ATHENS, Ga. (RFD-TV)— U.S. fruit and vegetable growers are facing intensifying pressure from both imports and rising costs, according to University of Georgia economists.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects 2025 cash receipts for all crops at $236.6 billion, down 2.5 percent from last year, with vegetable revenues expected to decline even as consumer demand remains strong. Imports continue to surge, reaching $49.8 billion in 2024—about one-quarter of all agricultural imports—compared to just $15.9 billion in exports.
Mexico dominates U.S. vegetable imports, while Canada, Peru, and Chile are key fruit suppliers, often shipping into U.S. harvest windows and depressing domestic prices.
At the same time, growers face soaring costs. The USDA estimates that farm production expenses will reach $467 billion in 2025, up 2.6 percent from the previous year and more than 36 percent higher than in 2018.
Fruits and vegetables are labor-intensive, and reliance on the H-2A guest worker program means higher wages, fees, and compliance burdens. In 2024, 44% of growers cited H-2A costs as their top concern, while 54 percent reported labor shortages.
Tony’s Farm-Level Takeaway: U.S. produce growers face a structural disadvantage—cheaper imports driving down prices while rising labor costs squeeze margins. Without new policies or technology, profitability remains uncertain.
Show producer Donna Sanders shares her perspective on filming the latest episode of Where the Food Comes From at Splenda Stevia Farms, a company growing a sweet specialty crop here in the U.S. that is typically imported from overseas.
November 01, 2023 09:00 AM
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Splenda’s new stevia farm in Florida is the first of its kind in the United States. Thousands of plants produce millions of leaves that are then turned into plant-based stevia sweetener products. But how do they get the sweet stuff out?
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What does Splenda have to do with farming? Sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia are plant-based — so they are just not sugar, but are comprised of those other plants also grown on farms.
October 30, 2023 09:00 AM
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Explore the culinary wonders of Camino’s Apple Hill, where tradition meets delicious innovation at community institutions like Larsen Apple Barn.
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Seven out of the eight major fertilizers saw recent price decreases. However, one key type of fertilizer bucked the overall trend with an 11-percent rise.
September 21, 2023 11:02 AM
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RFD-TV’s own Marlin Bohling proved he is more than “just Ken” with his yummy “BarBieQuacamole Taco Burgers.” Get the recipe here — it’s a 10!
August 17, 2023 02:20 PM
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Researchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute have constructed the perfect watermelon—returning “lost” genes from the domesticated fruit’s wild relatives that improve both taste and resilience during the growing process.
August 14, 2023 03:31 PM
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RFD-TV’s own Tammi Arender was down on Broadway covering all the action at CMA Fest when she stumbled upon some apple farmers from North-Central Washington selling a new, must-try apple variety.
