Specialty Crops Small Family Farms

Do you believe there is a growing social interest throughout the United States for locally grown produce?

My BIL did fairly well with a greenhouse and roadside vegetable stand. The biggest problem is labor intensity. This year he is only doing the greenhouse.

Larry

Was a short lived fad here. Seems like it has already peaked. Lot of roadside stands folded in the last two years.

Yes and no.

Some consumers want local but the hassle of getting them causes them to do a one stop shop at the super market and buy all they need at one place.

The supermarkets want a constant supply so they buy from the ones who can supply year around.

Yes your summer road side stands and farmers markets sell. But everyone has the same thing to sell at the same time.

If you could promise a year around supply to a super market you will be on to something.

Just my thoughts.

Gary

I agree with this.
No doubt fresh is better, but many people want the convenience the box store has to offer along with the prices.
People really do eat with their eyes!

If you live on the East or West Coast there is a large and growing market for Local Grown food not so much in the middle of the country.In my area its big and growing lots of farmers making a living selling directly to consumers.

Maybe not technically "locally grown items". I think there is an increase in people wanting to eat organic, or being vegetarians, or eating all natural products and so on. I really don't think very many of these people care where it comes from as far as local or not. They probly just hit the local farmers market because thats where they can find many of these items. Its more about not seeing it in the regular stores than it is about wanting to buy local. Stores are reluctant to carry this stuff because 1. they would have to have extra space for these items and 2. they would be more expensive than what they are already carrying. Bigger cities may have specialty stores, but they are not practical in smaller towns and rural areas.

That's how they do it in New Jersey. The higher the price tomato the more some yuppie will pay. A guy took his tomatoes into New York City farmers market and wasn't selling many. He noticed everyone with a higher price was selling more than him . Next week he raised his prices and sold out in no time. They even have the Amish chicken. I always like to ask the Hassidic Jews " hey you got any Amish chicken? " .Same type hats.

In Colorado and a couple of other states I think there is a growing market for specialty 'produce'.

My mom has been growing in a 50 x 150 garden for a n umber of years... Every year she sells at the local Farmers Market.. I must say, there are considerably more people interested in buying "Organic" "Natural" stuff...

There are also a lot of BIG garden farmers. They are putting up at the very most 3 or 4 acres, but are planting/harvesting the bulk type stuff, carrots, potatoes, peas, beans, lettuce, etc.. There is a LOT of demand for these products... I have debated growing a few acres of potatoes for sale... Why not, I'm in Idaho, Famous Potatoes!! Bryce

Either you are big or small. Somewhere in the middle, and everyone makes money but you.
A small grower can take the farm to the city markets, but I would rather make a small farm a vacation destination, and have the people come to the farm.

Read in the local paper about 8 m0nths ago about a couple guys making a living off of 4.75 acres. They have an acre sized greenhouse that lets them extend the season in the fall and start earlier in the spring. They hire three people in the spring to pick and cultivate.

Seems to be around here. I know of 3 Farmers Markets that have sprung up in the last 3 years. I'm gonna take a small grill and some pork chops to one this summer and take orders.

Around me the "U-Piks" do well. The roadside stands do good if you're on a major road (location, location, location). The Amish do good on the roadsides and setting up out of the back of a buggy on a corner. A few people have tried the CSA thing and bombed. One made it okay.

People want it tasty, cheap and with good eye appeal. Mostly they want cheap and nice looking. Organic doesn't mean much up here. Many people around me are getting back into canning and like being able to get a break on bushel prices vs by the pound or quart.

A guy could do real well with an under the table soft fruit farm if he had some help.

A farmer west of me raises thistle and sells the seed to medicine makers.

U-Pick farms around me here in west Michigan have done consistently well over the years. People like driving in from the big city and spending a day at the farm. A hayride to the fields or orchards, a picnic area, nature trails and petting zoo, all make for a day trip people really enjoy.
Finding your own niche market and working it in my opinion, is about the only way a small grower can compete with corporate farms, brokers, and big box stores.

Why do you think not so much in the Midwest? Just curious.

We've been doing farmers markets in Central Iowa for 10 years. Mostly honey but a few veggies and fruit. I don't know of too many growers who take home veggies. 99 % are sold at every market we attend. We've already had ripe tomatoes out of our neighbors high tunnel. If you have the time and the back for the labor, money can be made. You need to diversify your products and make sure they are clean. Veggies and fruit must be a quality product, not damaged or have soft spots. If you sell them as organic, they actually need to be organic. They do sell better if they have had no pesticides or weed killer sprayed on them. You will need to attend several markets each week, make sure your area isn't already saturated. If you are able to be big enough to sell to food stores, etc that will help. Best advice we had was, go to the markets talk to people there, go to the local food coop and find out what they need. Make sure you have your proper tax permits and follow the state rules to the T when it comes to retailing food products. Talk to your insurance agent and state food department to find out what kind of and the amount of insurance you need. Do not do what my wife did, that is buy a bunch of those filthy dam goats and expect to make money with them. It CAN'T BE DONE. They eat up more than they produce. I can show you the figures.

(quoted from post at 17:24:13 05/01/14) Do you believe there is a growing social interest throughout the United States for locally grown produce?

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My wife and I are on our 6th year selling roadside. We were lucky to have acreage on a busy corner, and live close to a population center so we get the necessary traffic to do well. Sales have grown every year as word of mouth spreads. We have some specialty items that we have developed a reputation for. We sell everything we grow right here at the farm....if I was younger I would think of growing more and selling wholesale, but we decided to keep it simple and it has worked well.
I also do custom farming/tractor work on the side which helps with cash flow in the spring. Neither one would be as profitable without free advertising through Craigslist and external_link.

I've seen a fairly high failure rate for those touting CSA's around here. People are too conservative to lay out $450 or more in the spring, betting on kids with wide brimmed hats and an idea, that don't even own a tractor, to supply them with produce throughout a growing season that can be tough up here. Also, why pay ahead when you can drive down the road and pick out only the veggies you want?

Bryce:

If I'm not mistaken, Idaho is also famous for it's Sugar Beets. The last time that I was in Idaho (many years ago) I saw mile after mile of rail-cars loaded to the rim with Sugar Beets.

Doc