Market Farming

["Rick Williams" <mrfarm AT frontiernet.net>]

Liz Pike wrote:
> Rick, lest you forget, this is a list for market farmers, which means, for
> the most part, we're SMALL farmers (small acreage, small output, small
> sales, etc as compared to larger farms).   If some resentment
> towards larger
> farms shows up, it isn't sour grapes, just frustration.  For whatever
> Robert's views, he's pointed out issues that concern us SMALL
> farmers, as we
> attempt to wedge ourselves into a piece of the market out there.

How large is too large to be a market farm? One of the largest and most
successful CSA's in the Midwest U.S. is located down below me in Newton
Valley. Would you be frustrated with them as well? Are we too large with our
150+ acres of mostly tillable land base?

At the least it does come across to me and I expect most other farmers as
sour grapes at a minimum and even more from some of the other commenters ...
downright anger at other farmers.

My point that I think you will want to consider is that you will make no
friends and will increase the number of those who would actively oppose you
by taking such a stand. Basic human values and dignity and fairness to
others. I have been reamed by large farmers on other lists because they
viewed my positions as to extreme toward the left as I have been supportive
of small holders. But it is painful to see the small holders take the same
attitude toward the larger farmers. How is that going to help?

> Please don't take umbrage with our attitudes for trying to figure how to
> have a "decent quality of life" and be "successful", just like larger
> farmers.

But rather than attack farmers who have more assets than you, or have a
larger operation that they may find satisfying, why not agree that there are
many ways to farm and each has to find the way that is best for them?

One of the county farm bureau members, who incidentally has been a director
on the WMMB (Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board), farms with this brother with a
very small dairy and they milk something like 80 cows. Needless to say, this
is too small to support two families with a good living. So guess what, they
have recently switched over to organic production. So people can change and
then things in the environment also change along with the people changing.

The reason that we are direct marketing produce and livestock from our farm,
is that when we moved back to a farm 6 + years ago, we knew we wanted to do
some kind of sustainable farming and early on realized that grazing was the
best fit for us. We looked at many options and tried a few, but for us our
current mix of direct marketing produce and beef, plus our other profit
centers of contract grazing/AI breeding of dairy heifers, and filling in
with stocker cattle seems to work best.

But make no mistake, it would be close to impossible to make a good living
doing this. The economies of scale today require a great deal of management
ability, size, and some luck too:) If a person concentrated on the direct
marketing and had just the right infrastructure (markets especially) it is
possible to make a moderate living but it probably would take at least 10
years to reach that point. And that is with a very large amount of outside
capital.

Our interest in doing this is at least partially as a living experiment to
see if it can be done. Pitfalls or not. We have the luxury of not having to
make a living doing it though. And we have often found that is true for most
others doing what we do. We have skills and marketing ability that others
may not have in the right mix and so we will keep you informed how we are
coming along.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams
Misty Ridge Farm
Dairy heifers and dairy beef graziers
Viroqua, WI

www.mistyridgefarm.com