Small farms still attract businesses
By ADAM
GROFF
Sunday News Correspondent
The classic American farmer is commonly
thought of today as a dying breed as greater efficiency and corporate growth
reduces the need for acreage and manpower.
But in
For example, the president of the New
Hampshire Farmers’ Market Association, Jack Potter of Sanbornton, is retired
from the Air Force, and the organization’s vice president, Charlie Burke, is a
retired surgeon.
There are many such family farmers
around the state — some of whom consider themselves little more than avid
gardeners — who are refugees from the world of cubicles and high technology.
Some have turned to farming full-time, while others retain their day jobs and
find a balm for their soul in tending backyard agricultural enterprises during
off hours.
Feeding the neighborhood
Ron Morales of East Kingston is a prime
example of an avid gardener on the cusp of venturing out into the economy with
his hobby.
Morales, 63, and his wife live in a
brown cape on seven acres that easily sustain a handful of fruit trees, flower
beds, and a 3,000-square-foot vegetable garden near a small barn and a fish
pond.
Morales has tended his plants and trees
with devotion for years — even before he retired two years ago from his career
as a supply chain manager at companies such as Raytheon and Digital Equipment
Corp.
“It’s my therapy,” said Morales, who
moved to
Both from his family and his own
research, Morales has learned enough tricks of the
trade to keep a highly productive — and chemical-free — garden. Because of
this, Morales has recently been weighing his options between getting set up at
a farmers’ market and simply opening a roadside farm stand.
This seems to him like a logical next
step after handing out bushels of vegetables for years.
“Sometimes we practically feed the
neighborhood,” said Morales, who also serves as an
Just happened
Morales said he never meant to turn his
gardening into a business.
“This is more of just a thing where we
wanted organic food,” he said. “It’s a way to eat good, fresh vegetables.”
The trick, he said, is to achieve a
state of equilibrium that is easy to maintain with a modicum of daily effort —
but arduous to reestablish if it’s allowed to collapse.
“If everything is in balance, you need
30 minutes a day,” he said. “Plants are like humans. If you’re healthy, if you
eat the right food, you don’t get sick — and if plants get the right amount of
sun and the right balance of nutrients, they resist pests and disease.”
Because he’s been considering getting
into farmers’ markets, Morales recently attended a workshop called “Increasing
Your Farmers’ Market Sales,” sponsored by the
Around 20 small farmers attended.
UNH Cooperative Extension Educator Nada
Haddad, said small farming is viable in the Northeast
precisely because of the population density that in many cases inspires people
to get back to the land in the first place.
“The image has changed,” said Haddad.
“Thirty years ago we had lots of dairy farmers. Now they’re diversifying, and
they’re growing for a retail rather than a wholesale
market. It works because we’re fortunate here in the Northeast to have people so close to each other.”
From hobby to career
Unlike Morales, who is just testing the
waters, most of the people in the audience at the
One of the attendees, Roger Charbonneau
of Hooksett, is in his second year of trying to make a go of it in hydroponic farming — growing vegetables and herbs directly
in water, in a 30-by-84-foot greenhouse. Charbonneau said he has about 4,000
plants, mainly different varieties of lettuce.
Charbonneau, 49, turned to farming after
retiring a couple years ago from his job as a financial analyst with the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs in
“What was my hobby became my second
career,” said Charbonneau. “I’m still operating at a loss, but that’s why I’m
here (at the seminar).”
Charbonneau has also availed himself of
another of the many resources that have sprung up around the state to help
people like himself: he’s a member of Beginner Farmers of New Hampshire, an
organization whose Web site, www.beginnerfarmers.org, is chock full of
information and links to the large number of agricultural resources in the
state and on the Internet.
He is also taking advantage of the New
Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Initiative, a collaboration of individuals and
organizations trying to link farmers with restaurant owners for the benefit of
both.
A first career
While many people come to small farming
seeking relief from the crush of the professional world, two other workshop
participants, Josh Jennings and Jean Pauly-Jennings
of Exeter, made the relatively rare decision to sidestep the conventional
career path altogether.
