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  • From: Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: [market-farming]Profitability
  • Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 09:27:56 -0500


> What is the "right"" size operation for the rest of you

Good question Adriana - I've been asking myself exactly this all season -
As many of you know we opened a certified kitchen last fall in our basement.
My daughter and I began making simple prepared foods and baked goods. Our
market is small and really had no one doing this. This was in addition to
all of my produce that I usually grow. The prepared food been successful -
but to the point of overriding the sale of our produce, which at first upset
me, but as this year turned to total crap with no rain, too much heat, and
grasshoppers that look like a volks beetle - its been a godess-send to have
the prepared food to rely on.

The gross dollar sales are about the same but interestingly enough, I'm sure
that after I figure expenses on both the prepared food and the produce - the
prepared food will win, especially if you factor in time/labor! I will
continue to grow - plan to try and reduce it to a wonderful kitchen garden
like I use to have (manageable and enjoyable) and some rows in the big field
for potatoes, garlic, etc.

I still have a few speciality-type produce things I'll offer at market but I
will NEVER again plant 600 tomato plants (250 of which died under black
plastic in never-ending rain in May). We need tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
and all for the prepared products we make but I don't need to drag potatoes
to market every week that aren't selling (and I put in 200 pounds of seed
potatoes).

I am also seriously questioning organic certification for next year
(actually for right now since I haven't fulfilled the requirements to finish
out this round of certification). To be told I can't use my compost because
I can't handle it correctly (according to them) is very disheartening. I
guess I think I'm smart enough to know when compost is ready to use - at
least I have been up to now.

And we can't use the word organic on any of the prepared foods unless we
have a organic certificate from every single product manufacturer that we
purchase. The label isn't good enough. There isn't enough time in my life
to cover this requirement. I have joined the wholesome Food Association out
of England because their ethics and values are in line with what I believe
and I feel that we have enough of a relationship now with our market
customers that they trust us to do what we say we do. Our market has been
conducting a market survey this summer and one of the questions asks what is
most important to our customers - organic is fairly far down the list. And
we are an all certified organic market!

Del, I'm so sorry to hear you are leaving your farm, I do hope there is a
way you can figure out to stay and return to what you love at another time.
These college years don't last forever, take my word for it!

Jill, like you I've found that there is a need for my energy in promoting
local food in other ways in addition to growing it. I'd like the
opportunity to give people the tools to learn how to eat as locally,
in-season, and socially conscious as possible. Its a radical idea but
probably the best fight I can pick.

If you all haven't read it yet, the introduction that Deborah Madison wrote
for her new cookbook, Local Flavors, is so powerful. I'd like to pass it
along to each and every person who has any inclination to take control of
their food buying. As an old hippy, I guess I still think we can over-turn
the system.

Joan
Windwalker Farm





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