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  • From: "Andy Lee & Pat Foreman" <goodearth AT rockbridge.net>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Realities of Micro Farming
  • Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 09:35:11 -0500

Title: Realities of Micro Farming



>Essay by Lion Kuntz, March 22, 2000

>
> I assert that intelligent designs and management practices can allow one
> farmworker to provides a balanced diet to 30 CSA subscribers meats, eggs,
> fish, vegetables, herbs, and fruits, for a $30K to $35K annual income (after
> farm-related expenses are deducted) to the farmworker, on two acres of land.
> Many farmers are unable to assure themselves that much dependable income,
> and in fact often work at least part time in outside employment because they
> cannot obtain the median income despite many acres of land cultivated.
>
> I further assert that about 40 hours weekly is sufficient to manage a well
> designed micro-farm, which is another challenge to the credibility of small
> farmers who are expecting to give 80 hour work-weeks for more than half of
> the
> year.

Lion, I appreciate the amount of energy you have expended in thinking up this "micro-farming" idea, as well as the time it took you to phrase it so well in your essays.

For several years I've been designing a similar model that I term the "Fifty Family Farm", wherein the farm family and a couple of assistant farmers has a fifty acre farm and is supported "at par with other professional pay rates" by a group of 50 families that buys everything the farm can produce. Like you, I think it is possible to support really small farms using the CSA marketing concept, combined with immense crop diversity. My model even includes dairy.

I'd like to encourage you to keep going with your design. Here are some thoughts:

1. Until this has actually been done we won't know if it is possible. Your thesis reminds me of John Jeavons' claims, where you can grow a total diet for a family of 4 on just 1,000 square feet of land. Provided of course, that the family eats potatoes for 3 meals each day for the entire year.

2. The farm plan you lay out requires superb horticulture and livestock and poultry knowledge, and enormous physical energy. Many of us have been market farming for 50 years, and still don't have the skills and knowledge required to pull it off.

3. Your income figures may be a bit overboard. Based on what I see happening in other CSAs that have vegetables, fruits, poultry and meats, the average family will spend about $800 per year at the farm. If the farm expenses (not including farm and home purchase) are $12,000, that leaves the farmer with a paycheck of $12,000. Divided by 2000 hours per year, that comes to $6 per hour. From that salary the farmer has to pay the mortgage, food they can't grow, transportation, utilities, income and real estate taxes, insurance, etc. Not many farmers can survive on $12,000 per year for a pay check.

4. You are assuming each CSA member family will eat 100 chickens per year. Not likely. I sell thousands of broilers each year, and only have one customer that buys more than 25 per year. Also, to raise 3120 broilers per year requires 9 acres of grain producing land (based on my experience as well as information from Penn State). I don't have figures for rabbits and fish, but am thinking they too will require food from several acres more of land.

5. Attempting to raise 3120 broilers per year on 2 acres would very quickly  lead to a mess. We limit our stocking rate to 500 broilers per acre per year as the minimum free range space required to keep from over grazing and too much manure, not to mention parasite and disease loads in the soil.

6. Your climate zone, Santa Rosa, California, lends itself to year round production. Most parts of the Earth don't have this ideal climate.

7. Public acceptance is another concern. Probably 99-1/2% of the population will never join a CSA because its too "inconvenient". Ten years ago I helped start the Intervale Community Farm in Burlington, Vermont. This is a 40,000 population city, in a county that has a 120,000 population. My dream at the time, was that within 5 years there would be at least 5 CSA farms serving that county, all with enough members to support a full-time farmer and several helpers. The reality is, however, that even after massive advertising and public promtions, the Intervale CSA just barely has enough members to remain viable, and no new CSAs have started up in that county.

Lion, I'm not saying your idea can't be done, I'm just encouraging you to try some of these things so that you can report from the advantage of experience. You are definitely on the right track, and your essays are very interesting and thought provoking. I intend to adapt some of your methods to my own farm.

Thank you,

Andy Lee
Good Earth Organic Farm
Buena Vista, Virginia
www.goodearthpub.com




  • Realities of Micro Farming, Andy Lee & Pat Foreman, 03/23/2000

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