Recently I got into a discussion on what things are worth. I had done some reading that said that farmers are now netting in revenue what they did roughly 40 years ago. In the meantime, everything has managed to make its way upwards in terms of producing food.
While not getting too deep into a philosophical discussion, I would like to discuss some merits worth thinking about. Let's compare apples to apples, so to speak. Or in other words, the cost of fuel versus the cost of food.
I am not an economist but I when I look at what is happening today with the cost of fuel, I shudder to think what the scenario would be if we treated our food the same way.
Simply, we have collected enough oil at this point to satisfy a demand, no matter where that demand may be. For example, politicians and people scream for the need to produce our own oil from our own land. In the meantime, people have cut back on fuel consumption by changing their cultural habits. Meanwhile the price of gas continues to rise. Why? Because the oil companies are shipping it elsewhere such as China and India where they are paying for it thereby giving the oil companies their nice profits.
Imagine for a second if farmers decided to do this. First, understand that farming today is different then just a generation or two ago. Corporations now produce our food with "farmers" used as management and overseers of the operation. Much in the same way as oil companies. So what would happen if those corporations decided to raise the price of food. People would react the same way - they would change their eating habits. And yet the price of food would continue to rise, maybe to the point where the lower classes of society would have trouble feeding themselves on a regular basis. Meanwhile food being produced on our soil could be shipped elsewhere to feed other people who are paying us a nice buck to do so. Should we be taking care of our own first?
I shuddered to imagine such a day but it is possible. My original point here is that we blame the cost of food on the cost of oil when in fact we don't have to. In agriculture there are so many ways to grow food to keep it reasonable for everyone to purchase. Yet, the person growing the food needs to make a living at it.
I recently saw a story in which a dairy farmer is listed as one of the worst jobs to have. Of course, they don't give you the whole story behind that. Yes, dairy farming is a 365 day, 24 hour job unless you have someone to relieve you for a break now and then. It is hard work. Yet here's the catch - the price of milk rises and the farmer does not make money. That's because some one in the middle is "skimming the cream". That's why dairy farming is a difficult occupation and undesirable for people to consider as a livelihood.
When we sit down to set the prices of our produce, I want people to enjoy the experience of eating, so I try to price it so that they can do that and I can continue to provide that experience. I have another job so income is not my main concern. But the cost of producing the food is. Therefore Dad and I have to make decisions to minimize cost of producing and balance it with the price to charge. So far I think we make it work. But in the future it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Can you imagine paying $10 for a bunch of carrots?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Lettuce is ready and heat is pushing everything else
As much as I would like to admit that I do not relish hot weather this early in the growing season, it does have one advantage - it makes those pesky seeds that refuse to germinate come flying up through the ground.
It's bad enough that it has been warm the last few days. But the wind has always made an appearance and made the ultra dry weather even drier. I found myself cursing mother nature yesterday for this happenstance. The wind was non-existent for most of the day but around 3 o'clock it all of the sudden started to gust in small bursts. I had the cold frame propped up on a stick and this wind action sent it crashing to the ground and busting up for the fourth time this spring. I brief flurry of swearing ensued!
The lettuces have benefitted from this weather and a good combination of drip irrigation and Bumper Crop soil enhancement. They are beautiful! Unfortunately, they are ready a month ahead of schedule and we have no market for them. I am scrambling to find some local restaurants that are interested in taking them. The problem there is that some of restaurants I have dealt with in the past have gone out of business. I was lucky to find one restaurant that will take two boxes of the Romaine for today. My fear is that the warm weather will cause bolting. That's why I am scrambling to get buyers before this happens and it becomes a lost cause!
Asparagus is also being cut this week and we should have some to sell to anyone who is interested. It is also ahead of schedule which means that it will probably go out faster than usual.
My only wish is that it is this hot and dry come August. Past performance has indicated that August is rainy and muggy, two conditions that prevent the harvest from reaching its full potential. We shall see.
