FE377 Market Development Strategies for Florida Fresh Sweet Corn: Findings from a Consumer Survey, 2001 1 Tom Stevens, Robert Degner, Kimberly Morgan, Chris deBodisco, and Lisa House 2 1. This document is FE377, one of a series of the Food and Resource Economics Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date March 2003. Reviewed June 2014. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ul.edu. 2. Tom Stevens, postdoctoral associate; Robert Degener, professor; Kimberly Morgan, economic analyst; Chris deBodisco, graduate assistant; and Lisa House, associate professor, Department of Food and Resource Economics, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or ailiations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension oice. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Introduction Florida is the leading producer of fresh sweet corn in the United States. In 2000, 573 million pounds of fresh sweet corn were harvested from over 38,000 acres in the State, generating revenues of over $105 million. During spring 2000, 81 percent of the U.S. fresh sweet corn shipments originated from Florida (Figure 1). For the nation, fresh sweet corn has become an increasingly popular spring and summer side dish. he introduction of super sweet varieties in the early 1990s helped boost annual per-capita consumption from 5.9 pounds in 1991 to 9.2 pounds in 2000, an increase of more than 66 percent. However, in spite of its premier status in the industry and the overall growth of fresh sweet corn production and consumption, Florida’s future leadership in the industry is not guaranteed. Fresh sweet corn production and real revenues for the State have not shown any overall trend in the 10 years between 1991 and 2001 (Figure 2). Also, during this period, yields increased, while acreage declined, and real free-on-board (FOB) prices luctuated trendlessly around $9.00 per crate. Most disturbing is the fact that while constant dollar receipts for fresh sweet corn in the United States rose by over 68 percent between 1992 and 2001, Florida’s share of these receipts declined from 27 percent to less than 23 percent (Figure 3). Figure 1. U.S. fresh sweet corn shipments, 2000. Figure 2. Florida fresh sweet corn value, 1991-2001.