From rstewart at zoomtown.com Thu Jan 1 11:51:15 2015 From: rstewart at zoomtown.com (Richard Stewart) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 11:51:15 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> Message-ID: <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we have not seen any diseases pop up. I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a candied ginger. Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com rstewart at zoomtown.com You can follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @CarriageHsFm Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail On Dec 31, 2014, at 1:52 AM, mikerock wrote: > How's everyone doing on ginger? We are at the tail end of the mad bikers list. Any other sources that are of his quality? > > Mike > > > -- > Rock Creek Mill & Heritage Farm, LLC > N7297 County Road A > Argyle, Wisconsin 53504 > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From organic87 at frontiernet.net Thu Jan 1 12:28:47 2015 From: organic87 at frontiernet.net (Road's End Farm) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 12:28:47 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> Message-ID: <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last year -- I could certainly have sold more. I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends on the particular batch. -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think Fresh-market organic produce, small scale On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: > We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we have not seen any diseases pop up. > > I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. > > That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a candied ginger. > > Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. > > Richard Stewart > Carriage House Farm > North Bend, Ohio -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From davepays at gmail.com Thu Jan 1 12:52:19 2015 From: davepays at gmail.com (David Paysnick) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 12:52:19 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> Message-ID: I have had great success using food-grade organic ginger but know that it comes with serious long term disease risks. It is key to use Hawaiian ginger (as opposed to Peruvian - the only other organic source in the Northeast US that I am aware of) and procure it as fresh as possible. Minimizing the time spent in refrigeration is important. As a former produce manager of a food co-op, I would recommend talking to your produce manager and asking if they can procure you a case (or whatever you are seeking) as soon as a fresh batch arrives at their distributor. This should give you the best chances of good germination if you choose to purchase food grade rather than seed grade ginger. On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Road's End Farm wrote: > I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- > that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last > year -- I could certainly have sold more. > > I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no > germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends > on the particular batch. > > > -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think > Fresh-market organic produce, small scale > > > On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: > > We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on > orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food > grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we > have not seen any diseases pop up. > > I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. > Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new > tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and > forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. > > That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in > reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue > ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the > blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to > experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a > candied ginger. > > Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I > am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are > floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I > think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and > the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. > > Richard Stewart > Carriage House Farm > North Bend, Ohio > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > -- *David Paysnick* *Rainbow Harvest Farms* *178 Conway St* *Greenfield, MA 01301* *413-271-2772* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From martyk at allspecies.org Thu Jan 1 13:11:52 2015 From: martyk at allspecies.org (Kraft Marty) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 12:11:52 -0600 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> Message-ID: What are the health risks? I drink tea from fresh ginger every morning. Maybe you have a link to info? Thanks Marty On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:52 AM, David Paysnick wrote: > I have had great success using food-grade organic ginger but know that it comes with serious long term disease risks. It is key to use Hawaiian ginger (as opposed to Peruvian - the only other organic source in the Northeast US that I am aware of) and procure it as fresh as possible. Minimizing the time spent in refrigeration is important. > > As a former produce manager of a food co-op, I would recommend talking to your produce manager and asking if they can procure you a case (or whatever you are seeking) as soon as a fresh batch arrives at their distributor. This should give you the best chances of good germination if you choose to purchase food grade rather than seed grade ginger. > > On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Road's End Farm wrote: > I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last year -- I could certainly have sold more. > > I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends on the particular batch. > > > -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think > Fresh-market organic produce, small scale > > > On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: > >> We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we have not seen any diseases pop up. >> >> I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. >> >> That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a candied ginger. >> >> Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. >> >> Richard Stewart >> Carriage House Farm >> North Bend, Ohio > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > > > > -- > > David Paysnick > Rainbow Harvest Farms > 178 Conway St > Greenfield, MA 01301 > 413-271-2772 > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming Marty Kraft Please respond to global warming in your own way. Let care of nature become second nature. