘only’ solution - it’s a good addition.

Supports your Neighbor & Family Farming, Promote Community Awareness

The family farm as we know it is going out of business.  Thanks to government subsidies, the soybean market, the bad economy, years of drought/flooding, and disinterest in farming in the modern world, the family farm is disappearing.  When it becomes more profitable to plant an acre of corn as a cash crop than to plant an acre of Eggplant (especially when the government will pay you even if that acre of corn fails), why plant the Eggplant?  The modern local farmer is not in the business to get rich - they are in business to teach their community where their food comes from and how it’s done.  A majority of these local farmers welcome visitors to educate them on the process of growing and harvesting.  How many people actually know how Asparagus is grown and harvested?  Not only can you be face to face with who grew your dinner, you can volunteer on the weekends and learn how hard it is to get those cucumbers on your salad.

Keep Open Spaces Alive & Productive

In an age where buildings are torn down only to make room for a bigger, larger structure, working Farmers are able to retain acres and acres of land to a more ‘natural’ state.  Remember, plants take the carbon dioxide we exhale and turns it into oxygen we inhale.  For every acre of planted crops, 8 adults can be fed for 1 year.  Compare that to 1.5 acres of land it takes to feed 1 cow for a year, or the acre with an abandoned building.  You do the math on what benefits the immediate community the most.  Local farmers also tend to use more sustainable farming practices - including pesticide free, non GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) farming.  But more on that later.

Distribution & Farmers Markets

There are several ways to get fresh produce from the ground to your mouth.  One is traditional farmer’s markets or fruit stands - this is done in very limited quantities.  Farmer’s markets are meant to build a farmer’s customer base.  When they set up a stand at the market, they have the potential to see dozens of people face to face.  Each of these people buy a small portion of food - let’s say a pound - and feed their family for the rest of the week.  Each week, those people come back to the same farmer.  This has the potential to spread the farmer’s reputation by word of mouth, and perhaps their stand will sell out from week to week.  Another option for farmer’s is food distribution.  This can also work several ways - at the beginning of the growing season, the farmer can come to someone like Testa.  They will ask ‘ What do your customers want to buy this year?’  The farmer will then plant his fields based on the volume of product.  This guarantees the farmer will sell 100% of his crop that year at a maximum profit - no weekly trips to farmers markets, no marketing/branding.  The crops are sold, and the farmer is happy.  Another way the farmer sells is to a central distribution facility.  Think of it as ‘fair trade crops.’  Farmers will receive a fair market price for the product they sell to the distribution facility.  The facility then markets itself to distributors as a one-stop-shop of produce.  This way, distributors have a larger variety of local products to offer.  Perhaps a fruit farmer that would only be able to offer 2 varieties of Apples can now sell their whole crop, who might not have the time or energy to find 50 different customers to sell those Apples.  In addition, these facilities have large refrigeration and storage units for the crops, extending the shelf life.  Many small farmers don’t have the resources to build their own storage and refrigeration units - either because of space issues or the electricity costs associated with running cooling units 24/7. 

Local & Sustainable & Organic (Why isn't your farm Organic?)

Local, Organic, and Sustainable farming are not always the same.  Local Farms can use the same pesticides as commercial farmers.  Local farms can also use sustainable farming practices - use natural methods for pest control, limited to no pesticide use, use smart irrigation techniques, etc.  The question that pops up is why aren’t there more local organic farms?  The answer is simple.  Cost.  Transition from conventional to organic farming takes at least 3 years.  While farmers can earn more money per square foot of organic crop, during the 3 year transition, crops must still be sold as conventional.  However, there is no guarantee of a successful harvest.  When farmers transition, they are learning how to farm pesticide-free.  They are learning what works for their crops, what doesn’t, and often spending more money in the process.  If they use any pesticides, they must start the process all over again.  In addition, organic row crops cannot be farmed in the same field across 2 consecutive years.  The soil must be replenished with Oats, Alfalfa, or other legume to replenish the nitrogen in the soil (vital to growing crops - in conventional farming, additives are used to treat the soil).  This means the farmers spend more money, have less usable production space, and less yield per acre.  However, look back to the environmental impact.  Organic Farms, which are mostly in California in the U.S., still must be trucked in the same diesel trucks as conventional produce.  Your carbon footprint is the same, even though the crop was produced in a more eco-conscious way.  Local produce, which may use pesticides (or not), is still fresher and transplanted only a short distance to get on your plate.