SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING # 11
JULY 1996
-part 1-
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Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
P.O. Box 324, Elkins, AR 72727
Phone (501) 292-3714; E-mail: HN3551@handsnet.org
Keith Richards, Editor
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SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE FARMING is the bi-monthly voice of
the Southern SAWG, 50 member organizations working for
more sustainable agriculture in 13 Southern states.
Hard copy subscriptions via U. S. postal service:
$15 per year or $25 for two years
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CONTENTS, part 1:
* APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY ON HARMONY FARM
* COOPERATIVE OPENS NEW PROCESSING AND MARKETING FACILITY
* GREEN MARKET OF NEW ORLEANS
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APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY ON HARMONY FARM
by Meredith Coleman and Keith Richards
LUMBERTON, Mississippi--In many ways, Mark
and Shelley Babcock are typical of the approximately
600,000 farmers in the United States who farm less than 50
acres. They work hard, grow high dollar crops, try to hit
niche markets, and hold down other jobs to help make ends
meet.
They are also representative of one of the few
growing segments of the farming population--those who are
migrating from cities. The Babcocks moved from New
Orleans to their 50-acre piece of property in southern
Mississippi eight years ago with the goal of making a living
full-time on their small acreage and raising produce for the
rest of their lives.
Although they broke even after four years, they still
supplement their farming income for now. Shelley works
full-time at the Internal Revenue Service in Hattiesburg and
part-time on the farm, while Mark works full-time on the
farm and often takes other part-time jobs during the winter.
Finding a Way to Sustain the Workload
Having experimented with many other crops in the
past, Mark and Shelley have settled on three main crops
this year: three acres of spring tomatoes, followed by six
acres of fall bell peppers, then four acres of winter
cabbage. Products are chosen based on market windows
and the demand time for high market prices. "For example,
early May tomatoes in the Jackson, Mississippi market
have higher market prices," says Mark. To hit those niches
in the marketplace, the Babcocks have invested in a few
pieces of appropriate technology to help them produce a
greater volume and maximize the labor of one or two
people.
The life cycle of their plants begins in a vacuum
seeder. This $600 machine allows the Babcocks to sow
each block of a seedling flat with precision, and eliminates
the tasks of thinning and pricking out. Mark says one
person can sow a flat--64 seedlings--in a minute. He
claims he once planted 461 flats in one day with the help of
this machine and two other people.
Then, the newly-sown flats are moved to one of two
home-made greenhouses to give the tomato plants an early
start in the spring and, with sides rolled up, to shade pepper
plants in the summer. "The greenhouses protect young bell
pepper plants from the intense heat and also enhance plant
reproduction," Mark says.
Mark built each 20' x 80' greenhouse for about
$300-400 in materials. First, he painted a large circle on
the ground in the size of his frame. Then he used a simple
pipe crimper to bend 3/4" EMT pipe into a half circle hoop
patterned on the paint. Once he had made enough hoops,
he bolted them together with long straight pipe using
electrical joints. The racks for seedling trays were
constructed out of wood slotted and glued together to make
an upside down "T". Fans for the greenhouses came from
local poultry houses; when poultry farms upgrade, they sell
their old fans for next to nothing, according to Mark. He
bought the outer plastic covering from a wholesale
supplier.
When it comes time to prepare soil beds for the
young plants, the Babcocks use a bedder attached to the
three-point hitch on their 40 HP tractor. The bedder not
only beds up the soil, but it lays down a drip irrigation line
and black plastic, and tucks in the edges of the plastic with
soil. Mark says it takes a little adjusting early on, but once
you get it set, it really works well.
The drip line irrigation system helps them produce
higher yields and the black plastic serves as an effective
weed control. Mark notes that the dark bottom coloring of
the plastic prevents photosynthesis and destroys weed
growth, reducing the use of chemical herbicides and
multiple passes with a cultivator. "Plastic culture also
retains vapor, decreases water usage, and reduces growing
time from 14 to 21 days," he adds. The biggest drawback,
as other farmers have discovered, is removing it and
finding an ecological way of disposal at the end of the
season.
