What can I do to color it up?’’
Farmers in Essex County tomorrow will bring their top crops to Topsfield Fair. A blue ribbon goes to the best or biggest fruit or vegetable. But even those bragging rights can’t soothe the harsh economic reality facing Bay State farmers.
Topsfield County Fair schedule, Page 7
Since 2008, when recession hit, agriculture sales, including vegetable and livestock items, have been on a bit of a rollercoaster. In 2008, Massachusetts farm revenues dropped from $558 million to $463 million in 2009, before modestly improving to nearly $469 million in 2010, according to New England agricultural statistics compiled by the US Department of Agriculture.
Horticulture, the largest sector of the state’s agriculture industry, suffered among the largest losses, with sales dropping by $10.2 million over the three-year period, data show.
“I think that reflects the downturn in the housing market,’’ said Gary Keough, director of the statistics service, based in Concord, N.H. “It would be nice if the economy would turn around, just so that sector alone could rebound.’’
The poor economy isn’t the only factor eating into farm revenues. Competing out-of-state growers, which supply supermarket chains year-round, and high costs for energy and labor are constant challenges, particularly for small farms.
“For farmers to survive here, they have to look for new opportunities,’’ Keough said. “The closer you are to a major center of population, the greater the opportunity you will have for sales.’’
Marini said local community support is critical to the well-being of farmers everywhere.
“People have to support their local farms,’’ said Marini. “There is beautiful land everywhere… . It’s very hard to make money from it.’’
To remain successful, some farms have mixed old-fashioned ingenuity with new technology. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube postings now alert customers to the freshest crop pickings.
