advanced organic produce growing
- 2. Basic Facts Northern Virginia (DC area) 2 Farms 3 owners: Ellen, Hana, Hiu via S-Corp structure 4 FT permanent Managers Ecoganic Methods $900,000 gross sales
- 3. Crops/Acreages Vegetables of all types (except sweet corn!) (15 acres total) Culinary Herbs (one half acre) Cut Flowers (one half acre) Seedlings (24x96 greenhouse)
- 4. What we dont grow No Sweet Corn No Tree fruit or berries No Fancy pants flowers
- 5. Diversified Marketing Income 1% 20% 47% CSA Farmers Market 32% Stands Wholesale
- 6. Where we dont market PVF has gone from 100% wholesale to 1% in 45 years Few Restaurants No Wholesale (other stands, stores) No PYO No Agritainment (beyond simple tours)
- 7. Major Decisions: Longstanding Becoming an S-Corporation Organic Certification or Not Marketing Mix begin and grow CSA Major Equipment upgrade (spader, compost turner) Use black plastic I want to make MONEY
- 8. Why become a Corporation? To ensure continuity into the future To reward longevity of service
- 10. Begin and then Grow CSA Now our most profitable channel Innovations Split season Other products some grown by us, some by others Market Style pick up
- 13. I Want to Make Money $$$
- 14. Major Decisions - Newer Adopt Nordell style rotation Hire Managers Test and Balance Soils Play with microbials
- 17. Test and Balance Soil Test and Balance Soils Pictures of MBA, rock phos, lime
- 18. Play with Microbials Special Sauce: Fish Seacrop (sea weed/water) Mycotonic (mycorrhyzal fungi) Pepzyme (enzymes) Spectrum (bacterial inoculant)
- 19. Avenues to Improve Profits 1. Reduce Overhead not so easy 2. Reduce Operating Costs labor is our biggest cost 3. Increase revenue Increase production Increase yield/efficiency Increase price
- 20. Cost of Production (variable only) Marketing w/out labor 9% Misc 9% Machinery 8% Labor Seed, fert, plant 62% s 12% Jim Munsch, 2011
- 21. Labor Improvements Incentivize good pace/attitude through profit sharing, bonuses etc
- 22. Become a better manager stop pretending this is less important than tillage or fertility Individual Talk Therapy Seminars, Continuing Education, Management Training
- 23. Pay better to hire better people, and to keep the good ones
- 24. Provide housing to widen the pool of applicants
- 25. Do Fun Things Together Team PVF at local July 4th Parade
- 26. institutionalize FUN things that show your people how much you value them, and build team spirit. Beer Oclock and potluck
- 27. Labor Distribution on Successful Farms from Market Midwest 10% Grow 30% Pick and Pack PVF Labor Distribution 60% Market 25% Pick and Grow Pack 25% 50%
- 28. Knowing that pick, pack and wash is where you are spending big labor dollars How to make picking, packing and washing more efficient? Streamline the harvest by being super organized and delegating the right person for the right task
- 29. Create and Maintain Systems: Little Things Add Up
- 30. Harvest Aides
- 31. Pick sheet helps your team stay organized, and can then be used as data collection for later analysis
- 33. Dont waste time looking for things
- 34. Make it easy to keep veg from wilting
- 36. Any improvement in Wash/Pack gets you closer to food safety regs
- 37. How to use less labor in marketing? And is it a good trade off? Market style CSA? Special market staff? Stop trying to have a roadside stand?
- 38. 1. Fun (high quality of life is a Must) 2. Make a Living 3. No or Low Debt 4. We like people 5. Keep investing in capital assets (the future!) 6. Machines are cool 7. Organic Practices The Soil Comes First
- 39. Value #1 High Quality of Life 9 month farm season no Sunday market (once did 2!) 8 ish hour work days Long lunch experiment Hire plenty of people and use experts Ecoganic/organic Machines help my back Very few animals make me happy Avoiding debt = stress avoidance
- 40. Value #2 Make a Living Good wages to owners: $42,000/year Good wages to workers: $7-10/hour Health Insurance for permanent employees 401-K for permanent employees
- 41. Value #3 Avoiding Debt Pay as you go cash for capital improvements Work with what we have Blessed by previous generation
- 42. What are new economic goals? More pay for everyone Higher quality employee housing = more permanent employees Enough money to make major capital investment in additional housing and/or new washing station
- 43. Value #4 We Like People Team Management of tri-woman owned farm Hire lots of help All retail sales On-farm tours, limited PYO Hire experts to do some of our work for us: Mechanic, tax prep, waste management, fences Lani grows eggs Zach and Heinz grow early and late veggie
- 46. Ways we hide from people Private homes for owners Farm is generally not open to the public Chefs are too ego-centric Downside to Lots of People Interpersonal stresses Inefficiency Management Intensive Wages and benefits
- 47. Value #5 Continue to Invest Building worker housing Deer Fence Tractor modernization Roadside stand improvement
- 51. Value #6 Machines are Cool I like having and using equipment, it allows me to be bigger and better Save some back breaking labor (quality of life) Ecoganic principles achieved more easily Spader and harrow Flail Compost turner and spreader
- 56. Drawbacks to Equipment Danger/Liability Noise, smell of fumes Isolation/Boredom of Operator Petroleum Dependence Expense
- 57. Value #7 Organic Practices Safe and Beautiful Work Environment Market Advantage Tasty nutritious food for all of us Long term land improvement to make life easier over time THERE ARE NO DRAWBACKS!!
- 58. Who Helps us Decide? Mostly other growers Neighbors Far flung farmer buds friends and family Experts (becoming an S-corp) Conference mania for inspiration and networking
- 59. CSA pro and cons Good early money Stress of the Promise Weatherproof income Pushes you to increase Builds customer loyalty variety even if its not Builds connections your best crop w/other farms Administration Spreads economic headaches impact of any one crop Recipe handholding
- 62. Farmers Market Pros and Cons Fun to set up (for me!) Bad weather = bad $ Great customer rapport Gone from farm No promise, no Serious competition disappointment
- 69. Roadside Stand Pros and Cons You are HOME! Relentless hours Sell other farmers Infrastructure cost product Zoning issues Total control