Planting by Machine Made All the Difference in the
World
Transplanting is done with the help of a Water
Wheel Transplanter, purchased last spring for $2,000. Lee
Whiddon, an older neighbor, usually operates the tractor
while Mark and Shelley ride on the two rear seats, dropping
plants in the pre-dug holes. "Planting by machine made all
the difference in the world in how much we could get
done," says Mark. It also helped save their backs. "My
wife gave me hugs and kisses for buying this."
Both the tomatoes and peppers are planted in single
rows on the beds. The Babcocks bought broom handles for
$.10 each to use as stakes. Lines of twine are then weaved
around the plants and stakes into a Florida weave trellising
system to support the fruit. After the season is over, Mark
bundles the stakes and drops them into a solution of bleach
to rid them of lingering diseases.
Lack of labor is most acute during harvest time.
This spring, the Babcocks invested $28,000 in a packing
shed and packing line so they could sort and pack their
tomatoes and peppers more efficiently. Mark says, "That
was probably the best decision we made this year." Instead
of having to pack their tomatoes all day, they picked from 5
to 8:30 each morning, then moved into the shade to pack
and sort for a few hours. By mid-afternoon, one person
could deliver the boxes of vegetables to market, while
someone else could tend to the peppers in the greenhouse
and other chores.
The Babcocks market a large portion of their
produce through the state-owned Bassfield Packing Shed.
Set up by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, the
packing shed assists small farmers with marketing,
packaging, and processing. "The facility has been the
difference between success and failure," says Mark. "They
found markets for our peppers last year, let us use the
packing line--and even provided helpers for free--and
provided boxes at cost." Through a revolving fund,
growers also receive a percentage of their sales upon
delivery.
Still, when wholesale prices drop below the cost of
production at the peak of the season, Mark makes sure they
have other outlets. He is selling a small portion of their
crops direct to consumers at the Green Market in New
Orleans and at their farm. And he's always searching for
new crops and new niches in the marketplace. If he built
10 more greenhouses, Mark thinks he could grow winter
bell peppers to compete with the peppers coming out of
Holland.
"Living modestly has allowed us to farm, and its
been a good process," says Mark. "Financially we're doing
fair, yet the ideal is to totally farm." Mark and Shelley are
finding the way.
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INDIAN SPRINGS COOPERATIVE OPENS NEW
PROCESSING AND MARKETING FACILITY
Three hundred and fourty-one thousand dollars is a
relatively small amount of money in today's economy. On
average, it will buy a nice house in the suburbs of Dallas
for an upper middle-class family. For about two times that
amount, a politician in Florida or Georgia can make a
serious run for the U. S. Congress. On the other hand, a
large corporation might spend ten times that amount on
advertising just to introduce a new product.
For a cooperative of 49 African-American farmers
in southern Mississippi, $341,000 has bought them
opportunity. Through a combination of cooperative
capital, low-interest loans, and grants, the Indian Springs
Farmers Association built a new processing and marketing
facility for that amount of money outside the town of Petal.
With the ability to add value to their fruit and vegetables by
cooling, washing, pre-slicing, and custom packing, they
feel that the facility will help them expand their markets
and increase the profits of cooperative members.
Ben Burkett, manager of the Indian Springs Co-op,
says they now have the capacity to cool and store two
trailer loads of produce, and make thousands of pounds of
ice, as well as add value to their products. In addition, they
have begun to sell produce directly to consumers from a
small retail area in the facility.
By adding value to their products, the farmers of
Indian Springs hope to capture more of America's food
dollars instead of selling raw products to middlemen who
reap the profits. And when farmers around Petal make
more money, the area economy benefits from their
purchases of supplies and farm products. At the grand
opening of the new facility on April 19, Wardell
Townsend, Jr., Assistant Secretary for Administration of
the USDA, said, "The economic ripple created by this
facility will go through this whole community."
Townsend added, "There must be a plan [to acheive
something like this]. There must be a vision and follow-
through." In fact, according to Burkett, several individuals
and organizations worked for seven years to make the
facility a reality. Financing was pieced together with the
help of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service,
the Mississippi Department of Energy, the Federation of
Southern Cooperatives, and the members of Indian Springs
Farmers Association.
