By Lindsay Hedgecock
Lansing Star staff writer
Hickory Corners Greenhouse & Nursery
Frosts in the South have increased the price of produce coming to Mid-Michigan. Prices of vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, lettuce and peppers have risen.
Local farmers who purchase produce from southern states such as Florida and Georgia are now limited in what they can buy.
The frosts has affected crops in the South, said Pam Haddix, who works at a vendor, Hickory Corners Greenhouse & Nursery, at the at the Lansing City Market, with a farm in Bath, Mich.
“The frosts the South has been hit with has caused us [local farmers] to limit what we can sell,” said Haddix. “and people just don’t want to pay the increased price for those items in demand.”
Kevin Nichols, who runs Bella Harvest at the Lansing City Market for a farm in Dimondale, Mich., said that prices were considerably higher for lettuce, cucumbers and peppers because those crops were hit the hardest by the frosts.
“We try not to pass any extra costs we have incurred onto the customers,” said Nichols.
Liz Ledfor buys fresh produce at Bella Harvest
Liz Ledfor, Williamston resident and co-owner of Caruso’s Candy Kitchen, said that she hasn’t noticed any price changes for the produce.
People want the farmers to be the one growing everything, but it’s hard in the winter so we have to buy from out-of-state, said Haddix.
“What people don’t realize is that we’re still a local person,” said Haddix. “You’re still supporting a local business when you buy from us. People lose sight of that.”
As for the upcoming summer, local farmers hope the growing season won’t be extremely dry like it has been for the past seasons, which has caused hard times, said Haddix.