medowlrk’s Recent Comments

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  What to ask a farmer

  As a farmer who has sold certified organic veggies and now, non-certified lamb and poultry (although my farm is organic), here's what I like to hear from customers.

     I like customers to ask about how I raise my livestock.  It lets me know they are not just looking at price or selection.  Organic is a "yes or no". "Sustainable" is a conversation that more accurately reflects the truth. If you are going to ask the question, be ready for a big answer.  For example, I don't certify my livestock because I am selling directly to the person who is buying it.  I can explain, or in an hour's drive, they can see my practices for themselves.  I have nothing to hide.  I'd be wary of someone who does.

    Organic certification is very expensive and the market has to be worth it or has to demand it (as in the case of selling to wholesalers or someone other than the final customer.)  Organic is really just a short-cut answer.  It addresses some questions about chemical use, but doesn't mean sustainability, or the farmer's attitude toward supporting their community and other more far-reaching issues.

  And I don't certify because organic feed is a huge issue.  It is either very expensive or not available.  It is more important to me that I buy my hay from my neighbor and my poultry feed from the neighborhood mill.  Buying organic feed from a stranger isn't supporting my community.  Do I wish I had access to organic feed? yes  Can I grow it?no, not enough land.

  If you are going to ask a farmer about their practices, make sure you ask near the end of the market----we have time then.  I don't have time for a good answer when there are 5 people in line behind you.  Be ready to spend some time in discussion.  Farmers like to know their customers are interested.  Don't be afraid to recommend books and articles to the farmer.  I'm always grateful to folks who want to help.

  Phone calls and emails are okay, but nothing beats face-to-face at the market.  I actually have more time at the end of the market than I do during the rest of the week.

  Just remember, everyone has their own concepts of what is best for their farm, best for the earth, and best for themselves.  Unless we talk about it, we won't know what each other thinks.

  J. Burns, IdahoOn How to ask hard questions of the people who grow your food posted 1 year, 4 months ago 14 Responses

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  spinach doctor CSA goes bigger

  As great as CSA's are, they require a sophisticated farmer to pull off---I've had a CSA farm and it is the most complex type of farming.  So feeding lots of people with the CSA model requires either a lot of small farmers who have some experience under their belt or a few big CSA farmers who can handle the volume.  There aren't enough small ones and I don't like the eggs-in-one-basket idea of just a few.

   Right now there isn't any product from mid-sized farmers, so how do we address that?  

  The issue is how to convince those mid-sized folks that it is worth the risk.  They are not going to get bank funding (operating loans or capital loans) for these new crops until there is a local history and a guaranteed local market.  They are not going to experiment until one of their neighbors takes the plunge.  They are very unlikely to even look at new crops when other crops, like wheat or corn or alfalfa hay or whatever the current crop de jour is), are or appear to be very lucrative and very much in demand.

  So we find a pool of money that could be used as a revolving fund  in which the farmer can access operating capital for these new crops---then the farmer pays it back into the fund.  Or the pool of money is raised annually like a CSA and the estimated payment goes totally to the farmer and the risk is shared by everyone.  There is a whole bunch of risk here, so there may need to be a pool of funds to cover the possible loss.  

  Seems unlikely that restaurants or institutions would have a big pile of money they would be able to throw out in February for a product that may or may not be delivered several months later.  But, if you could get a sizable consumer buying group who would have to take delivery of bulk product in addition to the restaurants and institutions, you might have access to more money.

    Certainly all we're doing is putting the pieces of providing food together in a new way, so there's plenty of expertise on contracts, insurance, CSA models, etc.

  The key concept is that we have to provide a less risky mechanism for farmers to even consider growing large quantities of food for their communities.  On CSAs can transform Iowa's farm economy -- and take its sandwiches to the next level posted 1 year, 6 months ago 3 Responses