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From stonecirclefarm at tds.net Thu Jan 1 13:48:33 2015 From: stonecirclefarm at tds.net (stonecirclefarm tds.net) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 12:48:33 -0600 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> Message-ID: The diseases being discussed are plant diseases not human diseases. The disease risk is that by not using seed-grade stock, you may be importing plant diseases on the ginger that you are using on your farm. On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:11 PM, Kraft Marty wrote: > What are the health risks? I drink tea from fresh ginger every morning. > Maybe you have a link to info? > > Thanks > > Marty > > On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:52 AM, David Paysnick wrote: > > I have had great success using food-grade organic ginger but know that it > comes with serious long term disease risks. It is key to use Hawaiian > ginger (as opposed to Peruvian - the only other organic source in the > Northeast US that I am aware of) and procure it as fresh as possible. > Minimizing the time spent in refrigeration is important. > > As a former produce manager of a food co-op, I would recommend talking to > your produce manager and asking if they can procure you a case (or whatever > you are seeking) as soon as a fresh batch arrives at their distributor. > This should give you the best chances of good germination if you choose to > purchase food grade rather than seed grade ginger. > > On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Road's End Farm < > organic87 at frontiernet.net> wrote: > >> I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- >> that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last >> year -- I could certainly have sold more. >> >> I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no >> germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends >> on the particular batch. >> >> >> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think >> Fresh-market organic produce, small scale >> >> >> On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: >> >> We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on >> orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food >> grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we >> have not seen any diseases pop up. >> >> I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. >> Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new >> tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and >> forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. >> >> That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in >> reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue >> ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the >> blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to >> experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a >> candied ginger. >> >> Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I >> am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are >> floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I >> think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and >> the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. >> >> Richard Stewart >> Carriage House Farm >> North Bend, Ohio >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Market-farming mailing list >> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >> >> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >> address and password): >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming >> > > > > -- > > *David Paysnick* > *Rainbow Harvest Farms* > *178 Conway St* > *Greenfield, MA 01301* > > *413-271-2772* > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > > > > > Marty Kraft > *Please respond to global warming in your own way. Let care of nature > become second nature. * > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From davepays at gmail.com Thu Jan 1 13:51:16 2015 From: davepays at gmail.com (David Paysnick) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 13:51:16 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> Message-ID: Plant disease, not human. On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 1:11 PM, Kraft Marty wrote: > What are the health risks? I drink tea from fresh ginger every morning. > Maybe you have a link to info? > > Thanks > > Marty > > On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:52 AM, David Paysnick wrote: > > I have had great success using food-grade organic ginger but know that it > comes with serious long term disease risks. It is key to use Hawaiian > ginger (as opposed to Peruvian - the only other organic source in the > Northeast US that I am aware of) and procure it as fresh as possible. > Minimizing the time spent in refrigeration is important. > > As a former produce manager of a food co-op, I would recommend talking to > your produce manager and asking if they can procure you a case (or whatever > you are seeking) as soon as a fresh batch arrives at their distributor. > This should give you the best chances of good germination if you choose to > purchase food grade rather than seed grade ginger. > > On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Road's End Farm < > organic87 at frontiernet.net> wrote: > >> I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- >> that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last >> year -- I could certainly have sold more. >> >> I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no >> germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends >> on the particular batch. >> >> >> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think >> Fresh-market organic produce, small scale >> >> >> On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: >> >> We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on >> orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food >> grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we >> have not seen any diseases pop up. >> >> I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. >> Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new >> tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and >> forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. >> >> That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in >> reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue >> ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the >> blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to >> experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a >> candied ginger. >> >> Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I >> am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are >> floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I >> think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and >> the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. >> >> Richard Stewart >> Carriage House Farm >> North Bend, Ohio >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Market-farming mailing list >> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >> >> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >> address and password): >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming >> > > > > -- > > *David Paysnick* > *Rainbow Harvest Farms* > *178 Conway St* > *Greenfield, MA 01301* > > *413-271-2772 <413-271-2772>* > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > > > > > Marty Kraft > *Please respond to global warming in your own way. Let care of nature > become second nature. * > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > -- *David Paysnick* *Rainbow Harvest Farms* *178 Conway St* *Greenfield, MA 01301* *413-271-2772* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karen at rootsfarm.info Thu Jan 1 15:01:50 2015 From: karen at rootsfarm.info (Roots Farm) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 16:01:50 -0400 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> Message-ID: <79E6CAD9-6669-43C0-B908-FA4F95B5D373@rootsfarm.info> Our non certified but grown to organic standards ginger sells for $4/lb (that?s $4 EC = approx $1.50 U.S.) here in Dominica where ginger is a common crop (although not usually grown organically). There are two types grown here: the large Hawaiian and a smaller, knobbier, more potent ?local? ginger. I haven?t heard of or experienced disease problems with either type. A blue type ? interesting! Never heard of but am thinking that the presence of the blue may indicate presence of additional anti-oxidants that could be used as a marketing plus? if true. Which reminds me of one of my favorite marketing stories. Canned salmon was initially pink. Attempts were made to introduce/sell red canned salmon, but fell flat. Until the company started advertising ?So and so?s Red Salmon, Guaranteed not to turn pink. ? Best wishes for a health-full, joyful, peaceful New Year to all. Karen Roots Farm Organic Produce Fruits, Roots, Vegetables & Herbs Cochrane, DOMINICA 767-449-3038 (before 7 P.M.) karen at rootsfarm.info On Jan 1, 2015, at 12:51 PM, Richard Stewart wrote: > We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts on orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we have not seen any diseases pop up. > > I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. > > That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a candied ginger. > > Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. I am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We are floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit and I think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly and the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. > > Richard Stewart > Carriage House Farm > North Bend, Ohio > > An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 > > (513) 967-1106 > http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com > rstewart at zoomtown.com > > You can follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @CarriageHsFm > > Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail > > > > > > > On Dec 31, 2014, at 1:52 AM, mikerock wrote: > >> How's everyone doing on ginger? We are at the tail end of the mad bikers list. Any other sources that are of his quality? >> >> Mike >> >> >> -- >> Rock Creek Mill & Heritage Farm, LLC >> N7297 County Road A >> Argyle, Wisconsin 53504 >> _______________________________________________ >> Market-farming mailing list >> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >> >> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >> address and password): >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From deb at mobiusfields.com Thu Jan 1 18:27:44 2015 From: deb at mobiusfields.com (Deb Taft) Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 18:27:44 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: References: <54A39D2C.6090807@mhtc.net> <410523C3-8801-481A-BB09-DF445AC157B1@zoomtown.com> <07D8FC0B-29CA-407E-86CC-B1D7EBE8BE97@frontiernet.net> Message-ID: Happy New Year, All! I had been going through the mainland distributor for Biker Dave/Puna for a couple -3?- years (Eastern something something in NC?) and will agree with your thoughts about shorted orders and crappy customer service (oops, now I don't remember who said that, was it Richard?). However, last year they started managing all their ordering, fulfillment, and communication themselves and I think it works MUCH better. I got exactly what I ordered last year and had some really nice conversations with a couple of the guys there too. They've improved their website as well. I would recommend giving them another chance now that they're doing it all themselves. I don't have enough space to risk bringing in diseases that linger! Best to everyone. I have a good feeling about 2015. :) Deb Taft Mobius Fields Sleepy Hollow and Katonah NY On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 1:48 PM, stonecirclefarm tds.net < stonecirclefarm at tds.net> wrote: > The diseases being discussed are plant diseases not human diseases. The > disease risk is that by not using seed-grade stock, you may be importing > plant diseases on the ginger that you are using on your farm. > > On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:11 PM, Kraft Marty > wrote: > >> What are the health risks? I drink tea from fresh ginger every morning. >> Maybe you have a link to info? >> >> Thanks >> >> Marty >> >> On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:52 AM, David Paysnick wrote: >> >> I have had great success using food-grade organic ginger but know that it >> comes with serious long term disease risks. It is key to use Hawaiian >> ginger (as opposed to Peruvian - the only other organic source in the >> Northeast US that I am aware of) and procure it as fresh as possible. >> Minimizing the time spent in refrigeration is important. >> >> As a former produce manager of a food co-op, I would recommend talking to >> your produce manager and asking if they can procure you a case (or whatever >> you are seeking) as soon as a fresh batch arrives at their distributor. >> This should give you the best chances of good germination if you choose to >> purchase food grade rather than seed grade ginger. >> >> On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:28 PM, Road's End Farm < >> organic87 at frontiernet.net> wrote: >> >>> I was getting $4 per half pint at a fairly low-priced farmers' market -- >>> that's about $16 / lb. I had so little it was hard to judge the market last >>> year -- I could certainly have sold more. >>> >>> I tried grocery-purchased organic ginger one year; I had almost no >>> germination, and poor growth from what did germinate. I suspect it depends >>> on the particular batch. >>> >>> >>> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think >>> Fresh-market organic produce, small scale >>> >>> >>> On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:51 AM, Richard Stewart wrote: >>> >>> We stopped