Sharing Farm... Or your own?

PuyoPiyo · 05-09-2008, 03:29 AM

I have been dreaming about having own garden, fruit trees, whatever plenty of foods that I can get right from my yard and get the most of the foods from my yard than those I got from the store which I think it could save the earth and the amounts of foods in the world.

I know not everyone would willing to do this, till I read this article, it seems so good idea about the farm share which owner of the farm sell to allow the buyer to use the farm for up to 25 weeks.

Here's the article.

Quote:

Getting their farm share

Did you know?
There are 13 community-supported agriculture farms in Clark County, where last year there were eight, and six years ago just one.

CSAs sell directly to customers, usually delivering a box of produce each week with the cost running from $400 to $1,000 for a season lasting 20 to 25 weeks.

To find local farms, visit Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food or smallfarms.wsu.edu.

JANET L. MATHEWS/The Columbian
Heidi Graves, 31, of Washougal, says her family hopes to save money this year by paying $500 to get a weekly share of a fruit and vegetable farm near Camas.

Friday, May 09, 2008
By MICHAEL ANDERSEN and DEAN BAKER, Columbian Staff Writers

As the winter wore on and their family’s bills for lettuce, apples and other fresh produce pushed beyond $50 a week, Heidi and Joseph Graves broke out their budget and made a surprising decision.

The surprise wasn’t that they were going to buy a weekly share of a little fruit and vegetable farm outside of Camas. The surprise was, they couldn’t afford not to.

“My goal is: no Safeway,” Heidi Graves, of Washougal, said this week. “We will make it happen one way or another.”

With their five children, the Graveses are hoping to get all their produce this summer from two sources: their own garden and 6 Acre Farm, one of Clark County’s growing cadre of postage-stamp-sized farms that sell produce directly to consumers.

As rising fuel prices and record-breaking droughts and floods have bred a crisis in the global food market, some of those farmers say they find themselves making an unexpected pitch to customers: They’re a bargain.

“CSAs were a growing movement before this,” said Anne Lawrence, owner of Storytree Farm in the Glenwood area. “But with food prices going up … it’s a good deal.”

Here’s how the share farms, called community-supported agriculture or CSAs, work: Customers pay between $400 and $1,000 for a guaranteed share of whatever the farm produces through the summer. The food comes once a week in a box or sack, usually for about 20 to 25 weeks.

For $500, the Graveses have bought one of the 12 shares offered by 6 Acre Farm, four miles from their home. They’ll pick up the share each Tuesday.

“It’s a chunk of money up front, but in the end we’re really saving money,” Heidi Graves said.

Scrambling for shares

Five new CSAs launched this year in Clark County, and most others expanded their production. But they can’t keep up with consumers.

“Money has come in the mail from people I’ve never met,” marveled Kate Rae of Battle Ground, owner of Red Basket Farm. She started selling $500 shares two years ago, mostly to acquaintances at first, and hasn’t raised prices since.

Paula Korell, who started 6 Acre Farm this year with her husband, Scott, said she was startled by the response after their Web site appeared on localharvest.org, a Web site that lists small farms. She hurried to post their information on the site by New Year’s Day.

“We were sold out within six weeks,” Korell said.

If you’re hoping to save money with a CSA, Rae said, there’s one rule: eat everything you get.

“I think we are a good buy, if the people use everything and don’t waste it,” Rae said.

If you can’t manage that, she said, you can probably get similar food for less at a farmers market.

Luisa DePaiva of Purple Rain Vineyard in Brush Prairie, one of the few CSAs that still had shares available, said she’s rolled out two new services this year: front-porch deliveries and installment plans. Both make things easier for consumers accustomed to grocery-store shopping.

Full shares of Purple Rain’s long 34-week season sell for $986. Half-shares go for $493.

Because CSAs are a tiny slice of the food market, supermarkets and natural food stores don’t see them as true competitors.

“They don’t do enough business to hurt the grocery retailer,” said Scott Kooistra of Vancouver, owner of the IGA store at St. Johns Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way. “That is a specialty market.

The people there aren’t so much price shoppers as they are quality shoppers. They want the freshness, the local and quality and they are willing to pay a bit more.”

Whole Foods, the upscale market that emphasizes its own fresh and local produce, does see competition from CSA farms around the state.

“We definitely find that CSAs are competitive in terms of pricing,” said Vicki Foley, spokesman for Whole Foods in Seattle. But she said some farms’ food fails to meet Whole Foods’ quality standards.

