Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Lori <bakequery@aol.com>]

What we see here are CSA's.  The landowner sells shares to his farm.  He either gets paid via predated checks for each month, or up front.  With that money he buys his seed, hires a farm manager and interns, and gets whatever else he needs.  The farm manager gets a salary and housing.  The interns get housing, a stipend, and, in one case, are allowed to sell extra produce at a local farmers' market to supplement their income.  What they are trying to do is apprentice in order to learn how to be a farm manager, which they are in effect paying for with their labor to do.  Some people intern just because they feel like it, with no future farming aspirations in sight.  My cousin's niece did that. 

 

The shareholders get a weekly equal portion of the harvest, which they pick up once a week, choosing between one of two pick up days.  We see farm shares sell anywhere from $700 to $850 for organic produce.  Conventional produce sells for much less.  I think I've seen them for $400 a share.  A ten acre farm can furnish about 200 shareholders with produce spanning from spring to fall.  One farm share we had loaded us up with root vegetables in November.  Two farms had an area of produce where we were allowed to take as much as we wanted of things.  Two farms had u-pick strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.  Most farms have chickens for manure plus they sell shares to the eggs in addition to the farm share.  One farmer raises turkeys to sell at Thanksgiving to shareholders.  Another had blueberries and strawberries and offered pig shares.  If one farm grows an item particularly well they may trade produce with another farm.  For instance corn for potatoes.  There are more than 5 CSA's within a 5 mile radius of our house. 

 

You can probably google for some of these farms and get an idea of what I'm talking about.  It seems to be working really well here.  One of the orchards, Northstar, allows shareholders to pick up their shares at the local farmers' market. 

 

Milky Way Farm, Chester Springs, PA

Kimberton CSA, Phoenixville, PA

Maysies Farm, Glenmoore, PA

Jack's Farm, Pottstown, PA

Charlestown Farm, Phoenixville, PA

Sankanac CSA, Phoenixville, PA

Thornbury Farm, West Chester, PA

 

Orchards are also selling shares:

Vollmecke Orchards Coatesville, PA

Northstar Orchard Cochranville, PA 19330

 

Lori

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>
To: livingontheland <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thu, Nov 8, 2012 9:01 am
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] cultivating young farmers

Yes, but the lack of babies on farms now is also an issue. The average 
age of farmers is up in the 50's, and these programs may be taking the 
place of the cheap slaves (farm kids) that 'built that'.
If it is managed properly, this is the kind of perspective and 
information that should be used by the government if it is going to 
bother HAVING an ag department and all.....
Instead, the 'ag' department is really just another "pay off our debts" 
department, sucking the life out of the soil and the oil wells in order 
to trade for more oil.

sigh...

Dan C
Belgium, WI

On 11/7/2012 11:00 AM, livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
> I'm suspecting those who survive do it by
> >relying on cheap labor from volunteers, grants, or family members.


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