Jennings, who double-majored in
philosophy and history, works in the winter as a baker, while Pauly-Jennings, who has an art degree concentrated in
ceramics, works during the school year as a library assistant at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton.
“We’ve always been interested in
agriculture,” explained
“We get little tips from other farmers,
like how to package stuff in a certain way,” said
He said during the height of the season
they work roughly 12 hours a day, six days a week — a commitment they feel is
worthwhile.
“And at the end of the day, you have
this field full of flowers in bloom,” said Pauly-Jennings.
Having it both ways
Roy and Carolyn Bergkuist
of Hampstead don’t go to farmers’ markets, or do any marketing at all, aside
from the small wooden sign on their front lawn proffering goat milk.
For more than 20 years, the Bergkuists have struck a delicate balance between their
professional careers and their seven-day-a-week agricultural hobby.
The Bergkuists,
both 57, moved to their farm on
At the same time, they remain full-time
office professionals: Carolyn works in Lexington, Mass., as a technical support
manager for an in-vitro diagnostic company, and Roy — who goes by “Bud,” and
whose bushy moustache and well-worn work clothes make him look a lot more like
a farmer than a corporate employee — works from home as an account manager for
IBM.
The Bergkuists’
major product, milk — which needs no pasteurization, said Bud, because goat
milk does not separate — is available from a self-service refrigerator in the
barn for $2.50 a half gallon.
Goat meat
Their customers for goat meat, mainly
immigrants from
“To tell you the truth I don’t know how
the first one found me,” said Carolyn, “but I have clientele in
Keeping dairy goats is a serious
commitment: the animals have to be milked twice a day, every day of the year.
What explains the wide gap between the Bergkuists’ professional lives and their “hobby”?
“It’s called schizophrenia,” laughed
Carolyn. But the truth is, she said, “it is just such a break from what I do
for a living that I love it.”
The goat operation is not profitable;
in fact it doesn’t even pay for itself, said Bud. He said they broke even one
year, when they were milking 22 animals a day, versus the 10 they have in milk
production now.
The Bergkuists
originally set themselves up to be a commercial milking operation, with the
attendant requirement of adhering to a small mountain of state regulations.
That lasted one year.
“It was too much work,” said Bud. “It
wasn’t fun.”
Even keeping the operation to a scale
they can enjoy, Bud said, “is a major, major, major commitment. It’s 365 days a
year.”
Nonetheless, he said, “Both Carolyn and
I are pretty well convinced that we’ll be milking goats in our 70s.”
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Grant will allow food stamp recipients to shop at
farmers’ markets
UNH Cooperative’s Extension Nutrition
Connections program has won a $31,000 grant from the Northeast Sustainable
Agriculture, Research and Education Program (NESARE) that will encourage food
stamp recipients to use their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards at three
farmers’ markets this summer. Additional funds from the Nutrition Connections
program will support two additional markets in the project (see list of markets
below).
Nutrition Connections’ food security
coordinator Helen Costello says the grant will allow shoppers at markets in
“When the electronic benefits transfer
(EBT) card replaced paper food stamp coupons in 1998, farmers’
markets and many farm stands didn’t have the infrastructure to accept the
cards, inadvertently excluding food stamp customers from these markets,” says
Costello. “The NESARE grant will allow the pilot sites to bring the necessary
telephone and electricity lines to the markets and remove other barriers that
have prevented market vendors from accepting food stamps. This summer, food stamp customers
can bring their EBT cards to the UNHCE kiosk at participating markets and have
them authorized to receive market scrip to make food purchases.”
Food stamp project joins existing
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
The project enhances the benefits already
available through the USDA Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which provides
coupons at the start of each market season that let qualifying low-income
families and seniors buy fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets. The
ability to use the EBT card at the markets will extend the purchasing power of
families and seniors.
“Studies show that seniors who participate in
the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program say they eat more fruits and vegetables
than they would without the program and that they plan to eat more fruits and
vegetables throughout the year,” says Costello. “Also, families who introduce
their children to frequent exposure to fruits and vegetables help instill
healthy eating habits early and help reduce the risk of nutrition-related
diseases later in life, especially obesity and Type 2 diabetes.”
