florida farmers worry about cuba organic growers - usa today

7/26/2019 Florida Farmers Worry About Cuba Organic Growers - USA Today

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Florida farmers worry about Cuba organic growers

Jeanette Leehr, Round Earth Media 4:11 p.m. EDT March 18, 2016

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story did not make clear that opening a Departm

Agriculture office in Cuba is a proposal that has not been approved.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. When third-generation farmer Rick Roth envisions the possible end of the

U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, just across the Florida straits, he sees potential competition. And he wo

about diseases, pests and invasive species.

While many U.S. agricultural producers and businesses are eager to start exporting to Cuba, Florida f

say the Obama administrations plan to allow Cuban imports threatens their $8

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ion-a-year business. Floridas larger organic growers, already struggling to remain profitable, may be particularly hard-hit because Cuba has

veloped a strong organic farming sector.

tially, Cuba most likely would export many of the same products grown by Florida organic farms, and the communist nation would enjoy the

vantage of lower wages, state subsidies, cheap transportation and the novelty appeal of Cuban products.

bout two-thirds of our members are extremely against the Cuba deal, said Janell Hendren, national affairs coordinator of the Florida Farm B

deration, the states largest agricultural organization, which represents 144,000 conventional and organic farmers.

oth, who grows vegetables and sugar cane on 5,000 acres in Palm Beach County, said competition from Cuba, never a concern before, is no

ssibility.

orida is the logical place for Cuban produce to come first, he said, adding that it would be unfair to expect Florida farmers to compete with s

bsidized Cuban producers. When you buy Cuban products, are you helping the Cuban farmer or the Cuban government?

addition to fruit and vegetables, the U.S. might find itself importing diseases and pests that could wipe out a crop or entire industry, he said.

nce December 2014, when the United States began restoring President Obamaannounced his intention to lift the embargo, diplomatic ties w

ba, three bills have been introduced in Congress with the aim of normalizing trade, with Cuba, including ending the prohibition of products o

gin from entering the U.S.

polarized Washington, some Midwest Republicans are on Obamas side, seeing a potential bonanza for companies that sell seed, fertilizers a

achinery. Paul Johnson, co-chair of the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, the leading farm industry group lobbying for relaxation of the trade

mbargo, said pressure from his group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerceand Obama will build momentum for the change.

t Hendren said flatly, Its not gonna happen this year. The outcome will depend on who wins this years presidential and congressional elec

d lifting the embargo will likely be a very hot topic in 2017, she said.

ba once focused on capital-intensive, industrialized agriculture on large state-run farms, but was forced to change after economic support fr

viet Unionevaporated.

ginning in 1990, Cuban food production fell precipitously. The country shifted to a low-input agricultural cooperative model. Even so, it suffer

rious food shortages in 1994, which prompted further changes. It embraced a model that included the development of very small-scale urban

ich turned out to be surprisingly successful.

uba has the largest experiment in organic agriculture anywhere in the world, said Bill Messina, an leading authority on Cuban agriculture at

iversity of Florida. Cuba reports large production volumes of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers all the kinds of products we produce here.

(Photo: Beth Reynolds, Round Earth

Media)
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od production slowly recovered, and Cuba now exports vegetables and honey to Canada, citrus products to the European Unionand sugar

ina. But Cuba still imports 70% to 80% of its food. Much of what it produces goes to domestic consumption, but that could change if trade wit

S. resumes.

fore that happens, Cuba and the U.S. would need to hammer out trade protocols and harmonize certification. That process would get a boos

SDAs request for an office and staff in Cuba is approved.

hnsons trade group conducted a Learning Journey in Cuba last March, the first major U.S. business visit delegation after Obamas

nouncement. It plans a second trip in late May to bring U.S. farmers and Cubans together to press ahead on topics that include production,

vestment, trade and sustainability.

ansport routes are ready. Ships loaded with food, medical products and other authorized exports travel weekly from ports in Florida to Cuba.

ese these ships return with empty containers. It would be good to have a backhaul it could help lower shipping costs, too, Johnson said.

