INDIANAPOLIS — When you step into the market at Waterman's Family farm you'll find rows of tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and peppers. They also grow sweet corn and pumpkins.
The farm has been around since 1978.
"We have expanded and changed a great deal in that time," said Carol Waterman, the owner.
What has also changed is the cost of production.
“We have to increase [prices],” said Waterman. “Fertilizer is up 25 to 30 percent, seed up 20 percent, labor up 15 percent, fuel up 10 percent, repairs up 30 percent — these are just approximations, but it’s what we’ve noticed ourselves.”
Some of those increases have been passed on to customers.
“I think customers aren’t accustomed to that kind of jump in the price of the products,” Waterman said. “But we can’t eat all of that ourselves, or we won’t be profitable at all.”
The Watermans aren’t alone. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wholesale prices for domestic fresh and dry vegetables were up nearly 40 percent in July.
Experts say tariffs are also a factor.
“When you think about vegetables and other things we see in grocery stores, it’s not just coming from the U.S.,” an ABC News analyst explained. “When things come from other countries, the suppliers, the products involved — it’s all having an impact.”
Those costs are expected to hit grocery shoppers, with produce prices forecast to rise between 4 and 7 percent, according to Scripps News.
Still, experts say there are ways to make fresh fruits and vegetables last longer at home.
“The most important thing is to get those fruits and vegetables as cold as possible and as quickly as possible,” said Amanda Deering, an associate professor of fresh produce safety at Purdue University.
Deering warns against washing produce before refrigeration.
“All that does is activate those spoilage microorganisms, especially if you can’t get them dry,” she said.
Waterman said some of her customers also turn to canning or freeze-drying as long-term preservation methods.
Watmerman's Family Farm also puts on a Fall festival and pumpkin picking. You can find more information here.
