A respread is a respread

3/10/01 -- Since John Decas brought it up in his recent Op-ed about Ocean Spray's compromise, I would like to make a few observations. First I would like to address the growers that may not be real comfortable with the terms floating around. Let’s talk about what the word respread means. In a producer allotment system, which was what was voted for this past weekend, every grower will be given a sales history. That’s a base  number they start with for all processed growers from which they take off the percentage that will not be allowed to be brought in. Let’s say I have a ten thousand-barrel sales history and when all is said and done we have a 32% allotment, (that will not be allowed in the marketable quantity). That would mean that I could bring in six thousand eight hundred barrels. Now, I think you all remember what happened last year. Some harvested early and dumped, and the last got to bring more in because other growers, for whatever reason, were unable to produce their allotment number, and the unused allotment was re-spread to growers who exceeded their allotment. I hope that’s all clear. At the Tee Pee it was coined flip-flopping.

My point in this Op-ed is this: Ocean Spray publicly stated in Washington DC at the CMC meeting that in an attempt to help, they were not going to allow respreading in the Coop. Those that choose not to grow or had bad luck,  or mowed their vines, would not provide benefit to those that had more production than they had an allotment for. This appears to be a good policy for some. I attended both the CMC meetings in Washington DC and Wisconsin. I welcome any critique of my observations. At the WI Rapids CMC meeting last weekend, Jack Crooks stated again that Ocean Spray plans on not allowing respreading. John Decas also stated in his Op-ed that this declaration was referred to as a part of a compromise that he wrote about as one of the main compromises reached at the closed meeting(s). 

Then later at the meeting in Wisconsin Rapids Jack Crooks stated that the fresh fruit that is not utilized as packed-out fresh fruit (pies, seconds, etc.) would be put into Ocean Spray's processed fruit pool, and they would allow for this under respread of unused allotment.

For example, Crooks stated that "about 100,000 barrels were treated this way last year. I want to make sure I have the proper understanding of what will be happening:

• The excess allotments that the company will receive as a result of the processed growers not being allowed to respread (redistribute) will be used to absorb the difference between what is accepted as fresh fruit and actual packout (pies and seconds to be put into the processed fruit pool).
• Another way of saying it could be the processed grower’s loss will be the fresh fruit growers gain. 
• Ocean Spray fresh fruit growers are paid on all the fruit they bring in. 
• The fresh fruit that is added to the processed pool that are considered pies seconds or just unused for fresh fruit, will be paid to the fresh fruit grower, the fresh fruit premium price, not the processed price which it may become. It appears to me that the Ocean Spray processed only grower is getting, unintentionally, a double whammy. 
• They can’t respread their allotment so that the fresh fruit producers can use the respread.

I’m not an Ocean Spray grower but  I am concerned about the apparent inequity that appears to be taking place. I know it’s probably impossible to separate whose fresh fruit came from who; and how much of that will be converted to the processed pool. 

I thought it important to let you know in case the Ocean Spray processed growers discover this unfair practice that you stated your company would do. I am confident that the processed growers will understand that their subsidizing of the exempt fresh fruit growers is a necessary evil. But if I were a processed grower it would be important for me to understand why this unfortunate activity must take place. It would also be important for me to be aware that my unused processed allotment might help a fresh fruit grower get paid fresh fruit prices for the fruit that they are allowed to put into the processed pool that I was not allowed to bring in.

This shows me that the Ocean Spray processed grower is very understanding and should be commended in letting the fresh fruit be dumped into the processed pool instead of theirs. It’s even more commendable to allow your fellow growers to get paid the fresh fruit premium on the now processed fruit brought in on your allotment that a processed grower was not allowed to utilize. 

We are all fellow growers and it’s important that everyone understands why we must do the things we do. My main point in writing this is to point out a respread is a respread any way you look at it; and to pose the question: Is it fair to use respread allotment for fresh fruit growers but not allow it for you processed growers ?