We have the capacity to do anything and everything with Cuba, said Carlos Buqueras, director of the Port of Manatee on Floridas Gulf Coast

he embargo is lifted, Cuba will have to decide whether to continue to promote organic agriculture or opt once again for an industrialized agric

odel. Large U.S. agricultural interests are promoting industrialization and are making it attractive with offers of financing and investment.

t theres a lot of money in organics, according to Johnson, who is also CEO of import-export business Chicago Foods Food International.

m pretty sure I can put a sticker on an [organic Cuban] avocado and sell it for a whole lot at Whole Foods, he said.

milarly, Sun-Maid Growers of California, a large fruit growers cooperative, recently revealed that it is looking into importing organic mangoes

ba.

a Worden, a Cuban-American organic grower in Punta Gorda, Fla., supports a resumption of trade between the U.S. and Cuba but wants to

re the fruit and vegetable needs of the Cuban people are met before encouraging exports.

orden and her husband, Chris, both experts in horticulture with doctoral degrees,founded Worden Farms in 2003. They serve 600 families w

gular deliveries of fruits and vegetables and sell at both weekly farmerss markets in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. Given the opportunity, the

ordens say they would look at the possibility of expanding their production to Cuba.

eres a cachet in being able to buy something that was once forbidden, said Jack Woods, a Florida advertising expert with extensive experie

od marketing.

onsumers will be able to get a glimpse of modern-day Cuba by eating something as simple as an organic banana, Woods said. You dont h

vel there to eat it, it doesnt cost much, and it tastes just like it does at a farmerss market in Havana. These Cuban organics transport us to a

d place we are curious about.

ba is experimenting with some less familiar produce, such as moringa, said Todd Logan, a Florida organic landscaper who traveled to Cuba

ucational trip. Moringa, touted as the next superfood, grows on a drought-tolerant tree that thrives in sandy soils in the tropics and is very h

otein, calcium and Vitamin C.

en theres guanabana, guayabana, also known as soursop. sour sop. Worden hopes it becomes available in the U.S. Apart from being a del

shy, green fruit, it is known as an anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting medicinal food. She would also welcome mamey sapote, a fruit like aotball with scratchy skin, and salmon-colored flesh that can be used to make milkshakes and ice cream.

ef Kenny Tufo runs Sea Salt, an upscale 300-seat seafood restaurant in St. Petersburg, a few blocks from a proposed site for the first Cuban

nsulate in the United States since 1959. Tufo said he imagines using exotic Cuban produce and developing a dish in line with customer curios

out Cuban cuisine.

can see people getting on the train, he said.

orden beams as she greets customers in her bustling market stall at St. Petersburgs Saturday morning market. She is surrounded by her ha

lorful organic produce: Brussels sprouts, head lettuce, kale, Cubanelle and poblano peppers, spinach, Chioggiabeets, French breakfast rad

d cilantro.


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wo customers stop by, the Romero brothers, Cuban-Americansliving in Tampa, who recently restored their Cuban citizenship and bought pro

ere.

gether they talk about their dreams for Cuba and wonder if one day Worden will see Cuban produce in the market, right alongside her own.

is story was produced in association with Round Earth Media (http://www.roundearthmedia.org/), a non-profit organization that mentors youn

ernational journalists.

Willie Bonner, a staffer at Little Pond Farm in Bushnell, Fla., stocks organic vegetables at the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. (Photo:

Reynolds, Round Earth Media)

Worden Farm utilizes an older Farmall tractor to weed through scallion rows since the farm does not use pesticides. Worden Farm is an 85-acre certified organic

farm in southwest Florida. (Photo: Beth Reynolds, Round Earth Media)
http://www.roundearthmedia.org/


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Worden Farm in Punta Gorda, Fla., brings a wide range of organic peppers to the Saturday Morning Market in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. (Photo: Beth Reynol

Earth Media)

uba has the largest experiment in organic agriculture anywhere in the world, said Bill Messina, a leading authority on Cuban agriculture at th

iversity of Florida. Cuba reports large production volumes of peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers all the kinds of products we produce here.

od production slowly recovered, and Cuba now exports vegetables and honey to Canada, citrus products to the European Union and sugar t

ina. But Cuba still imports 70%-80% of its food. Much of what it produces goes to domestic consumption, but that could change if trade with

S. resumes.

fore that happens, Cuba and the U.S. would need to hammer out trade protocols and harmonize certification. That process would get a boos

SDAs request for an office and staff in Cuba is approved.

hnsons trade group conducted a "Learning Journey" in Cuba last March, the first major U.S. business delegation after Obamas announcem

ans a second trip in late May to bring U.S. farmers and Cubans together to press ahead on topics that include production, investment, trade a

stainability.

ansport routes are ready. Ships loaded with food, medical products and other authorized exports travel weekly from ports in Florida to Cuba.

ese these ships return with empty containers. It would be good to have a backhaul it could help lower shipping costs, too, Johnson said.

We have the capacity to do anything and everything with Cuba, said Carlos Buqueras, director of the Port of Manatee on Floridas Gulf Coast

florida farmers worry about cuba organic growers - usa today

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