Market Farming

["Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>]

One of the growers I work with in the Chicago Metro area is in the middle of
Naperville, a very large suburb which was rated in a national survey as the
best place to raise your children in the country recently (Don't ask me, I'm
just relaying it). It's very middle to upper middle-class. He has about a
dozen Hi-Tunnels on his 18 acre farm in the middle of town. He has never
suggested people complain about them. The tunnels are the focus of my
working relationship with him so I'm pretty sure I would have heard about it
if it were a problem. I suspect that people are grateful enough for the
quality produce that, even if there were concerns about the "appearence" of
the tunnels, they know what the benefit is.

Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist - Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Lucy Goodman <goodows AT infinet.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Thursday, April 21, 2005 8:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] FARMER RIGHT TO MAKE A LIVING


>I have not had any problems with my neighbors
>who are all conventional farmers (and rather
>fascinated with what we do because it is sooo
>different than the kind of farming they do).
>But some of my customers have a bit of a
>problem with the fact we use unsustainable
>plastic to grow early crops (but zero
>problems eating the strawberries that plastic
>helps produce). I would think if a produce
>farm were near a populated subdivision there
>could be some problems with esthetics.
>
>I guess I am biased but I really like the
>looks of poly tunnels especially with a
>setting sun making them glow gold in the
>evenings.
>
>Lucy Goodman
>
>
>mtlivestock wrote:
>
>> Very off topic, but I find it an interesting "listen":
>>
>> The Archers on BBC4 (a soap-type show about a farm family and the village
>> that surrounds them) had a interesting show yesterday.  There was a villa
ge
>> meeting on the "objectable look" of polytunnels on the Archers' farm.  It
is
>> strawberries under poly, I believe.  As of yesterday, one person started
the
>> objection and now has many followers.  The farmers could not seem to get
>> their point heard during the meeting.  A crisis is developing in the
story
>> line.
>>
>> This made me wonder if anyone on the list have had to deal with the same
>> pressures.  I know many of us use a variety of techniques to extend
harvest.
>> How many have experienced this type of thing, and how was the problem
>> resolved?  It would be very helpful to know how to "nip this in the bud"
>> before one more aspect of farming is regulated by folks that eat but do
not
>> produce food.
>>
>> Christina
>>
>
>
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