It's bad enough that it has been warm the last few days. But the wind has always made an appearance and made the ultra dry weather even drier. I found myself cursing mother nature yesterday for this happenstance. The wind was non-existent for most of the day but around 3 o'clock it all of the sudden started to gust in small bursts. I had the cold frame propped up on a stick and this wind action sent it crashing to the ground and busting up for the fourth time this spring. I brief flurry of swearing ensued!
The lettuces have benefitted from this weather and a good combination of drip irrigation and Bumper Crop soil enhancement. They are beautiful! Unfortunately, they are ready a month ahead of schedule and we have no market for them. I am scrambling to find some local restaurants that are interested in taking them. The problem there is that some of restaurants I have dealt with in the past have gone out of business. I was lucky to find one restaurant that will take two boxes of the Romaine for today. My fear is that the warm weather will cause bolting. That's why I am scrambling to get buyers before this happens and it becomes a lost cause!
Asparagus is also being cut this week and we should have some to sell to anyone who is interested. It is also ahead of schedule which means that it will probably go out faster than usual.
My only wish is that it is this hot and dry come August. Past performance has indicated that August is rainy and muggy, two conditions that prevent the harvest from reaching its full potential. We shall see.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Wrong time of the year to be dry
This spate of dry weather that we have experienced over the last month has come at the wrong time. That makes me nervous as we approach summer for that is the time that we need the dry weather. Thank goodness for the irrigation well, which we hooked the pump up to on Friday.
I would prefer the dry weather but with the price of fuel going up, it would be perfect if we were to get some rain this spring to get the seeds and plants growing. But such is the life on a farm.
We just planted some leek that Dad had ordered from Italy. I also have some more onions on the way from Johnny's and the first plot of potatoes have been planted. It's time for a second planting of carrots and beets but the dry cool weather has prevented the first planting from germinating. It's going on three weeks now and I am afraid that they will not emerge.
We had a nice Easter with the girls home to visit. We went to my aunt and uncle's house in Pennsylvania for Easter dinner and it was nice to see family and friends.
Being off from school this week will be a much needed lift as I can continue to get work done. We will also be visiting Virtua Hospital's Voorhees campus on Wednesday to talk to the employees about our farm stand which starts next month.
I would prefer the dry weather but with the price of fuel going up, it would be perfect if we were to get some rain this spring to get the seeds and plants growing. But such is the life on a farm.
We just planted some leek that Dad had ordered from Italy. I also have some more onions on the way from Johnny's and the first plot of potatoes have been planted. It's time for a second planting of carrots and beets but the dry cool weather has prevented the first planting from germinating. It's going on three weeks now and I am afraid that they will not emerge.
We had a nice Easter with the girls home to visit. We went to my aunt and uncle's house in Pennsylvania for Easter dinner and it was nice to see family and friends.
Being off from school this week will be a much needed lift as I can continue to get work done. We will also be visiting Virtua Hospital's Voorhees campus on Wednesday to talk to the employees about our farm stand which starts next month.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
High tech deer control
Dad and I spend alot of energy, time and money trying to minimize the damage that deer inflict on our crops. Every year it gets worse because we are sandwiched in by houses and little pockets of cover give the deer carte blanche in terms of life style.
I thought I might get the situation under control by hunting last fall. But the deer have become nocturnal and hunting them became out of the question.
So I applied for a deer depredation permit for this spring and summer and prepared to spend time waiting for them to show up at night.
In the meantime, Dad ordered some spray that you apply to the plants that is supposed to repel the deer. He also lined up a small, fence-like material that he thinks would work.
It didn't take long for the deer to find our overwintered spinach. As soon as the leaves were ready to pick, the deer started to do the job for us. Dad and I prepared for the worst.
Our first option was to shoot them. I did not relish this thought for the simple reason that I didn't know if they were coming out after dark or just before dawn. My guess was just before dawn. But I had seen them around the neighborhood just as it was getting dark so they are probably doing both. Then came a move that surprised both Dad and I.