Costello credits George Hamilton, Extension
agricultural educator in
UNH Extension Master Gardeners and nutritionists
from the Nutrition Connections program will present food production and cooking
demonstrations at each of the five participating markets to educate the public
about food production and introduce new ideas for using farm fresh foods.
At the end of the three-year pilot Costello plans to develop a
how-to manual for market managers that will help the food stamp program grow to
include farmers’ markets statewide.
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For
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Farmers Markets: A Whole Other Way of Farming |
Pickled. Smoked. Baked. Grown. Reared. Caught. Brewed. Even processed. A farmers market has something for everyone, whether it be fresh produce or just good ‘ol insight into farming.
The concept of direct selling of agricultural
products to the public is almost as old as farming itself. And with increased
concerns about nutrition, not to mention a mounting interest in buying fresh
goods straight from the farm, farmers markets have become very popular in
recent years. According to the Agriculture Department, the number of farmers
markets increased 79 percent from 1994 to 2002. Today there are more than 3,000
markets operating throughout the
Farmers markets serve as a bridge between farmers
and urbanites. “They actually revitalize downtown areas,” says
And bring it to them she does. Terry travels
hundreds of miles each week coordinating 12 markets in
The Terry’s started selling their goods through farmers markets when they couldn’t make ends meet by selling wholesale. Once they cut out the middleman and sold solely through the farmers market, they were able to recoup their costs, sell their products for five times as much, cut down on production acres and diversify their crops. “It is a whole other way of farming,” says Terry, who now grows 54 different types of vegetables.
The Terry’s aren’t alone. According to USDA, 19,000 farmers sell their produce only through farmers markets. And it is those small farm operators, with less than $250,000 in annual receipts-94 percent of all farms-who benefit the most.
Consumers benefit, too. Customers have direct access to local products and face-to-face time with the farmers who produce the goods. Local farmers markets also help their communities by boosting the economy. And, USDA statistics show 25 percent of markets participate in gleaning programs that aid local food banks in the distribution of food to needy families.
Appreciative customers in turn look out for their local farmers, in many cases only purchasing produce and other products from their farmers market.
“Regulars become our personal friends,” says Terry. “We know their names, their grandchildren’s names…You won’t find that at a grocery store.”
Tracy Taylor Grondine
is director of news services for American Farm Bureau Federation.
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=35964
News -
Farmers' markets
keep growing in
By JODY RECORD
Union Leader Correspondent
Some look like
crabgrass. Others offer only a hint of green against the cocoa-colored soil.
But come harvest time — less than 30 days from now — Bentley will join other
“It started when a
handful of people — two or three — got together in a parking lot and sold stuff
out of the back of a station wagon,” Bentley said. “It was when the
back-to-the-landers were coming on strong.”
The organization
has grown steadily since then and now includes some 40 members. Bentley credits
the surge in farmers’ markets around the state to awareness. There are about 50
now, compared to 12 just 10 years ago.
“Consumers are
making different choices. They’re thinking about where their food comes from,”
the Newfields woman said.
They are also
seeking the social connection that comes with strolling through a farmer’s
market, talking with neighbors and strangers and growers.
“That’s a big piece
of it,” says Jack Potter, president of the New Hampshire Farmers’ Market
Association. “It’s that and that people want to walk up and talk to the person
who grew that tomato. They like the fact that the green beans they’re buying
were picked that morning.”
The NHFMA was born
in 2002 as a way to help educate the general public about the benefits of buying
fresh, locally grown produce and products. It also gives vendors a chance to
refine their role, Potter says.
“It helps vendors
be better vendors,” the Sanborton man said.
In 2001, that
town’s residents asked the
One of the top-four
rankings was the desire to revitalize agriculture to include a farmer’s market.
“Basically people
said, if you build it, we will come,” Potter said. “We saw that people are wanting to purchase fresh, local produce. And we saw
people using it as a community gathering place.”
