Commercial Freezing of Six Vegetable Crops in the South: Factors Affecting Economic Feasibility of Single-Product Operations

Input-output coefficients for processing green beans, lima beans, leafy greens, okra, southern peas, and squash were used to derive five plant models for each vegetable (except okra, for which three models were derived). Finished product processing rates of 1,500, 6,000, 12,000, 18,000 and 22,500 pounds per hour were examined. Three season lengths, two raw product prices, and three finished product prices were included to analyze their effects on costs and returns. The objective of this study was to determine whether initial investment in vegetable freezing plants could be recovered in 10 years. Results indicated that investment in single-product freezing operations could be recovered with at least one combination of raw and finished product prices, season length, and processing rate for all of the vegetables except squash. Okra was the only vegetable indicating profitability with an hourly processing rate as low as 6,000 pounds.