ordering from Hawaii. Too many issues and seed crop shorts >>> on orders even if we got ours in early. We just go and find organic food >>> grade ginger and plant it. It is way cheaper and so far, knock on wood, we >>> have not seen any diseases pop up. >>> >>> I need to be able to supply at least 100# this next year to a brewery. >>> Ginger has proven so popular that we will most likely be putting in a new >>> tunnel JUST for the ginger. Then I have two tunnels to rotate back and >>> forth in case I do get a soil borne disease pop up. >>> >>> That is the only way it seems I can do this part of our business in >>> reliable fashion. Two years ago I got a split mix of yellow and blue >>> ginger (as a substitute for the lack of yellow due to crop failure) and the >>> blue had to be deep discounted to move. This year we are going to >>> experiment with a bit of value added cottage food production and do a >>> candied ginger. >>> >>> Probably not exactly what you were asking, but I figure I would share. >>> I am curious what folks int he Midwest are selling their ginger for. We >>> are floating between 16 and 12 per pound. I'd like to increase it a bit >>> and I think the market will bear it a bit. I figure if we run out quickly >>> and the demand is still there I can squeeze a bit more profit out of it. >>> >>> Richard Stewart >>> Carriage House Farm >>> North Bend, Ohio >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Market-farming mailing list >>> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >>> >>> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >>> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >>> address and password): >>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> *David Paysnick* >> *Rainbow Harvest Farms* >> *178 Conway St* >> *Greenfield, MA 01301* >> >> *413-271-2772 <413-271-2772>* >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Market-farming mailing list >> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >> >> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >> address and password): >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming >> >> >> >> >> Marty Kraft >> *Please respond to global warming in your own way. Let care of nature >> become second nature. * >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Market-farming mailing list >> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming >> >> Market Farming List Archives may be found here: >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ >> Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email >> address and password): >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From garlicgrower at green-logic.com Tue Jan 6 11:46:36 2015 From: garlicgrower at green-logic.com (GarlicGrower) Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 11:46:36 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Post-harvest asparagus storage Message-ID: <000001d029d0$5a6fd800$0f4f8800$@green-logic.com> Hi, Folks! I am spending this cold day surfing the web, learning about post-harvest storage for my asparagus this Spring. Extension publications from NC seem to really like putting the asparagus vertically on a wet pad inside a perforated plastic bag. I?m also reading that the putting your asparagus in a pan of water is pass? as there is too much opportunity for bacteria to damage the crop. Thoughts? Thanks for your input! Dorene Dorene Pasekoff Hill Creek Farm 75 Creamery Road Pottstown, PA 19465 610-506-3372 http://www.hillcreekfarmpa.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rgh26 at cornell.edu Tue Jan 6 15:50:41 2015 From: rgh26 at cornell.edu (Robert G. Hadad) Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 20:50:41 +0000 Subject: [Market-farming] equipment sharing Message-ID: Greetings! I am looking for examples of any programs whereby farmers in a given geographic locale share equipment. The example could be of a group of farmers coming together and group owning and sharing or renting the use of equipment from each other. Another example could be renting or borrowing equipment that is owned by another entity like a non-profit, farming organization, grange, etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Robert Robert Hadad Cornell Cooperative Extension Cornell University Cornell Vegetable Program Regional Vegetable Specialist 230 Hilltop Ln. Spencerport, NY 14559 Rgh26 at cornell.edu 585-739-4065 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rstewart at zoomtown.com Tue Jan 6 19:37:23 2015 From: rstewart at zoomtown.com (Richard Stewart) Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2015 19:37:23 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Post-harvest asparagus storage In-Reply-To: <000001d029d0$5a6fd800$0f4f8800$@green-logic.com> References: <000001d029d0$5a6fd800$0f4f8800$@green-logic.com> Message-ID: <2074CF53-C3A4-41BB-AC1F-03B337977426@zoomtown.com> I see a bunch of grocers that we deliver to still do this, place asparagus in water, cut end down. I think it is more of a food safety issue than a crop quality issue. Do you have a link to the extension file? Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com rstewart at zoomtown.com You can follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @CarriageHsFm Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From garlicgrower at green-logic.com Wed Jan 7 12:34:36 2015 From: garlicgrower at green-logic.com (GarlicGrower) Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2015 12:34:36 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Post-harvest asparagus storage In-Reply-To: <2074CF53-C3A4-41BB-AC1F-03B337977426@zoomtown.com> References: <000001d029d0$5a6fd800$0f4f8800$@green-logic.com> <2074CF53-C3A4-41BB-AC1F-03B337977426@zoomtown.com> Message-ID: <000001d02aa0$394547c0$abcfd740$@green-logic.com> Hi, Richard! Sorry for the delay - life happens, even in the off-season! ;-) Here are some of the extension websites I've been reading: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/commercial/commercial-postharvest-handli ng-of-fresh-market-asparagus/ http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/asparagus.pdf http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/AsparagusInfo.htm http://farmtotable.colostate.edu/grow-files/precooling-crops.php#.VK1t0bU5DD c North Carolina has some excellent overviews on the different types of cooling available for all produce. Dorene From: Market-farming [mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Richard Stewart Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2015 7:37 PM To: Market Farming Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Post-harvest asparagus storage I see a bunch of grocers that we deliver to still do this, place asparagus in water, cut end down. I think it is more of a food safety issue than a crop quality issue. Do you have a link to the extension file? Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com rstewart at zoomtown.com You can follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @CarriageHsFm Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From etienne at lejardinduvillage.ca Thu Jan 8 07:13:02 2015 From: etienne at lejardinduvillage.ca (Etienne Goyer) Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 07:13:02 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] equipment sharing In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <54AE744E.3010407@lejardinduvillage.ca> I am not part of any, but it is actually fairly popular around here under the name of "CUMA" (coop?rative d'utilisation de machinerie agricole). The concept has been imported from France, where it is known under the same name. Usually, these are incorporated as non-profit cooperative, and use a standard template for their charter. It is probably not of much use if you do not read French, but if you do (or know someone who does), search Google for "cuma agricole" and you'll find ton of link to article and other document on the subject. On 15-01-06 03:50 PM, Robert G. Hadad wrote: > Greetings! > > I am looking for examples of any programs whereby farmers in a given > geographic locale share equipment. The example could be of a group of > farmers coming together and group owning and sharing or renting the use > of equipment from each other. Another example could be renting or > borrowing equipment that is owned by another entity like a non-profit, > farming organization, grange, etc. > > > > Any information would be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks. > > > > Robert > > > > Robert Hadad > > Cornell Cooperative Extension > > Cornell University > > Cornell Vegetable Program > > Regional Vegetable Specialist > > 230 Hilltop Ln. > > Spencerport, NY 14559 > > Rgh26 at cornell.edu > > 585-739-4065 > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming > -- Etienne Goyer - Le Jardin du Village http://lejardinduvillage.wordpress.com "Changer le monde, une betterave ? la fois" From bcluton at aol.com Thu Jan 8 22:59:46 2015 From: bcluton at aol.com (Brian Luton) Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 22:59:46 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] equipment sharing In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Robert, About 10 years ago I worked on a project called the Northern Forests Compost Collaborative. This was a group of dairy farmers interested in developing and/or improving on farm composting. As part of that project the group helped "purchase" a tractor mounted compost turner and a straw chopper. The best model in that case was for the equipment to actually be owned by a single private entity and rented back to the group. In this case that entity was an existing Ag. Service provider. This ownership scenario helped ensure that the equipment would be maintained and operated appropriately. It also allowed the group to capitalize on the providers existing infrastructure. ie. Equipment trailer, tractor with adequate hydraulic pressure, etc. The initial project helped facilitate the purchase of "unconventional" equipment for the service provider because it guaranteed a certain number of "rental arrangements" in the first two years. This helped off set the cost and incentivize the purchase. As a grower I've thought about equipment sharing like you mention. It could in theory work well. The obvious logistical challenges being who actually purchases and depreciates the equipment, who's responsible for damage, maintenance, etc and how is hauling, usage, etc allocated. Brian www.stonesthrowfarm.biz > On Jan 6, 2015, at 3:50 PM, Robert G. Hadad wrote: > > Greetings! > I am looking for examples of any programs whereby farmers in a given geographic locale share equipment. The example could be of a group of farmers coming together and group owning and sharing or renting the use of equipment from each other. Another example could be renting or borrowing equipment that is owned by another entity like a non-profit, farming organization, grange, etc. > > Any information would be greatly appreciated. > Thanks. > > Robert > > Robert Hadad > Cornell Cooperative Extension > Cornell University > Cornell Vegetable Program > Regional Vegetable Specialist > 230 Hilltop Ln. > Spencerport, NY 14559 > Rgh26 at cornell.edu > 585-739-4065 > > > _______________________________________________ > Market-farming mailing list > Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming > > Market Farming List Archives may be found here: > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ > Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email > address and password): > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rstewart at zoomtown.com Thu Jan 8 23:54:57 2015 From: rstewart at zoomtown.com (Richard Stewart) Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2015 23:54:57 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Post-harvest asparagus storage In-Reply-To: <2074CF53-C3A4-41BB-AC1F-03B337977426@zoomtown.com> References: <000001d029d0$5a6fd800$0f4f8800$@green-logic.com> <2074CF53-C3A4-41BB-AC1F-03B337977426@zoomtown.com> Message-ID: <0344D122-AD4F-4B45-A36D-CADF473EEED1@zoomtown.com> No rush Dorene and thank you! Richard Stewart Carriage House Farm North Bend, Ohio An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855 (513) 967-1106 http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com rstewart at zoomtown.com You can follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @CarriageHsFm Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From etienne at lejardinduvillage.ca Fri Jan 9 08:56:47 2015 From: etienne at lejardinduvillage.ca (Etienne Goyer) Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 08:56:47 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] equipment sharing In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <54AFDE1F.3070109@lejardinduvillage.ca> On 15-01-08 10:59 PM, Brian Luton via Market-farming wrote: > As a grower I've thought about equipment sharing like you mention. It > could in theory work well. The obvious logistical challenges being who > actually purchases and depreciates the equipment, who's responsible for > damage, maintenance, etc and how is hauling, usage, etc allocated. With a CUMA, farmers (five of them at a minimum) buy a share in the coop. This initial investment correspond to the principal (usually, 20%) of a loan to purchase the equipment new. The equipment is then bought on a loan, at credit. The CUMA itself owns the equipment, the farmers in turn own a share of the CUMA. Each individual farmer pays the CUMA, on a yearly basis, prorated according to his usage of the equipment. This annuity covers loan payment and any other expense the CUMA may incur, such as insurance. If your usage cover 10% of the total equipment usage for the year, you pay 10% of all the cost, and so on. I believe (although I am not 100% positive) that this annuity is expensed directly by the individual farmer (kinda like it would if the equipment was rented). Hauling the equipment