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  • From: <sunnfarm AT netscape.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Why do it II
  • Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:05:06 -0700

It also helps to have vegetable soils. Sticky clay, rocky hillsides, hard pan flats, too much shade, and suburban backyards will never make you much money. The next and equally limiting factor is water, you need a lot of water to make money growing vegetables. I have the best vegetable land in the USA. I did not get it by accident. I packed up and moved here for the purpose of making money growing vegetables. A vegetable farm is like any career occupation. You get the education and skills then pack up and move to where ever you can get the best employment opportunities. Don't settle for uncle Bubba's pasture just because its down the street, you may have to move 50 or 1000 miles. As far as making $20 a hour. I don't think I ever met a farmer who made that much legally. You make it one year and loose it the next and average out to minimum wage when its all over... Bob.
Sunny Meadow Farm
Bridgeton, NJ.

--- wshoemak AT inil.com wrote:

From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Why do it II
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:31:04 -0500

While I think it's very difficult to do it, I think it's possible to make a good living market farming. I know people who do it. But I'm sure scale-of-operation has something to do with it. I think it's difficult under 20 acres. The larger the scale, the greater efficiencies can be exploited. Sure, it takes capital to scale up, but it takes scale to get back capital. Once a grower has a committed, knowledgeable staff who don't mind working long hours (14-16/day sometimes) those efficiencies develop more "bang-for-the-buck". I don't think it's for the feint of heart. And I don't think anyone should do it without putting together a detailed business plan that's been reviewed by at least two other successful growers. And that plan should include cost of management, in other words, pay the grower what they deserve ($20/hr plus).
 
Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center
www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html
 

 

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