Market Farming

["maury sheets" <maurysheets AT verizon.net>]

Toni,

Find the average wage rate for a factory worker in your area and the decide
to charge that rate minus any amount you may feel your help is to community
service.  I don't think anyone would argue with that formula.

Maury

 Sustainable agriculture in southern New Jersey



-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of
tonitime AT juno.com
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 1:10 PM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Cc: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [Market-farming] Advice on small contract w/ Extension


I hope some of you can help me think through this opportunity!
The county next to mine  has a good extension office, and personnel that
care and are  wanting me to build, plant, and maintain a raised-bed
demonstration area for home gardeners.after polling the citizens to see
what they want their extension to do for them - this was what the people
asked for.
They are glad to be encouraging more people to grow vegies at home, as
not much is offered in stores anywhere around here.  I am having a hard
time figuring out how to give them a price for my work that is fair all
around!  I would be constructing one long raised bed (wooden-sides,  seat
top), a demo composting setup, filling this big box-bed with bagged
ammendments, and seasonal plantings (that i will provide from my own seed
and starts), and maintain maybe once a week until frost time.  It is alot
of work, and they are located about 40 minutes from our farm ( everything
is 30-40 minutes or more from where we live!). Materials aside, i can't
figure out how to charge for my time.  I often do seed-saving and
heirloom classes, gardening, and processing info sessions on my own, w/0
pay.........for community service and good will - but need to accept
their payment for a project like this one.
I am doing this because i really believe that more citizens need to get
involved in their own growing at home in these harder times.  We live in
an area where people have never had good shopping anywhere nearby, and
their farms used to sustain community only a generation or two in the
past.  It is a poor county, and many cannot afford the fresh food prices
in the local markets anymore, but do have space to grow at least some, if
not most of their foods - like their ancestors did.
  
As my own life and farm keep me so busy, i need help to figure what my
time is worth on such as this.  If this question is out of line here, i
understand that........but know that several here are not only involved
with their markets - but with local foods and education, too.  If you
care to respond, or help me ask the right questions in my next meeting -
please feel free to write me offlist at:
tonitime AT gardener.com
 Community service is an important thing to us, and i do not want to say
no to this aspect, when some people are getting needier here and
everywhere.
Thanks for your time, if you have extra!
Toni in E KY
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