Alva Florida Car Insurance

Roadside stands see resurgence

HENDRY COUNTY - Although roadside stands have been around since famers have been farming, they became popular in the 1930s and 1940s, when more people were traveling by car.

Gas was cheap, and so Americans took to the roads in their quest for fresh fruits and vegetables. They looked for the old-wooden signs, such as "Vine Ripened Tomatoes," and "Farm Fresh Eggs," that were typically set up at the end of a farmer's driveway.

Back then, more time was spent in the kitchen and people were looking for ways to save. Nowadays, more shopping is being done at roadside stands for similar reasons.

"A number of roadside stands have sprung up in recent years, partly due to the interest in local food, and partly due to the economy," said Gene McAvoy, director of the Hendry County Extension.

"Consumers enjoy the freshness, variety, flavor, lower prices, and other intangible benefits, like a drive out to the country," added McAvoy, who has more than 35 years in the agriculture and vegetable business.

While the benefits clearly help the consumer, farmers also reap rewards.

"Farmers get a higher return, and have more control," he said.

They can sell less-than-perfect fruits and vegetables that the commercial outlets require. Plus, they enjoy immediate cash rather than selling on 30-60-90 day credit, as with some commercial markets. McAvoy said that the produce sold comes from a variety of sources, such as on the farm, from nearby farms, and from local and state markets.

Florida has 47,463 farms, and nearly 90 percent of all Florida farms are small farms. Furthermore, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida growers harvested vegetables for fresh market from 176,000 acres in 2010, with sales exceeding $1.5 billion. In other words, roadside stands make sense for many farmers. While some stands are located on the grower's property, other times the space is leased. Either way, before one opens a stand, proper licenses must be acquired from local governing authorities (city or county).

Florida Cities Among Worst and Best for Car Accidents According to ...

Florida drivers are not very good at avoiding car accidents, according to an annual report sponsored by Allstate Insurance . The country’s safest drivers can be found in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the average driver gets into a car accident about every 14 years, which is 28 percent less than the national average of 10 years.

While some Florida cities also fared well in the survey of the 200 largest cities in the U.S., the results weren’t so good for others. Unfortunately, no cities in Florida cracked the top 10.

The Good