Much to my delight I found the new RH magazine in the mail today when we returned from a trip to Jamesport bringing back 144 layers(that's a another story for another time). Many good articles and pictures. As usual, I read the magazine all at once, looked at the pictures, and will read it again a second time on one of the next evenings.
Annotations to two of the articles: While I always enjoyed Taylor Johnson's reports on how creatively work with a single horse and the rewards of such work( it reminds me when I worked with a single horse in the woods of my Southeastern Bavarian native land), this time I think he outdid himself with the practical advice for using a bed liner sled - that's an idea that this old horse farmer is going to copy for vegetable farm!
Ralph Rice's contemplations are always worth reading. And size matters when it comes to sales, but in a different way: Not the gross sales are important, but what's left over when the input costs are computed. $ 350 000 in sales on a so-called commercial farm can dwindle down to next to nothing really quickly when you consider today's corn and soybean prices and the production costs. In comparison, on our vegetable farm in the first 5 weeks of spring we realized more than $ 2200 in sales on spinach, kale and radishes with a total of $ 25 in seed costs. Of course, we do not work in air-conditioned cabins( which actually reduces our production costs). I tell you this to encourage as many young people as possible to contemplate a career in vegetable production. Not all returns on all produce is that spectacular and you must have a marketing plan BEFORE you do it, but for low starting costs vegetable production is the best way to get into farming if you are willing to learn and work physically. And it will become more and more important as the country will increasingly be aware that our capital-intensive and high fossil energy use agriculture has run itself into a dead alley!
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Borrowing From Yesterday To Do the Work Of Today
Offering Resources to Promote Self-Sufficient & Back-to-the-Land Living
K.C. Fox says 2016-07-29 23:22:44 (CST)
I thought his Idea about the bedliner was great as I have one out of a ford Ranger laying in my front yard.
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
Ralph in N.E.Oh says 2016-07-30 20:19:57 (CST)
Klaus, thank you for your agreement that a plan is the best way to start farming. I also agree that the "net" income is what matters. I hope between the two of us, there are some young people not afraid of work who are willing to take that first step.
Taylor, great job with the bed liner. It's easy to see that you are not afraid of some hard work! Thanks for sharing.
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
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