A grocers’ spokesman said direct-to-consumer farms have a competitive advantage over grocers: they’re free from many regulations.

“They’re not policed like the industry is in terms of food safety and food handling,” said Joe Gilliam, president of the Northwest Grocery Association.

Farming prices rise

Like all farms, CSAs face rising costs.

“We have the highest minimum wage in the U.S.,” said Lyle Stanley, owner of Gee Creek Farm in Ridgefield. “It’s hard to compete with the largest producers in Mexico and California. Fuel is high.

Everything is high: compost, lime, manure. I just bought lime at $6 a 50-pound bag. It was $3 before.”

But CSAs are shielded from other factors driving this year’s food prices: chemical fertilizers and pesticides and shipping costs from California, Chile or China.

“When you buy it, it was harvested that morning,” said Brenda Millar-Stanton, who owns Rosemattel’s CSA near Battle Ground. “No miles on it. No chemicals.”

She estimates the weekly $20 to $25 worth of produce her 60 customers purchase probably would cost between $40 and $60 at a natural food store.

“My prices are 20 percent under quality food pricing,” she said. “At the peak of the season, when we have the bounty, our price is 50 percent less.”

This year, CSA subscribers have one more advantage: they locked in prices months ago, when farming costs were still lower.

Some CSA farmers said they don’t know what they’ll do about their prices next year as their cost of seed, soil amendments such as green sand, rock phosphate, bone meal, blood meal and lime continue to rise along with fuel.

Others said they’ll probably hike prices.

But any price rise they might make won’t be easy, said Nola McPherson of DanDee Farm Naturals.

“It’s difficult for us to raise our prices,” she said. “It’s not so hard for a store. They never have to meet their customer and look them in the eye.”

Getting their farm share- Columbian.com, Clark County, Washington, Vancouver, Breaking News, U.S., World, Entertainment, Video, Weather, Sports

But... I wonder why not we just make our own garden or trees that can feed ourselves mostly than we would go to the store?

Isn't making your yard beautiful with those trees and gardens, also the harvest while getting enough delicious foods at the same time fun?

Maybe it will save our gas from going to the food store all the times?

Aren't you too busy to do the garden or anything that you can find your own foods from yourself without the store?

Why do we have to expect the farmers and governments, plus the ecomonic system to do so hard work while millions of people have plenty of blank green grass yard that they can planting and feed themselves and save more money to help our ecomonic system?

That is what I was wondering about while reading this article... Your thoughts?

jiro123 · 05-09-2008, 04:22 AM

I want to buy .5 acres of land..... just for my gun competition training... I don't think farmer's gona be happy about that to see his watermelon exploded

Phillips · 05-09-2008, 05:35 AM

I do

Here
Many different kind of tomato ( about 10 different kinds) for make dried tomato, freeze sauce and other
Two Mac apple trees
Many raspberries and blackberries
Five huge Blueberries trees
15 kinds of Vegetables
and
other

Will post pictures

PuyoPiyo · 05-09-2008, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phillips

I do

Here
Many different kind of tomato ( about 10 different kinds) for make dried tomato, freeze sauce and other
Two Mac apple trees
Many raspberries and blackberries
Five huge Blueberries trees
15 kinds of Vegetables
and
other

Will post pictures

Sounds great!

Allright take your time

jazzy · 05-09-2008, 08:21 AM

I have almost one acre here and we want to grow garden and more fruit trees but we can not afford water bill here. It is too expensive now than before. Now that my paycheck will be cut to where I am on really tight budget, higher water bill and other stuffs will put us into deeper debt. Oh well. I want to buy farm somewhere where they have plenty water for cheap. Farm has been one of my dream. Thank for the post here.

PuyoPiyo · 05-09-2008, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzy

I have almost one acre here and we want to grow garden and more fruit trees but we can not afford water bill here. It is too expensive now than before. Now that my paycheck will be cut to where I am on really tight budget, higher water bill and other stuffs will put us into deeper debt. Oh well. I want to buy farm somewhere where they have plenty water for cheap. Farm has been one of my dream. Thank for the post here.

Ohh yeah I can understand about the water bill, they are not cheap.. And no problem about posting this thread, I just want to see people's opinions

KarissaMann05 · 05-09-2008, 10:13 PM

Only if I live in country, then I definitely would do it for saving my money!

shel90 · 05-09-2008, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiro123

I want to buy .5 acres of land..... just for my gun competition training... I don't think farmer's gona be happy about that to see his watermelon exploded

That's something my brother or dad would do. Ha!

