Re: Practical = BS
Greg & Lei Gunthorp (hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com)
Mon, 17 Aug 1998 15:09:33 -0500
I thought that the post on your production practices was excellent until you
added the negative remarks about Steve's scale!
Isn't anybody else going to stand up for Steve? Unless I am mistaken, 175
acres is still a "small" farm in the US. But I guess it shouldn't be me
standing up for him because I own 65 acres and farm almost 100! Am I a "big
farmer" also because I raise about 1000 pigs a year? I'm probably one of
the smallest full time hog farmers left. Just like Steve is probably one of
a handful of 175 acre family supporting farms in Pennsylvania.
I'd like to hear more about these $15,000/half acre systems. I've never
seen or heard of them. Doesn't it still take at least acre farms to cover
living expenses? By the way, my land grand university says it takes at
least 1200 acres to support a family. So unless Pennsylvania is a lot
different than Indiana, Steve Groff is doing an excellent job!
I'd love to raise less pigs also, but I'd have a job in town to pay the
bills. We are looking at vegetables and free range eggs to diversify our
income, but haven't been able to find any enterprises that look as lucrative
as you talk about. Looking forward to your information, especially the
marketing skills required to sell these herbs.
I know of quite a few people who never get less than 60 cents per pound for
their pigs because they have direct markets. If we sold pigs today, we
would have got 35 cents selling sustaianable pigs on the conventional
market. There are a lot of differences in market opportunities across the
this country AND a lot of difference in farmers ability to market their
products for premiums. Aren't most of these enterprises dependant on
excellent marketing skills?
Sincerely,
Greg
Gunthorp's Pasture-ized Pork
LaGrange, Indiana (a stones throw from Ohio & Michigan)
hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com
visit our farm at www.grassfarmer.com
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