A few years ago, Jerry Spencer saw a statistic that startled and appalled him. When reading a report on farming, he discovered that 86 percent of produce sold in Alabama isn’t grown in the state. So while local grocery stores are stocking their shelves with fruits and vegetables from California and Mexico, Alabama farmers are selling their land and struggling to make ends meet.
“Our farmers are dying on the vine,” said Spencer, who operates Mt. Laurel Organic Gardens in north Shelby County. “They aren’t able to sell what they grow.”
But it isn’t all the fault of the grocers. They have to fill their shelves, and, traditionally, Alabama farmers have not been able to meet the demands.
Low-cost competition
In the 1950s and 1960s, large corporate farms began operating in the western United States and Mexico and were able to grow and ship produce for lower costs than local farmers could afford to sell it.
“Over the years, these larger farms became more reliable sources,” Spencer said, even though the produce they provide may be lower quality and packed with chemicals to keep them fresh for long cross-country trips. “Now, local farmers don’t have a market for their vegetables.”
This trend has been devastating to Alabama farmers, and Spencer estimates that buying out-of-state produce means about a $1 million loss to the state’s economy each year.
A couple of years ago, he started GrowAlabama, a membership co-op that brings together Alabama farmers and people who buy their goods. Spencer now manages about 25 farms across the state through the program, delivering organically grown produce to more than 200 member households.
Members pay up front for a season’s worth of fresh, quality fruits and vegetables and are guaranteed a weekly delivery. Farmers have a guaranteed market and are paid well for producing high quality crops.
“It’s good for everybody,” said Spencer, a member of Sardis Baptist Church in Birmingham.
The goal of GrowAlabama is to reverse the trend so that at least 80 percent of produce sold in Alabama is grown in the state, and Spencer would like to see that happen in the next 10 years. One way he hopes to reach that goal is by working with local churches.
“We respect and admire farmers as an essential part of the economy, and it is a shame what has happened to them,” said Brandon Pettagrew, economic development officer at Sardis Baptist Church, which is promoting the program to its members.
Working for two-and-a-half years in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, Pettagrew said he saw just how important farming can be to a local economy. Traditionally, it has been strong in Alabama, but that has changed. Between 1950 and 2000, the number of farms in Alabama decreased from 220,000 to 47,000.
The “farm prosperity circle” hasn’t been stable, said Joe A. Summers, director of the economic development institute at Auburn University, thus causing a cycle of poverty in rural areas in the state.
Reversing the cycle
As farm incomes decrease, other businesses, like suppliers, banks and insurance companies are affected. Businesses either move out or pay lower taxes, which affects the quality of schools, hospitals and public safety, he said. “We’ve seen a meltdown in the farm prosperity cycle as farm incomes have declined and young people have left the farm,” said Summers, a member of First Baptist Church, Auburn. “Instead of exporting cotton, corn or soybeans, rural communities are now exporting their young people.”
But he thinks programs like GrowAlabama could have a positive effect. “It provides an environment where having a small farm is not a disadvantage. It might allow some farmers to maintain acreage as farmland instead of being forced to sell to developers,” Summers said.
Helping farmers make a living farming is part of helping the overall economy, and that’s why Pettagrew said his church is encouraging members to support GrowAlabama.
After signing up and paying the membership fee, a member receives a weekly box of fruits and vegetables, delivered by Spencer and his team every week between May and November.
Jill Arora became a member two years ago because she wanted to provide better quality, organically grown vegetables to her family. Each week, she looks forward to receiving her box, which may include heirloom tomatoes, fresh broccoli, green beans, eggplant, corn, squash and a variety of fruits — as well as recipes for cooking with some of the items.
Good taste, quality
“I love to cook, and I like to prepare a variety of different vegetables,” Arora said. “We get a good variety, and it’s all very tasty.”
Jacob Waddy, a Uniontown farmer participating in the GrowAlabama program, understands firsthand how Alabama farmers have struggled, and he is happy that a program like this is in place.
“It’s a way to extend the farm, with more people to buy, and it encourages farmers to grow more crops,” he said.
Spencer plans to add more farmers, as membership grows. He hopes to have 5,000 to 7,000 members in the next three years and to be able to support many more farms.
Farmers accepted into the GrowAlabama program learn new methods for growing organic crops.
They learn ways to improve the soil, to use better conservation methods and to grow fruits and vegetables with only minimal amounts of pesticides. In the end, they produce higher-quality crops with a better appearance, Spencer said.
To learn more about GrowAlabama, contact Spencer at 205-991-0042 or 205-266-5130.
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