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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] New Farmers

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
  • To: emitch@att.net, livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] New Farmers
  • Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:43:31 -0700


We do have some trading with other vendors who have apple pie, goat cheese,
apples etc. But the point of going to market is cash income because we put
money and time into the growing and selling. Otherwise, whatever vegetables
we might want from them we grow ourselves and ours tastes better.

Now about the specialization: bad idea. It's like this. We're going to
spend three hours (five counting travel and setup) at the nearest market
and spend gas money (plus another once a week market an hour away), so in
that three hours we need to sell to as many people as possible - almost
everyone who stops at our table. We can't afford to just have one thing to
sell and give up on everybody who's not there for that. To make our time
worthwhile, we need something for everybody - far as that's reasonable. We
focus on varieties that are bought most by home cooks, and those that are
fairly easy for us to grow and harvest. No labor intensive greens or cheap
radishes, turnips, or shell beans. So we had spectacularly good tomatoes
and carrots, plus red onions, garlic, summer and winter squash, shallots,
golden beets, french melons, etc. That's our first season just learning the
ropes.

We have friends there selling their honey and their raspberry products, but
they obviously can't sell to people wanting tomatoes or squash. They have
good products, but we sell far more total. We have to. Now the indoor
winter market starting Nov., monthly, gets almost no customers. We went
anyway to support the market, and five other vendors. We only had half a
dozen customers show up, but still took in $54. Because we had some good
variety including the last of the tomatoes. Specialization is for insects.

On feeding 20 - 30 people, let's do the math. If you're selling a good
variety to that number of people half the year, you may total a thousand
dollars or more from each. Multiply. Throw in a specialty crop or value
added items and the sky's the limit. Of course if you're only selling honey
or raspberry stuff you may get fifty from each throughout the season.

This isn't glamorous or a get rich quick scheme; it just works.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

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

On 11/30/2007 at 7:14 PM E. E. Mitchamore Jr wrote:

>Good points, all. After spending a good bit of time trying to clarify my
>own position on national and global issues, it's time to get a bit more
>personal about food-raising. Reading and discussing with others can only
>take you so far. Jeavon's work isn't much help if your family won't eat
>the stuff that he's found to be most effective. Ultimately, each of us
>has to do the hard work of deciding what we can, and will, do. So far my
>own gardening efforts have been very successful, but I haven't yet figured
>where to go from here. I'm thinking a new bed or two each year should be
>manageable. What to plant? Or are chickens a better choice?
>
>Interesting point about feeding 20 - 30 people. I don't believe I've ever
>seen a serious discussion of farming to feed a small group. Seems like
>some specialization and barter would be in order. Do the farmers at
>markets buy from, and sell to, or barter with, each other? Or are they
>all focused on cash income?
>
>E. E. "Mitch" Mitchamore
>www.hillcountrynatives.biz
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: TradingPostPaul
> To: emitch@att.net ; livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 6:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Livingontheland]New Farmers
>
>
>
> Trying to keep this brief, personally I wouldn't buy a new truck under
>any
> circumstances. I don't buy anything new if I can avoid it. I hope your
> health allows you to stay with us as long as we're around. You've got a
> point about health insurance with a small business, but the millions who
> don't have it anyway, or millions more with paper thin coverage won't
>have
> good health insurance no matter what they do. As you pointed out it
would
> help for someone in the family to have good insurance. I'd also argue
>that
> there are millions of people out there who don't have or can't get
>"secure"
> jobs or anything like it, and many have small acreage and could learn
the
> business of growing and retailing food crops. Let's look at that need
for
> about a million small farmers age 25 - 30 to make a real future.
Actually
> they don't need to feed 200+ people. Most of those 200+ need to be
>growing
> their own to some extent. One grower feeding 20 or 30 others might make
a
> very good living - using intelligent, sustainable growing techniques. So
> that's my take on this. This is a highly relevant exchange, even
critical
> to our future. Thanks for the exchange.
>
> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>
>
>
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