is on the farmer. You need the equipment, you go get it yourself where it is being stored (typically, a member's farm). CUMA members have to be geographically close for the system to work well, I guess, within 20 or 30 miles of each others. My understanding is that when the loan on the shared equipment is paid off, it is usually being sold. The 20% downpayment is paid back to the farmer, if the proceeding from the sale allows it. The CUMA would then buy brand new equipment, again at credit. That way, the CUMA members always operate equipments that are relatively new and in good condition. That this kind of arrangement works best for costly equipment that are used infrequently. Seeders, primary tillage tool, manure spreader, that kind of thing. As I said, my understanding of the system is superficial, as I am not a member of any CUMA. I understand that there are, as it is, about 60 active CUMA in Qu?bec. In France, there are many thousands. Here is a good document that describe the working of a CUMA and the legal framework around it: http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/Publications/CadrereferenceCUMA.pdf Unfortunately, this document is entirely in French, and thus of very limited use to most of you. If you have specific questions, I would be glad to look the pertinent part in the document and translate it as best as I can. -- Etienne Goyer - Le Jardin du Village http://lejardinduvillage.wordpress.com "Changer le monde, une betterave ? la fois" From kenbez at hotmail.com Mon Jan 12 22:23:48 2015 From: kenbez at hotmail.com (Ken Bezilla) Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 22:23:48 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Winter is for conferences! In-Reply-To: <4123fde41ddb4f32a8264a9b0d0ee5e4@CY1PR0201MB0746.namprd02.prod.outlook.com> References: <4123fde41ddb4f32a8264a9b0d0ee5e4@CY1PR0201MB0746.namprd02.prod.outlook.com> Message-ID: SSAWG is this weekend!! If anyone wants to say hi -- I'll be at the Seed Swap Thursday 5-7 PM, and also hanging out at the SESE table in between talks. Ken Bezilla Acorn Community Farm/Southern Exposure Seed Exchange central VA From: alison.wiediger at hart.kyschools.us To: SANET-MG at LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU; market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2014 16:40:57 +0000 Subject: [Market-farming] Winter is for conferences! In all professions, there is always more to learn. For farmers, this is particularly true. I have always maintained that farmers have to be good at more skills than any other vocation. And, to exacerbate that, especially for sustainable farmers, we are often somewhat isolated geographically from like-minded farmers. The answer to ?keeping up? in other careers is professional development. And, so it is for farmers as well. But, as farmers, we have the opportunity to attend great conferences in our ?off? season to get that extended learning. And, not insignificantly, to network and socialize with other farmers as a bonus. Our favorite conference is the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group?s (SSAWG) annual conference in January., This year, it is January 14-17 in Mobile Alabama. http://www.ssawg.org/january-2015-conference/ It is jam-packed with opportunities for learning. It starts off with pre-conference (14-15) short courses. These are a day and a half of intensive learning. Whether it is organic growing, high tunnels, farm to school, food policy or farm profitability that grabs you, there is a short course for you. http://www.ssawg.org/2015-conference-short-courses And, on the afternoon of the 15th, there are field trips to interesting local farms and ? day ?mini courses?, an afternoon looking in depth at some facet of farming. http://www.ssawg.org/2015-conference-field-trips http://www.ssawg.org/2015-conference-mini-courses The main conference, on the 16th and 17th is the pride of the region. If you are growing in the South, you can?t afford to miss this fabulous conference. And, if you are not in the South (Bless your hearts!), it is still one of the largest gatherings of successful sustainable farmers around and well worth a trip to Mobile. Great sessions, many presented by farmers, and great networking in the halls and at meals! Conference lodging is at the Riverview Plaza Hotel, right on the river. Very nice lodgings at great prices, and the prices are extended a couple of days before and after the conference to allow for a mini vacation if interested. Last year Paul and I took advantage of this great ?deal? and had a wonderful 2 day vacation. We even drove to the beach, walked in the water (well, I did, Paul wasn?t so sure) and picked up pretty shells just like normal folks! The conference itself is very conveniently located in the conference center just across the road, accessible by pedway if the weather is inclement. Think about it! It could be a great Christmas present to your farming operation. We have been to many SSAWG conferences over the years, and we always come home with new ideas and renewed enthusiasm. Start a farm tradition ? SSAWG conference in January. You won?t regret it! Alison Wiediger, Au Naturel Farm _______________________________________________ Market-farming mailing list Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming Market Farming List Archives may be found here: http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email address and password): http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mikerock at mhtc.net Mon Jan 26 07:04:03 2015 From: mikerock at mhtc.net (mikerock) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:04:03 -0600 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger Message-ID: <54C62D33.9060303@mhtc.net> Biker Dude just sent out an update. Harvest went well and there is a lot more ginger to ship. They are grading now. Mike -- Rock Creek Mill & Heritage Farm, LLC N7297 County Road A Argyle, Wisconsin 53504 608-636-3322 From organic87 at frontiernet.net Mon Jan 26 10:54:06 2015 From: organic87 at frontiernet.net (Road's End Farm) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:54:06 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: <54C62D33.9060303@mhtc.net> References: <54C62D33.9060303@mhtc.net> Message-ID: On Jan 26, 2015, at 7:04 AM, mikerock wrote: > Biker Dude just sent out an update. Harvest went well and there is a lot more ginger to ship. They are grading now. > > Mike > -- > Rock Creek Mill & Heritage Farm, LLC > N7297 County Road A > Argyle, Wisconsin 53504 > 608-636-3322 > _______________________________________________ Slightly unnerving to hear that they're half a mile from a recent lava flow and directly in the projected flow path if it starts up again -- though it does sound as if they're preparing to get out of there. -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think Fresh-market organic produce, small scale -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mikerock at mhtc.net Mon Jan 26 15:36:34 2015 From: mikerock at mhtc.net (mikerock) Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:36:34 -0600 Subject: [Market-farming] Ginger In-Reply-To: References: <54C62D33.9060303@mhtc.net> Message-ID: <54C6A552.5090109@mhtc.net> Boy, it WOULD be weird to look out your window that thing coming down the hill at you. A lot more in real life than a movie, that's for sure. Mike > Slightly unnerving to hear that they're half a mile from a recent lava > flow and directly in the projected flow path if it starts up again -- > though it does sound as if they're preparing to get out of there. > > > -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think > Fresh-market organic produce, small scale From organic87 at frontiernet.net Tue Jan 27 11:20:26 2015 From: organic87 at frontiernet.net (Road's End Farm) Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:20:26 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] time budget info for various field crops? