Small-Scale Intensive Farming - Farm Alliance of Baltimore City

91 Pages·2012·6.58 MB·English

by  Andy Pressman

Small-Scale Intensive
Farming

Andy Pressman
Urban Farmer Workshop
Baltimore, MD
June 14, 2012
THE NCAT MISSION

Helping People by championing small-scale, local, and
sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote
healthy communities, and protect natural
resources.

http://www.ncat.org
ATTRA provides technical
support on sustainable
agriculture and farm
energy.

• http://www.attra.org
• Toll Free 800-346-9140
• > 350 Publications
• Workshops/Conferences
United States Department of Agriculture
Risk Management Agency

The role of USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is
to help producers manage their business risks
through effective, market-based risk management

solutions.

www.rma.usda.gov
This presentation is sponsored in part
by the USDA Risk Management Agency
Nomadic Farms NH
What is a Small Farm?
• USDA defines as farms with
$250,000 or less in sales.
• Accounted for 91% of all
farms in 2007 (only 56% of
US food production).
Source: The Winter Harvest
• 60% had less than $10,000
Handbook by Eliot Coleman
in sales (noncommercial).
• Over half were direct sales
to customers
• Avg. age 57.1 years old
*Information from USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture
Beginning Farmer’s (10 years or less)
• 78% of farmers ranked “lack of
capital” as a top challenge for
beginners.
• 68% of farmers ranked land
access as the biggest challenge
faced by beginners.
• 70% of farmers under 30 rented
land, as compared to 37% of
farmers over 30.
• 74% of farmers ranked
apprenticeships as among the
most valuable programs for
beginners.
• 49% ranked Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a
top program.

Source: National Young Farmer’s Coalition
Removing Barriers
• High cost of land.
• High cost of farm infrastructure.

Needs for Various Sizes of Vegetable Farms.
Power Source Direct Production Postharvest
Scale Seed Starting and Tillage Seeding Equipment Cultivation Harvesting Handling Delivery
small hoop Back-pack Wheel hoe,
rototiller or Earthway Field knives,
1-3 house, grow sprayer, hand hoes, Bulk tank, canopy, Pickup with
walking tractor, seeder, hand boxes,
acres lights, irrigation, digging packing containers topper or van
custom work Cyclone seeder buckets, carts
planting trays tools forks, spades
1000 sq. ft. 35-40 hp tractor,
1-row Cultivating Potato digger, Roller track
greenhouse, with creeper
4-6 Planet Jr. plate transplanter, tractor (IH bed lifter, conveyor, hand
cold frames, gear, power Cargo van
acres seeder irrigation, Super A or wagon, more carts, walk-in
field tunnels, steering, high
more tools IH 140) boxes, buckets cooler
planting trays clearance
Tool bar
Stanhay
Additional 40-60 hp tractor, 2-row implements:
7-10 preceision belt More field Barrel washer, 1 ton truck with
cold frames, chisel plow, transplanter, beet knives,
acres seeder with crates spinner, pallet jack refrigeration
planting trays spader sprayer, basket
belts
weeder
Sweeps
(Besserides),
Buddingh
80 hp tractor finger
Wash line, larger
with loader Nibex or Irrigation, weeders, Asa lift,
20 + 2,000 sq. ft. cooler, packing Refrigerated
bucket and Monosem bed shaper, flame harvest
acres greenhouse shed and loading truck
forks, compost seeder mulch layer weeder, wagon
dock
spreader potatoe
hiller, 2nd
cultivating
tractor
Adapted from table distributed at Michael Fields Institute Advanced Organic Vegetable Production Workshop, 2/2001, Jefferson City, MO.
Risk Management
• Production Risk – “2012 expectations are
managing, diversification, that risk exposures will
sustainability increase in the form of
high crop values, increased
• Marketing Risk
price volatility, higher
• Financial Risk
input costs, tighter credit
• Human Risk –
requirements, the need to
personal/family,
recover from 2011 losses,
employees, pesticides
higher family living costs,
• Legal Risk – business and aging farm operators.”
organization, rent vs.

leasing, taxes, succession
– Pam Smith, UVM Extension
planning
http://farm-risk-plans.rma.usda.gov
Farm for Profit, Not Production
(
Profit = Income –Expenses)
• In 2010, 64% of farms had
negative operating profits.
• It pays to plan!
• Guide in decision making,
decreasing risks, and monitors
progress
• Write it down

ATTRA Resources:
• Planning for Profit in Sustainable Farming
• Evaluating a Farming Enterprise Photo: Dennis Chamberlin
• Financing Your Farm