The most profitable "small-farm" (not "micro-farm") I have visited is HERB PHARM in Williams,
Oregon. Since I stayed in Williams for two months I received many local views of the operation. It
is appreciated that about 50 local people are employed at wages about $10/hr, and Herb Pharm is
considered a good employer to work for. They are certified organic, by Oregon Tilth, so they are
using some "sustainable" return-organic-matter processes. They farm about 9 acres (3.66 hectares),
which is double the maximum cultivation space I have been suggesting as "micro-farms". Of course,
with employees one can cultivate more property without machinery, but I advocate moving employees on
to owners after suitable training.
Herb Pharm is reputed to be grossing $5,000,000 per year, but I have not rummaged through their
books. Judging from the numbers of cars in the parking lot, the local stories of about 50 employees,
$10/hr would add up to $1,000,000 payroll (and probably 60% higher for employee overhead).
Herb Pharm is not a role model for "micro-farming", but I just put it out here for examination as to
space-intelligence-materials mix which can be a lot more profitable than the $10K/acre figures
bandied about on SANET.
IF FARMING IS NOT EARNING A MEDIAN INCOME FOR MOST OF THE PRACTIONERS THERE IS FUNDAMENTALLY
SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM. My website, essays, and publishings have been to bring
this dirty laundry up for airing out, and I have been suggesting remedies. In some cases the remedy
is change the farming mix, for some change the farmer's head, and for some it is change the
marketing system in the only ways farmers have control: select their customers and bypass the
cheating system which robs life away from the workers supporting everyone else.
My website is organically grown. It started with some pages, then more were added. It weaves through
pages almost like free association with links to the world interspersed with links to internal
pages. This is close to a mirror of my mind in 100 webpages. I enjoyed publishing my hyper-book
online. The webhost donor charges mandatory advertising per page, but I do not have any advertising
on any page. There are no shopping carts, no credit card forms, not one postbox to send checks to,
no solicitation for contributions. It is not supported by government, by academia, by church or
non-profit group.
If fact, I tried real hard to find a trustworthy non-corruptable non-profit organization to donate
valuable intellectual property to finance training, research and development. Two years ago I was
"run out of town" by SANET, and I can dig up the abusive publications from that era.
60,000 more species have gone extinct since I was run out of town because my ideas were BS. Their
kind will never be seen by you, by me, by any future generation -- they are completely and totally
and permanently gone forever. Farming has had a role in this biotic holocaust, both in the developed
and developing world. I did what I could. I chose to be a "Life Savior". I am willing to count some
of my profits in songbirds and butterflies, mushrooms and spiders, even if I never actually see them
in my life. This is why I have put this body of work into the public domain, not so that some
micro-farmer can get all the cola, coffee, cocoa and cocaine his/her heart desires with a median
income. If I have to invent efficient systems that are more profitable TO BRIBE PEOPLE TO CHANGE
FROM METHODS KILLING THE WORLD, that is the price I pay.
Signed, Lion Kuntz
Currently in Eugene, Oregon, USA
------Original Message------
From: "Greg & Lei Gunthorp" <hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com>
To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu
Sent: April 10, 2000 4:32:00 AM GMT
Subject: Re: Re:Lion's Micro-farming fairy tale
I think we keep getting closer and closer back to discussing the biggest
obstacle to sustainability on American farms--Profits--especially on a small
scale. In the midwest pigs and dairy were always a good way for farmers to
support a family. Up until the last couple of years it didn't even require
any marketing skill. I'm afraid those days may be over. They may not be
though too. The jury is still out. (I still think the sustainable ag
community needs to be more vocal on the need for competitive markets as
sustainable farmers can compete with these corps head to head if we choose
to but that is another post for another day.) Pastured poultry, rabbits,
and beef look awful encouraging for anyone with marketing skills. I've
never been informed on the whole market garden concept but I know of a
handful of organic/and or sustainable vegetable farmers supporting
families. I would like to think it as easy as Lion has stated but I can't
for the life of me find the real farms that are making $40K/acre. I'm
tickled to death with 1% of that for returns per acre in this agricultural
climate. I'd like to see some more discussion on these high grossing
operations and how we can actually see more family supporting sustainable
farms out here on the land.