One day Dad decided to move our field truck next to the spinach in an effort to get the deer to get used to seeing it. His plan was to sit in the back of the truck bed and shoot from there.
Well, the plan did not work. But not for the reason that you may think. By moving the truck into the field, Dad had played the smarts that the deer exhibited into our advantage! How? The deer avoided the spinach row because they thought someone was in the truck! Wow, what a great idea and no body had to die nor did I have to spray anything to achieve success! It has been two weeks now and the deer have left the spinach alone.
To prove that our truck idea was not a fluke, I have worked in a field that is just below the spinach patch. I can see the deer tracks coming out of the woods and then they veer hard to the left to avoid the truck and the spinach row!
I admire those deer for their cunning and wish them all the luck in the world as long as they stay out of my crops! But sometimes you have to use their smarts against them and this was one of those times. Instead of knocking ourselves out, Dad and I stumbled across an idea that worked with nature instead of against it.
I thought I might get the situation under control by hunting last fall. But the deer have become nocturnal and hunting them became out of the question.
So I applied for a deer depredation permit for this spring and summer and prepared to spend time waiting for them to show up at night.
In the meantime, Dad ordered some spray that you apply to the plants that is supposed to repel the deer. He also lined up a small, fence-like material that he thinks would work.
It didn't take long for the deer to find our overwintered spinach. As soon as the leaves were ready to pick, the deer started to do the job for us. Dad and I prepared for the worst.
Our first option was to shoot them. I did not relish this thought for the simple reason that I didn't know if they were coming out after dark or just before dawn. My guess was just before dawn. But I had seen them around the neighborhood just as it was getting dark so they are probably doing both. Then came a move that surprised both Dad and I.
One day Dad decided to move our field truck next to the spinach in an effort to get the deer to get used to seeing it. His plan was to sit in the back of the truck bed and shoot from there.
Well, the plan did not work. But not for the reason that you may think. By moving the truck into the field, Dad had played the smarts that the deer exhibited into our advantage! How? The deer avoided the spinach row because they thought someone was in the truck! Wow, what a great idea and no body had to die nor did I have to spray anything to achieve success! It has been two weeks now and the deer have left the spinach alone.
To prove that our truck idea was not a fluke, I have worked in a field that is just below the spinach patch. I can see the deer tracks coming out of the woods and then they veer hard to the left to avoid the truck and the spinach row!
I admire those deer for their cunning and wish them all the luck in the world as long as they stay out of my crops! But sometimes you have to use their smarts against them and this was one of those times. Instead of knocking ourselves out, Dad and I stumbled across an idea that worked with nature instead of against it.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
I'm still here but very busy
It's been awhile since I have written a post. But I have to be honest and say that at this time of the year, I am way past busy. I am teaching school, running a home life and starting to get into farming. So that leaves little energy and sometimes time, to sit down and write a posting.
That doesn't mean, however, that my mind is not on keeping my readers updated. It has been a very freaky Spring as you know. Dad and I have been slowly doing what needs to be done but the weather continues to play a part in what we do. Such is the life of a farm.
Since I last posted, we have planted all the peas, most of the onion sets and started with the potatoes. The carrots and beets have refused to germinate which has me concerned but it's a tough call this early in the Spring. I think the key is keeping them moist which has been a chore because the wind blows every day over at the farm and things keep drying out.
The lettuce that we planted and have a tunnel over is looking beautiful. The drip line we installed is working out and there is no complaints there. The garlic is also holding its own and looks good at this point.
We planted a different variety of potato called a King Charles. It is a nice all-purpose potato that we will trial and see how it grows, sells, etc. We are also trialing for Johnny's Seeds a couple of onion varieties that they are thinking about selling. These onions are storage onions. We will be planting them this weekend. I'll let you know about their progress as we go along.