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <0A066CE8-2843-49CD-8213-EF9779600354@frontiernet.net> Hi -- Was going through some old emails and came upon this one. I tried going to the web site linked to but can't find anything on this -- was the collected data ever posted? if so, could you give the page to find it on, and/or the correct search terms to find it on the site? Thanks -- -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 6A now I think Fresh-market organic produce, small scale On Jan 13, 2014, at 1:33 PM, stonecirclefarm tds.net wrote: > Pardon the long reply but please bear with me... > > Great to see this topic being discussed. Given that labor is a vegetable grower's largest input/expense, we all need to do a far better job tracking and understanding labor...and developing more efficient systems (whether that involves better organization, improved techniques, better training of employees, new tools, or whatever). > > In addition to running my own farm, I work at the University of Wisconsin and am involved in research and training programs to serve the market farming community. We have a project called Veggie Compass that has been trying to do pretty much exactly what Kathryn is asking about. Veggie Compass is a spreadsheet tool developed to help vegetable growers track profitability BY CROP and BY MARKET. As such, it demands that a grower input labor data by crop in order to allocate labor costs appropriately across all the crops they grow. The Veggie Compass tool has been in development over quite a few years and initial feedback and testing proved what I and my colleagues knew: while most growers could adequately apportion most costs (seeds, fuel, etc.) across all their crops and markets, it was labor that was the big road block. So, we wondered if we could develop "proxy" or "average" labor numbers by crop so that people could at least start using Veggie Compass using those labor figures in lieu of their own. As a result, we have been working with a group of growers in Wisconsin and neighboring states to gather labor data for the past 4+ years. > > We developed some record keeping systems to aid the process and provided labor data collection forms to our collaborating farms. These were pads of pre-printed, farm-specific forms and there were two types offered for growers to choose from. The first was a "short form" which were 4.25" by 5.5". These allowed a grower (or their employees) to quickly report labor hours after a task was finished by circling the crop, circling the activity (field growing or harvest and pack for the purposes of Veggie Compass) and reporting the total person hours. On a given day, many of these "short forms" would be completed, ripped off the pad, and tossed into a box for later tabulation (in this case by a student hired under the grant we received to develop Veggie Compass). "The "long form" was a full sized sheet of paper with a farm's crops listed in one column and two columns to record either field growing hours or harvest and pack hours. > > Our experience using these forms is that, as the season progresses, success using these forms usually declines or they are abandoned. As a result, the quantity and quality of data we collected was reduced. We have persevered, however, and we now have several years worth of data and it is currently being analyzed. Initial observations suggest that labor hours vary considerably from farm to farm and from year to year. This means that we are unlikely to be able to produce sufficiently accurate "proxy" or "average" labor hours that would be meaningful for other growers to us in terms of budgeting or pricing. However, I remain confident that we will be able to produce some figures that will aid growers in placing themselves somewhere on a continuum to better understand their labor inputs and compare and contrast their operations with other farms. > > By the way, we feel the best way to tabulate and report labor hours per crop is by: > > Hour per Row Foot > > The real bottom line is that given the variability we are seeing in labor hours, growers are well-advised to track labor on their own farms to be assured that they are pricing things appropriately and to work to become more profitable. > > I am not sure when we will be able to publicly share the data we have collected to date but it will be available at: > > http://www.cias.wisc.edu/ > > In the meantime, the labor data collection forms mentioned above are available at: > > http://www.veggiecompass.com/ > > The entire spreadsheet tool is also available. PLEASE NOTE that I am just about to post an updated 2014 version of Veggie Compass so you may want to wait a couple days before downloading the Excel spreadsheet. > > Two more things to say! > > First, I highly recommend what others have already chimed in to say: Google Doc Forms is an excellent way to input data directly into a spreadsheet format. I do this on my farm and am willing to share what my Google Doc Form looks like upon request. > > Second, we have funding to continue the Veggie Compass project. The next phase of our research will involve visiting farms to collect "time and technique" time studies to document those techniques, tools, and systems that lead to improved labor efficiency. This will entail comparing various methods of seeding, transplanting, harvesting, and post harvest handling. For example, what is the time difference between transplanting by hand versus a Hatlfield transplanter versus a Waterwheel transplanter versus a carousel transplanter? > > Stay tuned... > > If you want to reach me in regards to my University of Wisconsin projects and activities, use: > > jhendric at wisc.edu > > -John > John Hendrickson > Stone Circle Farm > > On Sat, Jan 11, 2014 at 9:38 PM, Kathryn Kerby wrote: > I am looking for something which maybe doesn?t exist. A table of estimated or averaged manhours required for different kinds of veggie crops. For instance, something which would list the approximate manhours required to take tomatoes from seeding