Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

Yes, small is beautiful. Yes, this is "real" farming. You can't argue with
results.  Yes, it's a shock when we actually see it. We've also mentioned
Eliot Coleman's operation, grossing $100,000 in one year, on an acre and a
half. I've mentioned the Alcalde station near us where the head pHD tells
local farmers they can pull in $30,000 from one acre of blackberries. I see
one thing that guy Bobby G met has in common with Coleman: both sell to
restaurants. Though both sell in other ways as well. Selling to chefs and
restaurants is a real timesaver, and it's a guaranteed market so you know
how much of what to grow and when. Marketing is half the job. Keep in mind
that none of these people start making a living in year one.  It's like any
other business; you don't expect it to support you the first year. There is
that learning curve, and it does take some time to bring a place up to full
production. It's not as simple as plowing a field and planting, but the
rewards are incredible. You can work hard or work smart.

We need to hear more about that guy's methods, Bobby G!  I have my bets on
his "best practices", but I'll hold off till we know more. There are
endless variations on what works best. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. 
--Henry David Thoreau 

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 3/18/2007 at 7:42 PM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>Struggling as I am, I'm very impressed with a "one-man operation" that
>can grow 170 varieties of 55 species, much less sell them.  No, make that
>"awe-struck".
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Bobby G 
>  To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org 
>  Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2007 1:51 PM
>  Subject: [Livingontheland] okay, now i know it works (mini-biointensive)
>
>
>  we just paid a visit to a guy who lives 30 miles out
>  of town who we met through the local food forum
>  meetings that have started happening in our little
>  (college) town.
>
>  we caught up to him out in his sugar bush while he was
>  getting ready for a day of maple sugaring, and left
>  this guy's place convinced that you all are on the
>  right track here with the bio-intensive stuff.
>
>  didn't get too far into the exact methods he's using
>  (whether it's Jeavons raised beds or no-till or
>  whatever) but the part when he said he had grossed
>  last year $30,000 off of 1-1/4 acres was then i
>  realized that this get-small or get-out idea [the
>  Inverse Earl Butz approach?] really is working.
>
>  he invited me out to see what sort of collaboration we
>  could get into, involving the new land co-op we are
>  starting (but which has yet to own even 1 square foot
>  of land!)  
>
>  i asked about customers and marketing, and here's an
>  interesting thing:  his best customers are the
>  restaurant chefs, who can really appreciate the
>  flavor, texture and color of his organic foods, of
>  which he raises 170 different varieties (of 55
>  species).  his CSA customers are not as good
>  customers, because they don't take the time to learn
>  how to prepare these foods, or can and preserve them,
>  nor do they want to try new, odd and perhaps exotic
>  varieties of vegetables.
>
>  so, okay, this is "real" farming.  here is a truly
>  one-man operation where the farmer does not work
>  outside of the farm, because there is no need to. 
>  small really is beautiful. 
>
>  keep up the good work, y'all,
>
>  bobby g
>
>
>   
> 
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