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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Gary and Sarah Rowland" <hcf AT moment.net>
  • To: "market farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Making a living
  • Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 10:01:22 -0600


The modern small farm model is based on off farm employment. The money
demands of most families are such that the steady income is essential for
the viability of the family. Most people are not willing to live on the
edge that the full time farm income provides. Our experience over the past
10 years has been a ongoing cycle of feast or famine. The farm is a harsh
mistress that takes everything you will give and still want more. There are
always more projects than time or money allow. That said we believe that
farming is a calling similar to the ministry or Cinderella's shoe, either it
fits or it won't. We grow 40-50 different varities of vegetables and are
adding more
fruit to the mix. This past year we sold 60% wholesale, 30% farmers
market[up to 8/week], 5%csa and 5%processed foods[jam,jelly,pesto and
honey]. This year we plan to increase our csa as that has been the most
satisfing marketing system. We've been certified organic for 7 years. The
processing is a natural progression for eliminating waste. We also donate
to
our local food bank and feel we are blessed for doing so. During the peak
of the year we have 6 to 7 acres planted and 2 seasonal workers. We have 3
children ages 13, 11 and 2. The two older ones are great help at the
farmers market.
The great thing about this country is that we are free to make choices and
pursue our heart's desire.
We do our own taxes and the easiest thing to do is get a Form F and the IRS
publication 225 which is the Farmers Tax Guide. For the most part that will
guide you about what is deductible and what is not. I usually file by March
1st and avoid estimated taxes. A copy of publication 946 for depreciation
is also handy. These are free from the IRS.

Gary---- Original Message -----
From: David & Crystal <consalvi AT midmaine.com>
To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 7:40 AM
Subject: Re: Making a living


> Thank you for your responses to my question about how many are making a
> living by farming. Not to offend anyone, but it seems like most of you are
> not making a living through farming, but by being food processors, bakers,
> etc... which maybe what is necessary, but I find it depressing. Don't get
me
> wrong, I'm very glad for those of you who have found a way to making money
> and keep farming.
>
> Maybe I'm short-sighted in my thinking, but I do not want to cook and
> process food, I have more than enough of it to store food and cook food
for
> my own family, if I did, I could open a restaurant or something. And I
don't
> want to be an employer. Maybe my list of "I don't wannas" is too long, but
> we didn't move out here to have to deal with government hassle and people
> around the farm all the time. Even if I wanted to, my house would not pass
> Maine's inspection, we live very simply, no hot water, very limited
> electricity, and a very small 600 sq ft house with 2 young children so
that
> my kitchen could not be partitioned off. Not too mention that we do not
have
> the money to upgrade or afford the liability insurance -- my dh's off-farm
> job makes $8.00/hr. It's one of those catch-22s, since 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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