Market Farming

["Shelley Pasco" <whistle AT halcyon.com>]

Michaele wrote:
> Quite possibly it's a totally different situation in Missouri.  Your dept.
> of ag. may not be as supportive as they are here in Washington.


It seems to me that with all government agencies (taxes as well as food),
that every employee has a slightly different view of the rules that are on
paper. I always get a hard copy response, whether it's a parking ticket, an
income tax question, or a food question.

This is what is currently working for my farm, in my county, in my state. I
raise pigs, and I require a hefty deposit from anyone who wants to buy 1/4,
1/2 or 1 whole pig. They then receive a piece of paper that tells them that
they are paying me to raise their animal for them. I arrange for slaughter
and butcher, and they reimburse me for the balance of my feed costs, and the
cut & wrap fees. This is how I am also doing my fryers.

I have made it very clear in writing that they are not buying meat from me,
they are buying a live animal. I don't raise all that many animals, and I
have been told by our county that it is legal to sell my livestock in this
way. No it is not legal here to sell individual cuts of meat, and it isn't
legal to retail any of it. But I never intend to go into meat production on
a large scale, and all I know is this works for me, my farm, my customers,
and my county. I get lots of fertilizer out of the deal as well.

Shelley Pasco
Whistling Train Farm
Kent, WA