through harvest, on a per-plant or per-row-foot or per-square-foot basis. I know there are a lot of variables, such as whether stuff is direct-seeded vs transplanted, whether each step is done manually or via machinery, and probably a lot of stuff I haven?t even thought of. But maybe something like this exists? I?ve been doing Google searches on phrases like ?time budget for vegetable crops? but keep coming up with hits for enterprise budgets, ie, how much money was spent on seeds and fertilizer and so on. Not what I?m looking for. > > I?m asking for several related reasons. First, we?re trying to decide whether to add any additional crops to our existing work schedule for the year. Also, we?re wondering if there is some kind of comparison between crops, such that if we wanted to add a few more, we could choose based (in part) on how much manpower they?d require, versus how much time we can give that new crop. Maybe tomatoes would be too time-intensive, but perhaps onions wouldn?t. I also would like to compare the limited manhours info I have for crops we?ve done in the past, versus how much manhours those same crops required other farms. See if we?re taking more time than is really needed, on X crop. If we?re spending five times more man hours in the field on squash, compared to some kind of national average, it would be nice to learn that so we can figure out why. > > > > Anyone have any resources they could point me towards? Thanks all????. > > Kathryn Kerby > > Frogchorusfarm.com > Snohomish, WA > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lists at rhomestead.com Tue Jan 27 19:49:32 2015 From: lists at rhomestead.com (Beth Spaugh) Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 19:49:32 -0500 Subject: [Market-farming] sweet corn Message-ID: <54C8321C.9080003@rhomestead.com> After years of swearing I wouldn't grow sweet corn, I am seriously comtemplating doing it for our CSA members. BUT, that means once a week harvest. I assume I need to go with one of the sh2 varieties? Any suggestions - near Burlington VT in the valley. -- Beth Spaugh Rehoboth Homestead, Peru NY http://rhomestead.com http://www.facebook.com/rhomestead "How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used." - Wendell Berry "Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Frances Moore Lappe It's not that nice guys finish last. They have a whole different notion where the finish line is. - unknown From wshoemak at illinois.edu Tue Jan 27 21:43:31 2015 From: wshoemak at illinois.edu (Shoemaker, William H) Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 02:43:31 +0000 Subject: [Market-farming] sweet corn In-Reply-To: <54C8321C.9080003@rhomestead.com> References: <54C8321C.9080003@rhomestead.com> Message-ID: <5A85FA1DC3DB524491801C112E78A573508CCFBE@CITESMBX2.ad.uillinois.edu> I think it might be better to hear from folks in your region about specific varieties Beth. But I don't think the varieties need to be sh2. The se types or synergistic types will do well. They all hold well after harvest if you can keep them cool and out of the sunshine. They hold pretty well on the plant as well. Most sweet corn producers harvest every day, or every other day, but that is because their market demands it. The tricky part will be getting specific plantings to be at their prime on the specific day-of-the-week you hand off to your CSA customers. Heat unit development can create odd spreading of maturities in sweet corn sometimes. That problem may not be as bad in New England as it is in the Midwest or Great Plains states. See if some of the growers near you, or your seed folks, can help you address variety choice and staggered plantings. Bill William H. Shoemaker Retired fruit and vegetable horticulturist University of Illinois wshoemak at illinois.edu ________________________________________ From: Market-farming [market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] on behalf of Beth Spaugh [lists at rhomestead.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 6:49 PM To: Market Farming Subject: [Market-farming] sweet corn After years of swearing I wouldn't grow sweet corn, I am seriously comtemplating doing it for our CSA members. BUT, that means once a week harvest. I assume I need to go with one of the sh2 varieties? Any suggestions - near Burlington VT in the valley. -- Beth Spaugh Rehoboth Homestead, Peru NY http://rhomestead.com http://www.facebook.com/rhomestead "How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used." - Wendell Berry "Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Frances Moore Lappe It's not that nice guys finish last. They have a whole different notion where the finish line is. - unknown _______________________________________________ Market-farming mailing list Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming Market Farming List Archives may be found here: http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email address and password): http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming From clearviewfarm at bluefrog.com Tue Jan 27 21:27:48 2015 From: clearviewfarm at bluefrog.com (clearviewfarm at bluefrog.com) Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 18:27:48 -0800 Subject: [Market-farming] sweet corn Message-ID: <20150127182748.F0E0237C@m0048136.ppops.net> I grow sugary enhanced (se+) varieties, usually four, then I finish the season with Silver Queen (su). You need to isolate super sweet corn from other types. Kurt Forman Clearview Farm Palmyra, NY 14522 Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. --- lists at rhomestead.com wrote: From: Beth Spaugh To: Market Farming Subject: [Market-farming] sweet corn Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 19:49:32 -0500 After years of swearing I wouldn't grow sweet corn, I am seriously comtemplating doing it for our CSA members. BUT, that means once a week harvest. I assume I need to go with one of the sh2 varieties? Any suggestions - near Burlington VT in the valley. -- Beth Spaugh Rehoboth Homestead, Peru NY http://rhomestead.com http://www.facebook.com/rhomestead "How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used." - Wendell Berry "Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Frances Moore Lappe It's not that nice guys finish last. They have a whole different notion where the finish line is. - unknown _______________________________________________ Market-farming mailing list Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming Market Farming List Archives may be found here: http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/ Unsubscribe from the list here (you will need to login in with your email address and password): http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/market-farming _____________________________________________________________ This message was delivered by BlueFrog.com. For the best email, please visit http://www.bluefrog.com If you believe this message is spam, please report to abuse at bluefrog.com.