That sense of
community is a critical aspect of the outdoor markets, Potter reiterated, to
the point that towns where a group doesn’t exist consider them in their town
planning. He points to
“A farmers’ market
is one of the things that was identified as a way to
bring people downtown,” said Steve Taylor, commissioner for the state
Department of Agriculture. “They have become more of an ‘in’ thing. I think
they are viewed as fundamental to a community, like a good rec
program or a good library.”
Potter said it this
way: “Farmers’ markets are fostering a sense of community. They are
re-energizing and re-invigorating cities and towns.”
In 2003, some of
the farmer’s markets started accepting state-issued coupons so families who otherwise
couldn’t afford it could buy fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs.
“Last year, 116
vendors accepted WIC coupons,” Potter said. “About 98,000 coupons worth
$196,000 were redeemed.”
Additionally, three
test site markets had kiosks where food stamps could be reclaimed.
“Those programs
help low-income moms and seniors,”
The biggest
problem,
Some markets, such
as
“
Bentley is pleased
with the shape the seasonal markets have taken. She sees their purpose as a
blend of food and socialization.
“I think they’re a
whole lot of both,” Bentley said. “They provide a social aspect you don’t get
in other places. People meet and eat and talk. It’s how I imagine it was in the
1800s. I’d love to see the day when every town had one.”
http://www.farmersmarketonline.com/Openair.htm
Farmers Markets Not Just For
Weekends Anymore
Jack Potter of Shaker Woods Farms in
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4375493/
By Jon Bonné
MSNBC
Updated:
Every
Friday afternoon from June to September,
The
wares at the Sanbornton Farmers’
Market are off-limits until
Potter
and his wife Eva retired from the Air Force in the late 1990s, bought property
in
In
2001, Potter organized a small summer market, trying to help the town of 2,500
preserve its rural character. The market just kept growing. It now invites not
only local farmers but bakers and even coffee roasters from across the state.
Though
Potter, an
For
Americans born into an era of year-round fresh produce, global food
distribution and a food supply that grows cheaper and more commoditized each
year, it has become a welcome novelty to eat something from just down the road.
“People
pretty well recognize that you’re not going to come to a farmer’s market to get
vegetables at a discount," Potter says. "What you’re going to get is
green beans that were picked in the morning.”
Direct
marketing
Even
Potter acknowledges farmers’ markets won't provide most growers a full income.
But thousands of farmers -– especially in warmer corners like
These
alternatives to the efficiency of post-war American farming are growing from
what once once a roadside diversion into a thriving,
if still modest, industry.
In
1997, 84,000 corporations controlled 131 million acres of farmland, up from 67,000
corporation and 119 million acres a decade earlier, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. At the same time, the number of family farms dropped
by over 160,000 to 1.64 million.
A
dizzying array of options now awaits farmers who want to buck the system. Most
sell products locally to consumers or small companies. Many are committed to
sustainable agriculture: managing farms to be profitable and environmentally
safe. Some have targeted shoppers who want, say, organic vegetables or humanely
raised meat.
The
overall dimensions of these trends are elusive, in part because so many farming
subcultures have sprouted up. By one estimate, at least 1,500
Back
then, those farms earned over $550 million. Since then, calculates former
Farmers’
markets are booming too, with some 3,500 across the country welcoming an
estimated 3 million shoppers a week during peak season. “There’s more
demand for these markets in towns and cities than people to organize them and
farmers to come into them,” says Schumacher, a fourth-generation
The
newest growth areas take sales beyond the weekend vegetable stall. Small and
even mid-size farmers now deliver direct to schools, restaurants and
institutional food companies. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) plans allow
shoppers to buy in bulk, paying a flat price for a percentage of a farm’s
output. Many farmers' markets now accept food vouchers for low-income families.
Growers
even rely on pick-your-own and farm tourism (think corn mazes and hay rides) to
pay the bills.
