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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Free range eggs

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Free range eggs
  • Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 17:58:22 -0400


On May 17, 2007, at 1:19 PM, Sharon and Steve wrote:

When we sell at or near supermarket price we have all the growers money, all
the brokers, all the truckers, and all the markets money, if we cant make it
on that perhaps it is time to reconsider. Gouging with 60 cent each eggs,
and 10.00 lb asparagus might be okay during these times of a fat, blazing
economy, but when the crunch comes we dont look for those folk to remember
us kindly.

But the supermarket stuff is, in many ways, artificially cheap. Much of it is grown with artificially cheap irrigation water in places with long seasons but little natural moisture, and/or in places with wages far less than the minimums where most of us are living. Almost all of it is grown with varieties and techniques selected to produce the highest yield and best shipping ability, not those chosen to produce the best flavor or highest nutrition.

And people pay extra for what they perceive as quality, all the time. There is a huge range of prices charged for, to take one example of very many, a pair of blue jeans. This reflects both some actual quality differences, and the selling of brand names / being "in style". Why should food, arguably the most important thing we consume, be the one item that is supposed to be sold at only the lowest common denominator price?

I don't live in an area where you could sell 60ยข each eggs; and I can't get 10.00 a pound for asparagus here; nor do I try to. But I do think we're entitled to try to charge enough to make a living; especially if we're providing higher quality than the supermarket (and offering the seconds to the food pantry, if practical).

And, "when the crunch comes": are you sure we'll continue to be able to get cheap food shipped in from all over the world? or that it will stay cheap, if the food supply becomes controlled by only a few companies? Maybe we'd better have some local farmers still in business.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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