Best wishes,
Greg Gunthorp
-----Original Message-----
From: Michaele Blakely <mjb@premier1.net>
To: sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu <sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu>
Date: Sunday, April 09, 2000 10:47 PM
Subject: Re: Re:Lion's Micro-farming fairy tale
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm@sprintmail.com>
>To: <sanet-mg@shasta.ces.ncsu.edu>
>Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2000 8:44 AM
>Subject: Re:Lion's Micro-farming fairy tale
>
>
>> Andy & Lion,
>>
>> Interesting! I've enjoyed reading your debate on the feasibility of
>> micro-farming. You have both touched on some important points. I would
>> like to
>> add to the discussion, based on my experience in this area and some
>> knowledge I
>> have of other operations.
>
>****I as well
>>
>> First, let me say that I micro-farm- 30 family CSA
>
>I also micro-farm, although I had not really thought of what I did in such
>terms until this thread. I've been doing this for a little over ten years
>(farming/ranching most of my life on and off again), but a while back
>decided I wanted to test just how little land I could use and still make a
>decent living. I've added and subtracted land as my experiments have come
>and gone. I started out on a very small scale initially, growing as ideas
>formed and developed.
>
>Although when I started this experiment I did not have to realize an income
>as my husband was providing enough for us to get by, I also did not invest
>in equipment, fertilizers and other such things that a lot of farmers find
>themselves getting into debt over. As I made money I re-invested that
money
>into the farm enterprise and stayed out of debt. Just before I started
this
>we sold our properties and have bartered our land and house. We are no
>longer land owners which plays significantly into my being able to do what
I
>do where I do it.
>
>In the last year I have been talking about how much land I use, although I
>have actually never paced it off. I did last night and was surprised at
how
>little land I used last year with the amount of money that came in. I
>usually estimate my actual land usage at between 21/2-3 acres for vegetable
>and berry production. In actuality I used just 1 1/4 last year with
>vegetables and berries and meat birds and another 3/4 of an acre with the
>laying flock. The largest piece of farm equipment I have is an 8 hp
>rototiller. Almost everything is done by hand, with the management of the
>chickens, intercropping and covercropping building the soil. I have done
>this by myself, but I'm fast and it does make for long hours during certain
>times of the season. I choose not to do that anymore. The last three years
>I have had an apprentice and we work 40 hour weeks always with the emphasis
>on labor saving means to an end. I supply a 50 member CSA and 3 farmers
>markets and my tables are very full.
>
>With all that said I want to say that I have valued Lion Kuntz's essays as
>stimulation and food for thought. There have been many good and valuable
>ideas collected and put out. I appreciate that and have never felt that
his
>contributions to a sustainable life on this planet have been fodder for a
>compost pile. But of course I am biased, this is why I have chosen to live
>and work the way that I do. I find some of his combinations a little too
>overwhelming for me to be able to pull off though. Someone else just might
>be able to do it.
>
>As I have read his essays (although I haven't had time to thoroughly go
>through each one) I have placed them in a folder for reading at a later
time
>in the season when I have time to reflect and perhaps apply these ideas to
>my farm. That is what I have felt them to be--ideas, as everything written
>as a how-to is.
>However, I do feel that it is important to realize that trying to make a
>living on a small piece of acreage is very difficult to do. I had
>everything going for me; another income to support me as I developed my
>business, a lifetime of experience, parents and grandparents as teachers
>when I was a child, an ability to do with very little, and I'm a very fast
>worker! Doing something like this is feasible, but I would hate to see
>anyone sink their all into it and it become a make it or break it kind of
>thing.
>
>The amount of money bandied about that can be made is achievable. I know it
>can be done. But in the scope of our society, it really isn't that much
>money for the amount of work that has to be done to be successful.
>Sometimes I contemplate what I would do if I no longer had that second
>income. Would I be able to make it? Yes I could, but I don't want to!
>
>Nevertheless, I want to leave the places I have been healthier than when I
>arrived, and I will take any thoughts and ideas along to help me do this.
>
>Sincerely,
>Michaele Blakely
>Growing Things
>Carnation Wa
>
>
>
>To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
>"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
>"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
>To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
>"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
>
>All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
>http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail
>
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail
-----------------------------------------------
FREE! The World's Best Email Address @email.com
Reserve your name now at http://www.email.com
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 11 2000 - 22:02:07 EDT