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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Business models: Market specialization

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  • From: "cjmaness AT juno.com" <cjmaness AT juno.com>
  • To: rob AT songberry.ca, market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Business models: Market specialization
  • Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:52:54 GMT

I'll chime in here with how our farm works/doesn't work, and why.

We are located in central/north central Oklahoma, where we are having one of
the worst droughts in a hundred years. Add in record breaking temperatures of
26 days now with temps over 100. Throw in the heat index and we are hitting
107-114 on a daily basis.

We attend one market a week. Saturday morning. We have the option of a
Wednesday market and a Monday market. We tried that, and came to the
conclusion that my time is better spent here on the farm. We are a 2 person
operation, me full time, and my husband who helps when he gets home from work.

We are as diversified as we can get. We grow everything from asparagus to
zucchini. If it will grow in Oklahoma we try and grow it. Not always
successfully, but we try. We have 40 acres, 7 which we have used in the past,
but as we get a little smarter we've cut that down to about 4 acres, while
increasing yield and income.

It does take a lot of organization, succession planting, luck, and right now,
WATER!

For various reasons, one being the weather, if we had specialized, we'd be
broke. Tomatoes won't set in this heat. Watermelon and cantaloupes won't set,
and are yielding about half of what they normally would. Peaches are the
same. Sure, this is an extreme year, but we get these extremes all the time.
By diversifying, we at least have something to take to market every week.

I envy the farmers who can specialize. I know it's still hard work, but it
sounds so much easier!

Carla
Perkins, OK where we are praying for rain.

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