Most of us eat some type of specialty crop every single day. Whether you’re eating your fruits and vegetables, or even using certain seasonings to help complete that perfect dish, you’re using specialty crops.
Sanajan Prévalénsi nyebar tina pepelakan husus - babarengan jeung kanyataan aranjeunna ayeuna gaduh nilai pasar $79.8 milyar (anu akun pikeun leuwih ti 16% tina total kaluaran tatanén) - jadi mindeng bagean tatanén ieu bakal overlooked.
Ieu gampang ngartos naha. "Pepelakan khusus" mangrupikeun istilah anu kawilang lega, sareng anu kalebet seueur hal anu béda. Numutkeun RUU Ladang 2004, pepelakan husus diartikeun salaku "bubuahan jeung sayuran, kacang tangkal, bungbuahan garing, hortikultura, jeung pepelakan binih (kaasup florikultura)". Malah definisi ieu lega, nunjukkeun yén seueur produk anu béda-béda tiasa digolongkeun dina "buah" sareng "sayur". Sarta mindeng, lamun urang ngobrol ngeunaan tatanén, fokus manggihan sorangan aimed utamana dina pepelakan baris atawa tatanén sato. Sanaos pepelakan barisan mangrupikeun sababaraha pepelakan anu sering dipanén nganggo gabungan sareng ngadamel seuseueurna lahan pertanian AS, pepelakan khusus anu paling sering dipendakan di California sareng Florida.
Tapi, jumlah pepelakan khusus anu dipelak beuki seueur di daérah di Amérika Serikat. Estimasi panganyarna kapanggih ayeuna aya langkung ti 184,000 kebon pepelakan khusus anu ngalangkungan langkung ti 10.4 juta hektar lahan pertanian. Sanaos kanyataan yén produksi pamotongan khusus AS mangrupikeun bagian ageung tina produksi pertanian AS sacara umum, éta nyanghareupan sababaraha tantangan anu penting.
U.S. producers often find themselves at a disadvantage on a global (and even domestic) scale because, in most areas across the country, year-round production is impossible. And, unlike with row crops, specialty crops can’t be raised in bulk and stored to be sold throughout the year due to freshness concerns. In addition, specialty crops are often much more weather sensitive than their counterparts. This makes them extremely vulnerable to instances like the recent extreme weather seen across the southern part of the U.S., one which resulted in specialty crop losses of more than $600 million.
Pikeun nyieun masalah parah, produksi domestik ogé geus pencét teuas ku perang dagang lumangsung. AS terus ngimpor sajumlah produk pamotongan khusus, anu nurunkeun harga domestik, sareng nagara-nagara sanés parantos pencét pepelakan khusus anu diproduksi ku AS kalayan tarif anu luhur. Samentara éta, Éropa geus maksakeun leuwih $ 4 milyar dina tariffs on sajumlah produk AS. Dampak maranéhanana tariffs bisa jadi badag, kalawan NC State estimating sweet potato exports alone potentially seeing a reduction of $70 million.
And, as is the case with most things, specialty crops have been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19 emerged last spring, ieu diperkirakeun yén produksi strawberry Florida nyalira lacked 30% tina tanaga gawé diperlukeun. Pepelakan khusus mangrupikeun salah sahiji bentuk tatanén anu paling padat karya anu aya ayeuna. Ieu kusabab sabagéan ageung operasi gaduh reliance beurat dina H-2A pagawe tatanén samentara. Salila pandémik, seueur pagawé ieu dipotong tina datang ka Amérika Serikat, sareng anu diidinan kedah ngagaduhan akomodasi khusus, sabab produsén ogé kedah nyayogikeun para pekerja ieu ogé perumahan. Malah sateuacan pandém, kumaha ogé, paménta pikeun pagawé parantos langkung seueur pasokan.
Sanaos seueur tantangan, éta sanés sadayana warta goréng pikeun séktor pamotongan khusus. Laju pertumbuhan taunan 2.6% diperkirakeun salami dékade salajengna, sarta harga komoditi geus naek ampir 40% saprak 2011. Pamustunganana, sanajan, tetep katingal upami tangtangan anu disanghareupan pepelakan khusus bakal ngabatesan dugi ka produsén tiasa ngamangpaatkeun kasempetan pikeun kamekaran.
Ngaronjat inovasi diantara produsén alat
Specialty crops are often sold in the form they are harvested, largely because aesthetics matter to many consumers. This has made developing harvesting equipment even more difficult, as most people don’t want to buy bruised or damaged fruits and vegetables. As a result, several manufacturers have found ways to develop machinery that can harvest these products in a gentle enough way, so as not to damage the product. Doing so has helped make the equipment more appealing and for some specialty crop products, such as potatoes, harvesting equipment has been around for ages. However, for most harvesting equipment is still relatively new and not as widely adopted.
While the mechanization of specialty crop harvesting has been slow and very difficult due to the nature of the crop and consumer expectations, a number of products are already on the market today, including harvesters from AEM member companies New Holland, Pellenc, Gregoire, The Morning Star Co. and Oxbo.
Kalolobaan mesin ieu bisa cocog kaluaran 20 urang dina dasar per-jam. Ieu jauh pisan pikeun ngabantosan kakurangan tenaga kerja anu disanghareupan ku industri ieu, bari ogé nyayogikeun sumber pangan anu langkung aman sareng dipercaya. Dina ngurangan pangabutuh tanaga gawé, mesin ogé ngaronjatkeun margins produser alatan ngurangan biaya tanaga gawé nu disebutkeun bakal diperlukeun. Sadayana, aranjeunna ngajantenkeun industri langkung pikaresepeun tina sudut pandang produser ngalangkungan margin anu ningkat sareng sudut pandang padamel kusabab ngirangan tanaga kerja fisik sareng gaji anu langkung saé, padamelan terampil.
Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM”s) Specialty Crops Leadership Group
The previously mentioned harvesting companies, along with John Deere (specialty crop tractors), Kubota (specialty crop tractors and sprayers), and GUSS Automation (autonomous orchard sprayers), comprise AEM’s newly formed Specialty Crop Leadership Group. The group was formed in alignment with AEM’s Ag Sector Board’s recently approved priority of expanding AEM’s reach and role into specialty crops. Ultimately, the purpose of this group is to help identify how AEM can better serve the specialty crop industry as a whole. Throughout the upcoming year, plans are in the works to educate both end user and regulators about specialty crops – specifically why specialty crops matter and the importance of making people aware of the technologies that exist.
Despite being often overlooked by the general public, specialty crops are now among the largest agricultural outputs in the U.S. today. And, as previously mentioned, both opportunities and challenges exist for what is one of the most labor-intensive industries around. However, AEM is committed to working with company leaders to better meet the needs, wants and demands of equipment end users who have helped make the specialty crop industry what it is today. Accomplishing all these things, and many more, is what AEM Leadership Groups are all about.
Leuwih jéntré ngeunaan AEM’s Specialty Crop Leadership Group jeung other leadership groups like it.
- Austin Gellings, Association of Equipment Manufacturers Agricultural Services Manager