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  • From: "Hook Family" <guldann AT ix.netcom.com>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Making a living
  • Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 09:27:59 -0500


Dear Crystal and list, I don't think your message sounds negative but
realistic. When we began to plan running a CSA my husband figured he could
quit his job in 2002 when our youngest graduates high school. Well that
appears not to be realistic and I know it frustrates him, its just as you
said, if he quit he'd have more time to farm and that would increase farm
income but and this is a big but health insurance. With a regular job
health insurance is easy not so easy (although I know available) for the
self employed, plus of course liability insurance. Then there is the
youngest going to college. I read somewhere that most a big % of all
Massachusetts farmers (we are neighbors) have a "regular job" income, in
some instances its the spouse but the farm is not producing enough income.
I don't know what the answer is keep looking for the niche, which is what
the value added products are. I keep telling my husband success isn't
instant I mean most of our area population doesn't even know there is a farm
in the area, so I think we have potential its finding the right mix of
products, marketing, and working butt off to see what will be successful $.
Keep up the good work. Beth



dh works off the farm
> fulltime year round, it limits the amount we can grow. If he could quit,
we
> could grow a lot more and probably make a good living, but how to pay the
> bills in the meantime?
>
> Also, we live very very far away from an upscale suburban/urban area
> (minimum of 4 hours drive). And there are very few people around that do
any
> type of farming so that it would be pretty impractical and expensive to
set
> up a community kitchen. I've considered approaching the blueberry growers
> who have a coop kitchen, but it's 1 1/2 hours away. I've also considered
> talking to the local technical college to use their kitchen when they are
> not using it. Maybe that's an idea for anyone out there that wants to
> process food.
>
> We do a CSA which we charge $190 per share for approx. 2 1/2 gallons of
food
> from around mid-June to our first hard frost, usually somewhere in
mid-Sept.
> We will be setting up a greenhouse and will try to grow food almost year
> round (ala Eliot Coleman style) and build a root cellar. We could triple
our
> income just by offering year round shares since our summer growing season
is
> so short. We would have a lot of shareholdres for a winter share since we
> cannot get good veggies during the winter from the regular food store and
> the "health food store" does not sell veggies.
>
> I think, like someone else on this list mentioned, I'm just burned out on
> all the work involved for so little money. I am interested in if anyone
> knows of any good info on doing taxes for a farm. We have always done our
> own and a friend had mentioned that if you farm, almost everything can be
> written off. Anyone have any good sites or books about it?
>
> I hope I haven't sounded too negative.
>
> ~Crystal
> Crystal Dawn Farm
> Perry, ME
>
>
>
>
>
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