Market or Truck Farming: Gardening to Sell Extras

[catjac1975]

Tack a look at my post from last summer, "Poor Man's cloche" for a cheap, easy to make, alternative.

We have bantams because some of our egg customers like the little eggs in with the bigger eggs, and the colors are beautiful. We sell "mixed colors, mixed sizes" dozens and 18-counts. The silkies always hatch at least 2 clutches a year each, and some of our crosses started doing the same. Plus we just like the silkies.

You all are right: we won't make a profit selling chickens as meat. Looked into it 3 years ago when we moved out here, but the numbers don't add up to profit. Selling eggs, however, does.

I've been waiting for hubby to make a hoop house for 2 years; guess I'll look into getting a pre-made. We would need low ones because we're on a ridge that gets wind gusts (all year round) up to 58 mph, and that's just an average. Also prone to microbursts (mini tornadoes): lost two chicken houses that way. Now we cement everything!

Thought about lavender. Will have to look into it a little more. Lavender flavor IS all the rage now.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I might do that (cloches) in early spring.

Actually, I still have some cabbages and carrots in the garden. They've survived 2 snowstorms already, and we're expecting another this weekend.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Radishes and lettuces sprouted. Still, will be another month before can offer radishes but only 2-3 weeks before we can offer cuttings from the lettuces.

Sold first 3 portions of share cheese through the co-op. It's a start!

 

[ducks4you]

If you don't already do it, buy egg wash for the eggs. I don't sell, but I do share my eggs with friends. I keep the ones that need to be cleaned and give them the clean eggs.
Figure out how much less you would take for food ready to sell that doesn't move that week, but a late customer still wants to buy...for less. Every small business does this, so that you don't have to eat all of your costs.
I'd stay away from selling dressed meat, but, you could find out if there is a locker that could dress chicken for you, and sell that also.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

My egg customers don't want me to wash the eggs, or refrigerate them. We also keep the yucky ones, or sometimes my mom-in-law will request them because she knows it's hard to get rid of them. Not that we have a problem right now with the girls barely laying. Our customers are taking everything we've got.

I won't worry about not being able to sell our produce. What doesn't sell we'll eat or I'll dehydrate for winter use, like I did this year. My mom-in-law also takes our extras, but we don't charge her for obvious reasons.

I'm not going to sell dressed meat. I barely have time to milk and make cheese. My son's going back in the hospital mid-Jan for a week, and will probably have brain surgery scheduled in the Spring. I'm exhausted already.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[ducks4you]

Hugs and prayers for you and your son.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

thanks you, ducks.

I have a friend who bought a large property about 5 minutes drive from me. She too has goats and chickens. La Mancha to my nubians. We both sell goat milk and eggs through the same co-op.

Just call me dummy. I, in passing, mentioned that we'll be adding lots of raspberry plants because they'll sell well. Difficult to ship. Good prices. Tonight she tells me she's going to take about a full acre of her property and plant it with raspberries... mostly red but she's thinking about other colors.

ARGH! She'll have tons and tons of raspberries .... so who will notice my little 6-ounce containers of red, yellow or purple raspberries?

She's also planning a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and probably tomatoes.

But she's never really grown much before. Of course, raspberries don't take a lot of effort.

I hear some people can grow enough on 1/10 an acre to pay their entire year's bills. Plus we have lots of hospital bills coming up. We have 2 acres but subject the goat and chicken areas, lawn for the kid, house, workshop and trees ... we have about 1/2 an acre to plant.

Was planning on planting 20 red raspberry, 10 yellow raspberry and 5 purple raspberry plants this year, plus 20 blackberries, 5 cranberries, and a couple more currants (we have 2 red and 2 white).

So ... what should I do now?

Just follow through as planned and hope we find customers elsewhere? Undercut her prices (but that doesn't sound very nice). Advertise to raw people for the milk, cheese, eggs and our produce and hope we get enough who'll buy every berry we pick??

Add to our goat dairy herd? With cow milk prices skyrocketing soon, maybe we should have 3 girls instead of our 2.

I DON'T KNOW!!! HELP!!!

 

[catjac1975]

It seems like you may have to keep some of your dreams to yourself from your friend . Too bad. Will she really follow through? That's a lot of picking. If you are organic and she is not you may have a more valuable product. Keep going with your dream-you can make jelly to her fresh and sell them later in the season.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

GREAT IDEA!!!!!!

Thank you so much for a wonderful idea. If my berries don't sell, I'll be making all kinds of jams and jellies. You have put my mind to rest.

Plus, I've decided to market to raw foodies, local eaters, and those who want to eat more healthy in 2013. Already put a post on my farmette's blog: http://rosemary-ridge.blogspot.com/2012/12/good-for-people-on-raw-food-diet.html

 

[digitS']

MyKidLuvsGreenEgz, you are counting your friend's eggs before they hatch.

She may not have a success with what she plans. Growing produce with surplus to sell is a tough row to hoe. Add to that - processing & marketing. There can be many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.

Just one easy-for-me-to-imagine problem like an aphid attack on the raspberries with no plan for defense . . . I had a friend with a bountiful sweet corn crop one year. Her boyfriend rushed to the rescue! Nope. The supermarkets would not buy the sweet corn, the aphids were too much of a problem. And, that problem was pretty much cosmetic . . . and that, was pretty much it, for her making any money off of several acres. Luckily, that wasn't her sole crop nor marketing.

Continue to think creatively, how best to diversity and roll with the punches.

Steve
with too many cliches!