Anyways, I want to start a fruit and veggie garden but I have to learn how to develop a green thumb.

PuyoPiyo · 05-09-2008, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarissaMann05

Only if I live in country, then I definitely would do it for saving my money!

Yeah I understand your residence, but you know you don't have to live in country to grow vegetables or fruits, you even can grow it in apartment. Use the pots at the porch or make your own indoor garden, just an idea

Also I probably plan to move to the houses in downtown, most of them don't have big yard like the country do, but I still can make plenty of plants or tree to feed myself with it

One plant you grow, you save some of pounds of vegetables for farmers to work on to sell for you.

KarissaMann05 · 05-10-2008, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuyoPiyo

Yeah I understand your residence, but you know you don't have to live in country to grow vegetables or fruits, you even can grow it in apartment. Use the pots at the porch or make your own indoor garden, just an idea

Also I probably plan to move to the houses in downtown, most of them don't have big yard like the country do, but I still can make plenty of plants or tree to feed myself with it

One plant you grow, you save some of pounds of vegetables for farmers to work on to sell for you.

Nah, I prefer to have a backyard in country. It'll be easy.

jazzy · 05-10-2008, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuyoPiyo

Ohh yeah I can understand about the water bill, they are not cheap.. And no problem about posting this thread, I just want to see people's opinions

My sister and brother have their own garden, they are green thumb but growing food take time and energy to do this everyday which I do not have time and much energy to do. I would have to get up real early in the morning to water them before I go to work then in the afternoon it would require to find bad bugs and pull weeds which they invade in the garden. I wish I have more than 24 hours to do whole things.

I missed my grandparents' farm. Thank for post here.

PuyoPiyo · 05-11-2008, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzy

My sister and brother have their own garden, they are green thumb but growing food take time and energy to do this everyday which I do not have time and much energy to do. I would have to get up real early in the morning to water them before I go to work then in the afternoon it would require to find bad bugs and pull weeds which they invade in the garden. I wish I have more than 24 hours to do whole things.

I missed my grandparents' farm. Thank for post here.

Your grandparents are farmers? So are mine too! They grow the black cherries. What did your grandparents grow?

And no problemo again

jazzy · 05-11-2008, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuyoPiyo

Your grandparents are farmers? So are mine too! They grow the black cherries. What did your grandparents grow?

And no problemo again

My grandparents were farmers. They are gone now. I am not sure but I will ask my mom what kind of foods they grew. I do know they raised pigs and chickens. Their neighbor was one mile away from each other. I think they did grow cottons which it was popular back in the south.

I love black cherries. I want to own big land and grow cherries and some kind of nuts. I perfer trees over grow vegatables cuz tress are my kind of things.

IslandBreeze07 · 05-11-2008, 12:18 PM

Two years ago, a friend suggested a CSA to me since I buy produce for my business often during the high season. Plus we try to eat veggies and fruits as often as we can.
I looked into it last year. No more shares. This year, the farm opens up shares this week. Trying to figure out if I want to go this route or not for this year. The farm's not that far off. Plus they have a kids' group for the farm "shareholders".

sequoias · 05-11-2008, 12:42 PM

I would love to have a farm so I can grow some veg and fruits but sadly farms are losing ground as the cities eat up the farmlands. I think community garden is a nice option for urban people. There's several in Seattle area for people who don't have yards.

PuyoPiyo · 05-11-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzy

My grandparents were farmers. They are gone now. I am not sure but I will ask my mom what kind of foods they grew. I do know they raised pigs and chickens. Their neighbor was one mile away from each other. I think they did grow cottons which it was popular back in the south.

I love black cherries. I want to own big land and grow cherries and some kind of nuts. I perfer trees over grow vegatables cuz tress are my kind of things.

Yupp those that grow from plants are good

Quote:

Originally Posted by IslandBreeze07

Two years ago, a friend suggested a CSA to me since I buy produce for my business often during the high season. Plus we try to eat veggies and fruits as often as we can.
I looked into it last year. No more shares. This year, the farm opens up shares this week. Trying to figure out if I want to go this route or not for this year. The farm's not that far off. Plus they have a kids' group for the farm "shareholders".

Yeah, that's my point, I wonder why not we have our own garden to save farms's foods.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sequoias

I would love to have a farm so I can grow some veg and fruits but sadly farms are losing ground as the cities eat up the farmlands. I think community garden is a nice option for urban people. There's several in Seattle area for people who don't have yards.

