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  • From: "Rainbow's End Farms & Orchards" <rainbowsend AT swva.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Profit per acre
  • Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 12:48:57 -0500

PLEASE excuse the senility of an old man...that should read
"around" the country!

Clarence W. and Lisa J. Walker
Rainbow's End Farms and Orchards
880 Central Academy Road
Stuart, Virginia 24171
email: rainbowsend AT swva.net

phone: 276-894-4324

NATURALLY GROWN GOODNESS!

Beef, Lamb, Boer Goats, Trout, Poultry
Vegetables, Fruit, Berries, Herbs

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-admin AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-admin AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of
Rainbow's
End Farms & Orchards
Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2002 12:46 PM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Profit per acre


Wouldn't the average profit per acre be driven by several widely
variable drivers as economy of scale, methods of distribution,
marketing factors, etc..The profits obtained by the gentleman who
sells 800 acres of pumpkins through Wal-Mart must be vastly
different from those who sell to fruit stands or through CSA's.
For example, I used some excellent reports from ATTRA in helping
to select various different ventures in determining my land
usage, but I doubt seriously that that which I can get here
reflects that of others in other situations ad the country. A
prime example has been the discussion of honeycrisp apple profits
realized by growers around the country some of whom realize
premium profits through gift baskets while others barely make
ends meet through retail sales.

Clarence W. and Lisa J. Walker
Rainbow's End Farms and Orchards
880 Central Academy Road
Stuart, Virginia 24171
email: rainbowsend AT swva.net

phone: 276-894-4324

NATURALLY GROWN GOODNESS!

Beef, Lamb, Boer Goats, Trout, Poultry
Vegetables, Fruit, Berries, Herbs

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-admin AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-admin AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Jane
Cigard
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 3:38 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: [Market-farming] Profit per acre


>Rick wrote:


>Does anyone have any average figures or research reports that
indicate an
>average profit per acre for various garden vegetables? I did
find an
>K-State publication that provides expected harvest per acre for
common
>vegetables and I can extrapolate the numbers for our local
prices, but it
>would be helpful to have information from other parts of the
country,
>national averages, or spreads.

>Thanks,

>Rick Hopkins
>President
>American Pasturage, Inc.
>P.O. Box 190
>Marionville, MO 65705

Because I am also interested in this information, I forwarded
this question
on to extension specialists at Kansas State University. Here is
what they
told me:


As far as the average profit per acre, they might get the answer
from
the commercial production series. They are published by crop.
There
are guides for asparagus, cole crops, snap beans, sweet corn,
watermelons, muskmelons, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. Go to the
web
link below and in "quick search" type in the name of the
vegetable
and look for the commercial production guides:
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/

In our publication 'Farming a Few Acres of Vegetables' (the link
is
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/MF1115.pdf) there is
an indication of yields/acre but not necessarily a crop budget
per
se. We have some additional publications in a Commercial
Production
of Vegetables series ie. Commercial Production of Tomatoes,
Asparagus, etc etc. that do have individual crop production
budets
indicating estimates for fixed and variable costs, general
wholesale
selling prices, and potential returns per acre.
There are obviously some big variations that can occur for small
scale growers-selling primarily at retail prices compared to
larger
scale growers selling wholesale. When I am asked that question
on a
general basis, my response is usually $1,000 per acre of returns
over
expenses ON AVERAGE. There are obviously some crops such as
tomatoes
where a much greater potential return per acre is possible but a
much
larger labor effort is required. My counterparts in Virginia and
Kentucky have some rather exensive crop production budgets
developed
that you may be able to find by exploring their university web
sites: Virginia at Virginia Tech and Kentucky at the University
of
Kentucky.

Charles W. Marr, Extension State Leader-Horticulture
Kansas State University, Manhattan KS 66506

Hope this helps.

Jane Cigard
Future market farmer
Lenexa, Kansas
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