“Does the consumer have enough money left over to pay a price for products that will keep me sustainable? That’s the dilemma right now,” said farmer John Alger, owner of Alger Farms. <\/p>\n
Alger Farms has been in business since the 1930s. Alger said it has been a struggle to break even for the past 10 years, even before the pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation. Now, he says farmers across South Florida are reaching a breaking point. <\/p>\n
Their three-generation farm, with fields of sweet corn and green beans, stretches for miles and supplies the entire East Coast with its crops. <\/p>\n
It is where Alger and his two dogs spend most of their time. But his days on the farm may be short-lived. <\/p>\n
“We’re at a crossroads right now. We don’t know if we should continue even this coming winter. Our costs are 26 percent higher than they were two years ago,” Alger said. <\/p>\n
In addition, the ten-year average profitability of the farm is 15% lower than the expected cost of keeping it running. <\/p>\n
“My numbers say stop. A man with common sense would stop,” Alger said. <\/p>\n
He has been using his savings to keep the farm afloat. <\/p>\n
“The last 10 years it’s been a very expensive hobby,” he explained. <\/p>\n
Flavio Carrillo, director of Florida International University’s Capital Markets Lab, said the problems facing farmers likely won’t go away anytime soon. <\/p>\n
“Gasoline, for example, has risen more than 60% in the last calendar year, putting enormous pressure on farmers who depend on the fuel to work their land,” Carrillo said. <\/p>\n
He said our economy could get worse. <\/p>\n
“The probability of a downturn in the economy over the next 12 months is 48%, up from 30% the previous month,” he explained. <\/p>\n
“From Homestead to Belle Glade, we’re all getting crushed,” Alger said. <\/p>\n
He said that’s why, and over the years, the number of farmers in South Florida is declining. <\/p>\n
“There were over 100 farmers here. We’re down to nine,” he said, leaving the future of agriculture up in the air. <\/p>\n
“It’s pretty bleak. It’s bleak,” he said. <\/p>\n
Algiers fears without significant changes: “We will be a country dependent on imports for our food.” <\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, the stress caused by uncertainty can be too much for many farmers,” Carrillo said. <\/p>\n
Alger said in a week he will have to decide what to do with the farm. He said that if they leave the farming business, they will be idle for a year to see if conditions improve. If they don’t, there will be one less farmer in South Florida.<\/p>\n
Ashley Dyer<\/p>\n
![\"Ashley-Dyer.jpg](\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2021\/11\/02\/7f656994-2f88-4eeb-be81-97843c0e925e\/thumbnail\/80x80g6\/73d570fd2a002c2ad16758345a39b2f9\/Ashley-Dyer.jpg)
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