At present, farmers are at the end of the line when it comes to getting paid for perishable produce. Now a task force is looking at ways to protect them
by SUSAN MANN
When vegetable packer Top of the Hill Produce went bankrupt two years ago, grower George Hoving lost $80,000 that he could never recover.
Hoving, who grows carrots and onions in the Holland Marsh near Bradford, says he had been selling to the same packing house for 13 years. The company ran into financial difficulties two years ago, but Hoving had been dealing with them for years without problems and he extended the company’s 30-day time frame for payment.