At this time last year, many consumers were already enjoying the Michigan asparagus they picked up at the grocery store. This year, however, due to unseasonably cool spring temperatures and late season snowfall, growers across the state are experiencing one of the latest asparagus season starts in memory.
The cool spring has given growers plenty of time for seasonal field work including mowing and weed and fertilizer applications to get things going.
Although limited in acreage, growers in the Southern region of Michigan have started to harvest this week. Most of the state’s growers located West Central Michigan, in the heart of the asparagus growing area, won’t begin harvesting until the week of May 13th.
John Bakker, Executive Director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board reassures, “We may have a delayed start but most grower-shippers are on schedule to harvest and deliver similar volume to last season.” Bakker commented, “The biggest difference will be that the build up of volume will not happen slowly, over a couple weeks, but come on quickly between the week of May 13th until it reaches promotable volumes beginning the week of May 20th and continuing throughout the season.”
Suppliers throughout the industry are reporting that pricing and quality will largely be unaffected by the late season start and industry marketing programs have already gotten underway to begin to prime consumers for the start of the much anticipated season.
The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board has undertaken additional marketing efforts this year to help promote Michigan asparagus and keep it top of mind for consumers during peak season. As in previous years, the advisory board has formed partnerships with online food bloggers, major influencers when it comes to consumers’ food preparation ideas and purchasing habits. This year, however, they have increased the number of participating bloggers from 38 to 55 and added an additional blogger event – BBQ Week – to address consumers’ increasing interest in grilling asparagus, which consumer polls have indicated is a favorite way to prepare this much awaited Michigan vegetable.
The first blogger event, #BrunchWeek, took place during the week of April 30th-May 5th, and saw increased consumer engagement from a variety of social platforms. This early promotion was meant to get consumers back to thinking about this favorite taste of summer and let them know when to look for Michigan asparagus in store. During this week, more than 30 online influencers shared brunch recipes featuring Michigan asparagus, as well as other ingredients. Later this month, from May 21st -27th, the food blogger community will launch #BBQWeek as a lead-up to Memorial Day, highlighting interesting preparations of asparagus for backyard barbecues. The Advisory Board has also formed season-long partnerships with key bloggers to keep asparagus top of mind for targeted consumers during the growing season.
Leveraging online influencers to reach consumers where they are has had proven success, and the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board is also promoting online engagement by offering giveaways during the season. Consumers can enter to win weekly nationwide flash giveaways for $50, blogger event giveaways for $100, or the board’s season-long giveaway of over $2000 in cash prizes including a $1000 grand prize. Each giveaway encourages consumers to connect and engage with the board’s ever-growing online community through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
With quality and volume expected to be high this year, the 120 family farmers that produce the majority of Michigan’s asparagus are anticipating a great season and they are committed to the proud ideals of seasonally fresh, U.S. Grown, eating local and sustainable food miles that all make Michigan Asparagus a perfect choice for today’s consumer during the spring and early summer months.
For more information:
Jodi Hogerton
Tel: +1 (920) 475-8113