Local farmers are struggling to turn crops into profits

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) -It’s summer and what better way to spend the day than getting produce from local farm.

CM Farms and Services is a local farm in West Point that provides produce and agri-tourism in the fall.

But the job isn’t easy.

Caring for the land. It’s a difficult job.

Some local farmers are struggling more than ever to turn a profit while keeping their farm afloat. With the rising costs of materials, equipment and labor, it is becoming more and more difficult to own your farm or business.

Chad Mccomic of CM Farms knows the challenges of owning a farm all too well.

“It’s all struggles with labor and input costs and it is very hard. Our strawberry crop this year, we lost. We only picked 10% of it. If you have a dollar a plant in them, now we are having to rob Peter to pay Paul to get next year’s crop ready, because we have already bought and started our plants,” Chad Mccomic said.

It is not just Mccomic seeing a negative turn in his business.

“I was at a market, the Atlanta Georgia Grower’s Market, last week, which everybody knows that Georgia is the peach capital of the world; and out of the 28 spots for peach growers, there was only 1 peach grower there with product,”Chad Mccomic said.

CM Farms offers the ability to come buy local produce or pick it yourself throughout the year. In the fall, they offer many fall activities like hay rides and pumpkin patches. Despite the challenges, Mccomic is putting in effort to bring in more business and people to the farm this fall.

“We are adding to our pumpkin patch. We just bought a pumpkin cannon for this year, and some inflatables. Hopefully, we will ziplines up and going and some of our other playground equipment,” Chad Mccomic said.

You can find more information about CM Farms and Services and products click here.