North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[road's end farm <organic101@linkny.com>]

On Dec 27, 2007, at 8:06 AM, Thomas Olenio wrote:
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> <x-tad-smaller>I know many farmers and the lack of family farm vegetable gardens becomes obvious if you understand their motives and drives.  Farmers are practical, pragmatic people and time is their most precious commodity.  If it is more practical and inexpensive to buy vegetables and fruit they will.  No good farmer worth his corn would spend $100 of his time to end up with $25 worth of produce.  The time invested in a vegetable garden is much better spent on their cash crop.</x-tad-smaller>
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> <x-tad-smaller>Farmers are pragmatic and practical to the bone.  The far greater percentages of farmers are not hippies, tree huggers, or eco-zeolots they are simply small business men who work with agriculture.  The law of economics and pragmatism are their model.  Do not look for veggie gardens but “efficiencies” on a well operated farm.</x-tad-smaller>
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> <x-tad-smaller>Sure you will find those willing to spend $100 in time for $25 of tangible results but they are not farmers, they are hobbyists’.</x-tad-smaller>
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> <x-tad-smaller>Later,</x-tad-smaller>
> <x-tad-smaller>Tom</x-tad-smaller>

Most farmers around here have vegetable gardens, and many of them have fruit. Yes, these are real farmers, not hobbyists. 

For one thing, I strongly suspect they get much more than $25 in tangible results for $100 in time, because they know what they're doing. For another, the quality produced in the home garden is often much greater than that available in the store. For a third, many see no sense in spending cash out of pocket for what they can easily and enjoyably do for themselves.
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--Rivka
Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly