Cited as causes for this trend were unorganized marketing on Delmarva, lack of standardized packing and grading, and lack of consistently high-quality products. Cutthroat price-cutting eroded the availability of a reliable price quotation, which in turn reflected badly on Delmarva produce. Unorganized marketing resulted in frequent gutting of markets. The lack of brand names also limited market and pricing opportunities. But if the old adage that when we don't know history, we are condemned to repeat holds true, we can learn from the past.
Similar causes lead to similar results, and history does repeat itself.
Many of the problems identified in that long-ago decade have been improved upon, yet in 1994 we face some of the same fundamental challenges. It's a critical issue for all the residents of the region, not just agriculturists. I am pleased to announce that from now on this column will be shared with Gordon Johnson, the new Kent County, Delaware, agricultural agent. Gordon, who grew up on a Pennsylvania dairy farm, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in Horticulture from Clemson University. As a Peace Corps volunteer, he served in the Seychelles Islands, and was most recently employed by Crop Genetics International.