I am concerned that some of my CSA customers have not renewed their subscriptions yet. I hate to bug people but I would like to know if they are going to renew because now is the time we need the start up money. I'm probably going to be disappointed by some of the customers who won't renew, but things being the way they are with money, I can understand.
I have been working with Virtua Health Systems on having farm markets at their various campuses and this is a very promising venture. They are excited to have us come aboard and we are looking forward to opening up new avenues for new customers.
The Russian Banana potatoes are on their way from Colorado and we will be planting them this weekend. These are a big seller for us and Dad and I enjoy raising them as they are prolific and not a fuss.
Finally, the seedlings of lettuce and spinach have been working out in the little greenhouse hut I have built. We had a temporary set back about two weeks ago when a strong wind pushed over the tops and I had to rebuild them. But now things are back on track and they are growing just fine. This weekend we will start the tomatoes in seedling trays. I was able to find a variety I thought people stopped selling - a green dragon as we call it. It is a long plum-like tomato that is very tasty. We are excited that Seed Savers Exchange had seed available.
So that is the long and short it for now. I have been out every night until I can't see any more prepping the beds and getting ready for planting. It is a joyous occasion to be out there as the World gets ready for bed. By the time I get home and shower, it is also my bed time. I settle into my nice warm bed and read a good book. I am currently reading George Washington Carver's environmental biography. It is very interesting read of a man who gets credit for illuminating the many uses of peanuts but for little else but was truly a visionary in understanding how the cultivated and uncultivated plants of nature are closely related to one another.
That doesn't mean, however, that my mind is not on keeping my readers updated. It has been a very freaky Spring as you know. Dad and I have been slowly doing what needs to be done but the weather continues to play a part in what we do. Such is the life of a farm.
Since I last posted, we have planted all the peas, most of the onion sets and started with the potatoes. The carrots and beets have refused to germinate which has me concerned but it's a tough call this early in the Spring. I think the key is keeping them moist which has been a chore because the wind blows every day over at the farm and things keep drying out.
The lettuce that we planted and have a tunnel over is looking beautiful. The drip line we installed is working out and there is no complaints there. The garlic is also holding its own and looks good at this point.
We planted a different variety of potato called a King Charles. It is a nice all-purpose potato that we will trial and see how it grows, sells, etc. We are also trialing for Johnny's Seeds a couple of onion varieties that they are thinking about selling. These onions are storage onions. We will be planting them this weekend. I'll let you know about their progress as we go along.
I am concerned that some of my CSA customers have not renewed their subscriptions yet. I hate to bug people but I would like to know if they are going to renew because now is the time we need the start up money. I'm probably going to be disappointed by some of the customers who won't renew, but things being the way they are with money, I can understand.
I have been working with Virtua Health Systems on having farm markets at their various campuses and this is a very promising venture. They are excited to have us come aboard and we are looking forward to opening up new avenues for new customers.
The Russian Banana potatoes are on their way from Colorado and we will be planting them this weekend. These are a big seller for us and Dad and I enjoy raising them as they are prolific and not a fuss.
Finally, the seedlings of lettuce and spinach have been working out in the little greenhouse hut I have built. We had a temporary set back about two weeks ago when a strong wind pushed over the tops and I had to rebuild them. But now things are back on track and they are growing just fine. This weekend we will start the tomatoes in seedling trays. I was able to find a variety I thought people stopped selling - a green dragon as we call it. It is a long plum-like tomato that is very tasty. We are excited that Seed Savers Exchange had seed available.
So that is the long and short it for now. I have been out every night until I can't see any more prepping the beds and getting ready for planting. It is a joyous occasion to be out there as the World gets ready for bed. By the time I get home and shower, it is also my bed time. I settle into my nice warm bed and read a good book. I am currently reading George Washington Carver's environmental biography. It is very interesting read of a man who gets credit for illuminating the many uses of peanuts but for little else but was truly a visionary in understanding how the cultivated and uncultivated plants of nature are closely related to one another.
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