Also I heard someone proposed a big tall building which have the farms on every floors in Las Vegas.

Brian · 05-11-2008, 06:18 PM

My material grandparents were farmers and had large farmland. They grew all kind of vegetables and some fruits. Also raised tobacco (they never smoked in their lives.) They had several livestocks like cattle, horses, pigs and chicken.

When my grandfather died, my grandmother leased the farmland to other farmers (the one she knew) who needed more room.

I have enjoyed helping my grandparents on their farm. I don't know if I would want to have a farm of my own. I have too much of city in me.

sequoias · 05-11-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuyoPiyo

Yupp those that grow from plants are good

Yeah, that's my point, I wonder why not we have our own garden to save farms's foods.

Also I heard someone proposed a big tall building which have the farms on every floors in Las Vegas.

Isn't that in Tokyo? I didn't hear about the one in Las Vegas.

PuyoPiyo · 05-12-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sequoias

Isn't that in Tokyo? I didn't hear about the one in Las Vegas.

Food: Las Vegas Raising a 30-Story Vertical Farm… in My Pants! Hiyo!

Not sure if they are serious about it.

sequoias · 05-12-2008, 01:51 AM

^^ Wow, a vertical farm...that sounds really something! It will save a lot of space that way.

PuyoPiyo · 05-12-2008, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sequoias

^^ Wow, a vertical farm...that sounds really something! It will save a lot of space that way.

Yupp agree!

05-09-2008, 05:35 AM	#3 (permalink)
Phillips Lets ride horses! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Somewhere in Northeast Posts: 5,921 Blog Entries: 3	I do Here Many different kind of tomato ( about 10 different kinds) for make dried tomato, freeze sauce and other Two Mac apple trees Many raspberries and blackberries Five huge Blueberries trees 15 kinds of Vegetables and other Will post pictures __________________ *Enjoy life today, Yesterday has past and Tomorrow may never come.*

05-09-2008, 08:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
jazzy Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,950	I have almost one acre here and we want to grow garden and more fruit trees but we can not afford water bill here. It is too expensive now than before. Now that my paycheck will be cut to where I am on really tight budget, higher water bill and other stuffs will put us into deeper debt. Oh well. I want to buy farm somewhere where they have plenty water for cheap. Farm has been one of my dream. Thank for the post here. __________________

05-09-2008, 10:13 PM	#7 (permalink)
KarissaMann05 Jessie's Character Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,868 Blog Entries: 9	Only if I live in country, then I definitely would do it for saving my money! __________________ Credit by KarissaMann05

05-11-2008, 12:18 PM	#14 (permalink)
IslandBreeze07 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sunshine State Posts: 195	Two years ago, a friend suggested a CSA to me since I buy produce for my business often during the high season. Plus we try to eat veggies and fruits as often as we can. I looked into it last year. No more shares. This year, the farm opens up shares this week. Trying to figure out if I want to go this route or not for this year. The farm's not that far off. Plus they have a kids' group for the farm "shareholders". __________________ Life is like a farm. You have to get up early and do the chores

05-11-2008, 12:42 PM	#15 (permalink)
sequoias Swifty the Rat Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The Evergreen State Posts: 10,954	I would love to have a farm so I can grow some veg and fruits but sadly farms are losing ground as the cities eat up the farmlands. I think community garden is a nice option for urban people. There's several in Seattle area for people who don't have yards. __________________ created by seq

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05-09-2008, 04:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
jiro123 >:{ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: NJ Posts: 1,941	I want to buy .5 acres of land..... just for my gun competition training... I don't think farmer's gona be happy about that to see his watermelon exploded

05-11-2008, 06:18 PM	#17 (permalink)
Brian Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: United States Posts: 2,350	My material grandparents were farmers and had large farmland. They grew all kind of vegetables and some fruits. Also raised tobacco (they never smoked in their lives.) They had several livestocks like cattle, horses, pigs and chicken. When my grandfather died, my grandmother leased the farmland to other farmers (the one she knew) who needed more room. I have enjoyed helping my grandparents on their farm. I don't know if I would want to have a farm of my own. I have too much of city in me. __________________ -Brian

05-12-2008, 01:51 AM	#20 (permalink)
sequoias Swifty the Rat Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: The Evergreen State Posts: 10,954	^^ Wow, a vertical farm...that sounds really something! It will save a lot of space that way. __________________ created by seq