South Carolina's Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers attributes the new wholesale facilities at the State Farmers' Market in Columbia in being instrumental in Senn Brothers Produce being awarded a contract to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the militaruy valued at over $15 million a year for the next six to seven years.
Weathers says that the Senn Brothers contract will help South Carolina growers, because the military serves meals 24/7 - 365 days a year, and Senn Brothers will need to buy from farmers year-round to service their customers. The peak season for produce in SC comes during the late spring and summer, so they'll be offering the military everything from apples to zucchini, but they'll be able to proved other local, seasonal produce like strawberries, peaches, and watermelons, which will create a new marketing avenue for the state's growers.
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