The Delmarva Peninsula includes some rich farmland which is suitable for both vegetable and field crop production. Almost 80 percent of the acreage on the Delmarva Peninsula today is planted in field corn and soybeans. In the past fifteen years, the acreage of vegetables contracted to processing companies in the area has declined by about 50 percent (Smith, 1975 and 1981). This is due to four major factors: Delmarva's yield disadvantage relative to other regions; the disappearance of numerous, antiquated small canneries in the region; an unstable labor supply at existing wages; and growers’ perceived higher yield risk for vegetables.