Market Farming

[John Ferree <john AT seldomseenfarm.com>]

heheh.  i agree.  i'm in year 5 and things are still lean, but that is
my choice.  what comes first equipment/greenhouse lust or personal
savings. . . ? 

i would suggest choosing an apprenticeship/farm well.  pick one that
compensates you for your time, or fits very well what you want to do. 
mainly a farm with a high rate of pay is probably stable and making it. 
if you have time work at multiple farms.  i agree that the urban model
has some benefits. . . proximity to market being chief among them.  one
down side, depending on your location - zoning regs (greenhouses, wells,
farm structures, etc).  but just remember in starting a farm, you have
to live in the system you build--so work with your personality.  easily
said, but $/marketing tend to pull a person in unexpected directions. 
also, spare no detail from your business plan if you're going in it full
time.  then you'll have something to broil over in the winter when
nothing goes according to plan : ).  Seriously, any B. plan is far from
hard and fast, i got through the first few years intuitively.  looking
back i wish there had been some over arching scheme. . . that wasn't
just in my head.  when to say when (with equipment lust and greenhouses). 

oh yeah. . . have a backup winter job if things don't go well.  i've
worked in lots of restaurants, and worked up jobs with clients for the
winter in the past.  a crappy job you never want to do again is
perfect.  it's much more sweet when you have a season when it isn't
necessary, and provides motivation to make it work.

john
danville, in


Beth Spaugh wrote:
> Yes it can be profitable enough. Well, let me rephrase that. Growing things
> doesn't make money. Selling them makes money. There are several folks in my
> neck of the woods who do well enough to pay off the land, make investments
> back in the farm, raise family, save for retirement. They had some lean
> years to start.
>
> I strongly second two recommendations from other folks:
> 1. Intern or work for others. Maybe for 5 or 10 years even seeing how
> different farmers do things.
> 2. Since you are not tied to a piece of property, think "urban". Either
> arranging for use of land or gardening for others. I have read of someone
> who preps and maintains backyard gardens for folks who want fresh food but
> don't want to garden.
>
> In urban areas you have easy access to leaves, grass clippings, etc, and
> easy access to customers. 
>
>
> Beth Spaugh
> Rehoboth Homestead
> Peru NY
> http://rhomestead.com
>
> "How we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used."  -
> Wendell Berry
>
> "Without power over our food, any notion of democracy is empty." - Francis
> Moore Lappe
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Suzi Bernhard
> Sent: Friday, March 14, 2008 1:35 PM
> To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [Market-farming] Profitable enough?
>
> Howdy all,
> I am going to be graduating from college coming up here in may.  What I
> really want to do is veggie production and farmers market, but I dont own
> any land.  From your experience, is market farming profitable enough to pay
> for rented land?  Is it best to go somewhere and get a job for a few years
> so I can make a big downpayment, or should I try to find land to rent and go
> into it right away?  Any opinions are defiantly appreciated.
> Thanks so much!
> Suzi Bernhard
> Farmer wannabee in NE Iowa (finishing college in central iowa)
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