Truck farming is raising vegetables or fruit, or both, for market. Truck farmers do not usually need as much land for growing vegetables as they would for grain crops, and truck farms often are simply large gardens. But some truck farms cover large areas.
The terms truck farm and truck garden mean the same thing. They come from an old use of the word truck, which meant to exchange or barter goods. People speak of vegetables raised for sale as garden truck.
Kinds of truck farms.
In general, there are two kinds of truck farms. Some truck farms are near cities, and supply the city dwellers with vegetables or fruit in season. They often also have greenhouses for growing tomatoes and other kinds of produce out of season. In most cases, such farms are small, and raise many different kinds of produce.
The other kind of truck farm may be far from any city. It depends on railroad, truck, or airplane transportation to carry the produce to market. Such a farm is usually large, and specializes in growing only one or a few kinds of produce. Some of these truck farms are in warm regions where they can produce certain fruits or vegetables in winter months and ship them to cold regions where they are out of season. Examples include the winter vegetable gardens of southern Florida, southern California, Texas, and Arizona. Other truck farms can be far from market because they grow a particular fruit or vegetable that is in demand throughout the country and which can easily be shipped. Examples include the large onion, head lettuce, and celery farms of Idaho and Utah. Special conditions of soil and climate needed to grow certain kinds of produce also may influence the location of truck farms. For example, most of the head lettuce produced in the United States grows in the West and the South, where conditions are most favorable. But the largest market for head lettuce is the Northeastern United States.
How truck farms operate.
Many truck farmers ship and market their produce through organizations known as cooperatives (see Cooperative ). This method usually is cheaper and more convenient than for the growers to ship their crops separately. Truck farmers also sell produce at roadside stands and, in urban areas, at outdoor markets called farmer’s markets. Sometimes, the farmers sell their produce directly to such middlemen as processors, wholesalers, and retailers.
Truck farming is hard work. Vegetables and fruit require more constant and careful cultivation than do field crops. They also are more difficult to harvest. Truck farming produces quick profits, but is risky.
Truck farmers usually rotate their crops every three or four years to keep the soil productive. Most land for truck gardening is expensive, because it must be rich and fertile, and it is often near big cities.
History.
There was little need for truck farming when the United States was largely an agricultural country. Most people raised their own vegetables or fruit in the summer and stored them in the winter. But urban growth brought a great need for truck farming. Many city dwellers have no place to grow vegetables or fruit.
The building of railroads and highways throughout the country allowed the truck farmer to locate in nearly any part of the country that offered good growing conditions and good soil. The railroads and trucks also brought out-of-season produce to many people. The invention of refrigeration for railroad cars and trucks made it possible for fruits and vegetables to arrive at market almost as fresh as when they were harvested. It also made possible the distribution of perishable produce in city markets throughout the country during most of the year.
Truck farm products are the second largest food group in the United States in terms of volume and consumption. Only milk and milk products exceed them. The leading truck farming states are California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and New York.
