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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] $90k per acre

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  • From: Andy Fellenz <fellenz AT fltg.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] $90k per acre
  • Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:05:34 -0400

Sure you can make $90K/acre, especially if you extrapolate from a 44X60 foot plot, or even from 14 44X60 intensively managed plots.  One thing to remember is that gross revenues get the headlines, but net revenues are what pays your bills.  What I did not see in the write-up was any discussion of labor costs to manage the micro scale polyculture system the professor is trialing or how he is doing his marketing.  Marketing is critical with this style system as you are counting on retail pricing and will never have much of any one thing at a time. 

I  grow more than 50 different fruits and vegetables each year on <10 acres and do intercropping with annual vegetables mixed into my orchard.  I have found as I have scaled up from an ~1/2 acre market garden that designing for efficient utilization of labor and equipment makes a bigger difference on the bottom line than to try to cram as much as you can into a small area.  



Andy
www.FellenzFamilyFarm.com


Christian wrote:
347899.6804.qm AT web33008.mail.mud.yahoo.com" type="cite">
http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story-print.php?id=4487

I am not a real farmer yet (YET) but this sounds like a good idea to me. Polyculture instead of monoculture. In other words. Don't grow so many acres of just one product but mix it up. Grow multiple products per acre. High value crops. And grow them close to town so the customers don't have to travel so far to get to them.

Any thoughts? I can't wait until 50 people tell me it can't be done. That will assure me that it CAN be done.


http://extension.osu.edu/~news/story-print.php?id=4487


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