“People
often come to this out of desperation,” says Rhonda Perry, program director at
the
http://www.nhfarmbureau.org/publication/2003_jul_comm_web.pdf
http://www.theunionleader.com/Articles_show.html?article=24555&archive=1
Statewide events will celebrate
farmers markets By TIM RYAN. Union Leader Correspondent
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NEW BOSTON — In celebration of Farmers Market Week, which runs through Saturday, the New Boston Farmers Market will feature speakers extolling the virtues of purchasing food from local growers.
Steve Taylor, the state’s commissioner
of agriculture, will be present today at the New Boston Farmers Market situated
at the
Other farmers markets around the state will hold similar events during the week.
Purpose of the week is to highlight the benefits of such markets, and also point residents to the cornucopia of foods available from local growers, New Boston Farmers Market director Melissa Harvey said.
“It gives local growers a vehicle to distribute the things they are growing and making,” she said. “This allows people to come out and get food that’s being grown in their own backyard.”
“There are names and faces behind the foods they’re buying, rather than an impersonal experience in a supermarket.
“There’s a demand for fresh produce,” Potter said.
“The state has roots in agriculture,” she said. “They were lost for a while, and now it’s growing again.”
In fact, Potter said the number of farmers markets in the state has grown from 34 in 2002 to 45 this year. Potter said there were barely a dozen farmers markets in the state a decade ago.
“It’s a bright spot in agriculture,” he said. “Small farms are on the increase.”
For information about farmers markets around the state, visit www.nhfma.org
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http://www4.citizen.com/news2003/August2003/August_05/ci_08_05_03o.asp
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N.H. Farmers’ Market Week Gov. Craig Benson has proclaimed the week of Aug. 3-9 as New Hampshire Farmers’ Market Week, coinciding with the 2003 National Farmers’ Market Week. Both the state and the N.H. Farmers’ Market Association actively support and promote the development and operation of farmers’ markets and other direct marketing activities for agricultural producers. There are now 45 convenient farmers’ markets located throughout the state, nearly four times the number of markets as a decade ago. Six of these markets are starting operations this year. The markets offer products such as farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat and dairy products and much more. Farmers’ markets provide an outstanding venue for farmers to market directly to consumers, generate substantial income for family farmers, and bring consumers face to face with those who grew the products, heightening their appreciation of farmers’ service. Farmers’ markets support communities by bringing the ambiance of the farm to the city or town by making fresh and nutritious food readily available, and by giving consumers the ability to purchase locally grown produce with ease. Nutrition experts recommend that all adults and children consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily for healthy diet and improved nutrition. Farmers’ markets in Local farmers’ markets will be celebrating Farmers’ Market Week with a variety of events to include cooking demonstrations, tomato tastings, corn boils, music, entertainment, raffles, contests and more. Go to www.agriculture.nh.gov or
nhfma.org/2003-market-list-htm.htm for the most current list of For more information, contact the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food, 271-3788. |
http://www.theunionleader.com/Articles_show.html?article=24760&archive=1
Keeping NH farms in the green By
JEANNE MORRIS Sunday News Staff
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The vibrant farmers markets
springing up throughout the state aren’t only providing fresh vegetables and
fruit to Granite Staters. Officials say the markets
are playing a key role in preserving
Katie and Stephen Surowiec of
Sanbornton, for example, regularly receive queries from developers wanting to
plant houses on the 130-acre farm that’s been in the family since 1917 and
commands inspiring views of the
But the Surowiecs plan to keep their land tilled as long as they can make a living off it. And a good deal of that living has started coming through the Sanbornton Farmers’ Market, which opened three years ago.
The Surowiecs have began growing lots of vegetables for the market in addition to their produce lineup of apples, strawberries, blueberries and corn. Vegetable sales have taken off to the point the Surowiecs are now doubling their 50-foot-long greenhouse to increase production.
“It’s not our biggest money maker,
but it’s an important one,” Katie Surowiec said.
The retail component
Another major benefit is that the exposure at the market has let many people discover the Surowiec farm where they can go to pick their own apples, strawberries, blueberries, and get Christmas trees
Dick Uncles, supervisor of markets
for the state Department of Agriculture, said farmers in
“There are very few farms left in
Uncles said thriving farmers markets in the state are spurring increasing numbers of Granite Staters to turn to farming.