Following one of the principles of cooperatives,
Burkett says the Indian Springs farmers are willing to share
information and ideas from their experience with other co-
ops. For instance, he says they paid $20,000 for the
architectural plans for the building. Another co-op could
save that cost by using the same plans or adapting them.
For more information contact Ben Burkett,
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, PO Box 22786,
Jackson, MS 39225; 601-354-2750.
*************************************************
THE GREEN MARKET OF NEW ORLEANS
Every Saturday morning in New Orleans, a small
cement lot on the corner of Magazine and Girod Streets is
transformed into a marketplace where growers--both rural
and urban--sell their products to hundreds of hungry
customers. To a casual observer, this may look like just
another small farmers' market--and in some ways it is. But
upon closer inspection, Green Market New Orleans reveals
much more.
First of all, from a farmer's point of view, the
market offers an outlet for sales of farm products directly
to consumers. The producers who participate in the
market--mostly small farmers from within a two hour
radius of New Orleans--sell fresh fruits and vegetables,
herbs, cut flowers, mushrooms, cheeses, honey, wine,
bread, and other items. They get feedback from customers
on what crops to produce and assistance from the market
on promotion and presentation.
Secondly, urban gardeners--especially those from
community garden projects-- are encouraged to participate
as equals. Market organizers hope to stimulate
entrepreneurial activity among inner city residents by
helping to create more gardens on vacant lots, and by
providing marketing opportunities and training for the
gardeners. Richard McCarthy, Green Market director, sees
the market as one piece of a whole economic development
program. As more urban gardeners become involved and
more consumers become loyal patrons, the possibilities for
further economic activities are endless. McCarthy
envisions the creation of community-based, value-added
enterprises and linkages with local restaurants as two likely
off-shoots.
Finally, the Green Market has created an
environment where area residents can not only purchase
locally-grown food, but they can also socialize on their
streets in a friendly setting. According to Sharon Litwin,
president of the Green Market New Orleans Steering
Committee, "There is a sweetness and a gentleness in this
weekly activity. It is for all who come, a celebration of
life, a leveling of status." In addition to the home-grown
products, market organizers provide coffee, information,
and enthusiasm at a central booth. And each week, some
of the city's finest chefs cook up tasty dishes using products
available from the market.
Community Involvement Makes It Happen
A market of this magnitude does not spring up
overnight. By the time Green Market New Orleans opened
in September 1995, nine months of ground work had been
laid.
Initiated as an Economics Project within the
Twomey Center for Peace through Justice, McCarthy made
sure he established community-wide involvement from a
diversity of groups. Urban and rural producers, consumers,
health advocates, community organizations, and business,
university and government leaders were all active in the
planning process. A steering committee and advisory
committee were each formed with representatives from all
groups. Planning grants were received from the Campaign
for Human Development, the Foundation for the MidSouth,
and Farm Aid.
In addition, McCarthy attended the Southern
SAWG Annual Conference and the North American
Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference to network and learn
about market models. He also addressed groups of
farmers--such as the Indian Springs Farmers Association
and the Louisiana Organic Association--to garner support.
The Green Market is truly a community project.
Oliver Thomas, the City Councilman representing the
district, helped initiate a Planning Commission study to
allow for public markets in the City's Zoning Charter. The
Reily Foundation donated the use of the market space and
had a beautiful mural painted on the adjoining buildings.
Business students from both Loyola and Tulane
Universities conducted surveys of customers and vendors.
Many individuals volunteered time on committees,
preparation, and weekly staffing of the information booth.
Two radio programs provide information on the
market each Saturday, including one that airs a live report.
Louisiana Cooperative Extension horticulturist, Dan Gill,
highlights crops that are in season at the market in the
Friday edition of the Times-Picayune newspaper. And
chefs from all over the city have been enthusiastic about
conducting the cooking demonstrations.
For more information about Green Market New
Orleans, contact Richard McCarthy, Twomey Center for
Peace through Justice, Loyola University, Box 12, New
Orleans, LA 70118-6195; 504-861-5830; e-mail:
mccarthy@beta.loyno.edu.
Connect Mail Sent: July 10, 1996 1:03 pm PDT Item: R00UOzF