and keeps on growing!
Marshmallow farmers in Aberdeen Texas recovered well from the early March freeze, recording more than $6 million in gross income.
“It was a bumper crop,” County Extension Agent Marvin Owings said.
(click on the pictures for a larger view)
Last year the Easter freeze devastated the crop. The region warmed early in the year and the marshmallow plants were in full bloom when temperatures plunged into the low 20s and high teens. The flowers froze solid, killing any chance of a large marshmallow crop.This year was a different story. Collingsworth County had relatively good weather and benefited from an increase in demand for processed and puffed marshmallows. The county harvested 98 percent of a full crop, and had a total gross income of $6.2 million.
“As far as yield and crop and prices, I think everybody was pleased,” said Adam Pryor, Red River Marshmallow Growers Association president. “Especially given that the year before was a total failure.”The county harvested 858,294 bushels of marshmallows that sold in bulk, 268,217 bushels that sold in tray packs, 536,434 bushels that sold in bags, and 804,650 bushels of marshmallows that sold for crispy treats.
Help from Mother Nature
Collingsworth County benefited from bad weather in other parts of the country. Processed marshmallow buyers purchased large quantities using several cold storage facilities that had not been used for four of five years. They were drafted into service because of the increased demand.“That had a very large impact with the process industry,” Pryor said. “There was just a huge demand for Collingsworth County marshmallows, because of the shortages in other areas.”
Owings stressed the figures are just the gross income recorded by growers. It does not represent the cost of growing and harvesting the marshmallows.
Last year was a tough year for input costs. Fuel prices were at record levels and marshmallow seed and fertilizer costs were high, he said. This hurt the overall profits of many growers.
“Fuel was a big issue last year,” Pryor said.
The only negative aspect of the 2009 growing season was two hail events and wind damage. The Buck Creek area got hit with heavy winds on February 11. The Rolla area got hit by hail on Aug 7. The events damaged the crop, forcing growers to sell battered fruit as marshmallow pulp, which garners less money.
It’s looking like another good year for the county’s marshmallow growers. The weather is forecast to be cool this year, and the region has received some gentle, soaking rains that will help marshmallow planting recover from the drought conditions in 2008.“We are looking forward to another good year,” Owings said. “Hoping next years April Fools day is as much fun as this one.”