“We get so many calls from people who have bought land and want to know what to do with it. If we didn’t have farmers markets there really isn’t much opportunity,” he said.
Organizers of farmers markets also
said they spend a great deal of time fielding calls from would-be farmers.
New crop of farmers
Jack Potter, the president of the newly formed New Hampshire Farmers’ Markets Association, said, “There is an incredible bumper crop of people who come to me and say, ‘I’d like to be a farmer in the market.’”
Organizers also spend a good deal of time fielding calls from those seeking to start new farmers markets.
Uncles said increasingly community activists looking for ways to revive their main streets are turning to farmers markets.
In fact, farmers markets are popping up around the state so fast that the Uncles says the department’s brochure listing them is typically obsolete by the time it’s printed.
“It seems there’s a new one every week. We can’t keep up,” he said.
The pace is so fast, that the local farmers can’t keep up with it.
Potter said, “There is a shortage of farmers and growers for markets. There are markets that are hurting for vendors.”
At the newly-formed market in
“I had to stop at the supermarket,” Potter said.
At last count, there were 45
farmers markets across the state, according to Potter. Last year there were 34.
About a decade ago there were only a dozen. Stratham,
Federal coupons help
Helping to fuel the success of these markets is a federal food coupon program to benefit low-income senior citizens and mothers with infants and children.
Uncles said
The coupons have made the difference between success and failure for a number of vendors.
Grower Tracey Bentley of Newfields estimated that 75 percent of her sales at the
farmers markets in
At
Vendor Greg Balog
of Heron Pond Farm in
Aside from the coupons, the only
other form of government support to the markets comes from the free space
donated by communities and an occasional small federal grant to help defray
costs such as advertising and signs, said Bentley, the spokesman for the
Seacoast Growers Association.
A certification process?
There’s also very little governmental regulation of what’s being sold and grown by the vendors. Aside from those who go through the process of becoming certified organic growers and those licensed to serve prepared food, most vendors operate without any governmental oversight. The farmers market association would like to change that a bit.
Potter said, “Eventually, we’d like to have a program where a vendor can go through a program and become a certified vendor.”
The program would train the vendors
in such things as food handling and weights and measures. The association would
also advise marketers about safe parking lots, bathrooms, and advertising.
Basics of how to start a market or start vending business could be provided
would-be farmers and organizers.
Wide range of sellers
Yet, it’s hard to imagine uniformity among such a diverse group of vendors.
Many have second jobs. Their makeup ranges from those like Bentley, who are fleeing the corporate world, to those like Dr. Charlie Burke of Sanbornton, who is a semi-retired physician looking for an enjoyable activity, to Don Buck of Rye, who strives to make his entire living from the markets.
Nearly all reported that their businesses have been shaped by the farmers market.
Buck, for example, of Foss Farm in
“We stuck the spring rolls out there and it just took off like a rocket,” he said.
Now Buck only sells vegetable sushi meals and spring rolls. And that’s led to supplying local stores with the food, too.
“We make a living at it,” he said.
Aiming for influence
Burke, who bought a 30-acre farm in Sanbornton called Weather Hill Farm three years ago, started out selling the surplus from his private garden.
Now, he’s bought farming equipment and is growing large quantities for market. Last year, Burke said he was selling out of his organic specialty greens in about 45 minutes. This year he increased production to include 10 pounds lettuce and greens, and 30 pounds of peas.
“We’re just having a great time,” said Burke, who doesn’t expect the venture will fund his retirement.
Burke also sees his labor of love as providing a positive influence in his community and state. He welcomes the opportunity the market gives him to teach people about how they, too, can grow foods organically.
And, as an active member in the
growers association, he believes he’s helping to preserve the special qualities
about
“It’s about open space,” he said.
“We’re not feeding the country, but if we can expand the market base for these small farms and help them stay vital, these small farms won’t have housing developments,” Burke said.
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