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THE ABC'S of Starting an Organic Farm...............post or reply any helpful information please!
This is a first for us, we are trying to get information on starting an Organic Farm. So all of you who can be of help here please post or reply any and all information on the intial ABC'S of getting started. We all appreciate any information you can share as we do have over a 100 acres in which we would like to get started on immediately.
Hardryve
Hardryve
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by A Small Victory Garden on -
S is for Sheet Mulching. Forget Tilling, sheet mulching mimics how nature builds soil. Think of a forest floor, covered in leaves. Usually there aren't a lot of weeds like you get on a typical lawn or garden. Sheet mulching covers up a layer of fertilizer (chicken or cow manure) with compost. You top off the compost with a layer of mulch and dig your seedlings into it. Go here for more info:
http://www.agroforestry.net/pubs/Sheet_Mulching.html
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Permalink Reply by Cornelia on -
Hi there,
Considering that this is much of the work that Farm Aid does, I would encourage you to visit our Farm Resource Network - it is an online database of the local and national groups that we work with. Our 23 years of farmer calls is now online!
The first name that comes to mind (assuming you're in Florida by the link in your profile page) is FOG - Florida Organic Growers. Free technical assistance for converting land to organic farming. Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Randy on -
1) Find land
2) Worm castings to convert that land to living soil
3) Lots of seeds
4) Find labor using something like Bright Neighbor
5) It takes time!
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Permalink Reply by Betty Saenz on -
Congratulations! I am so happy you are doing it the organic way!! Till in turkey manure and plant a cover crop over it. Plant oats or rye for biomass and till in in the Spring. Plant nitrogen fixating legumes, be sure the seed is innoculated (coated). After the legumes flower- that's when they are putting the maximum amount of nitrogen in the soil, till into the soil. Helpful LINKS- http://ofrf.org/index.html http://www.ers.usda.gov/features/organic/organicfarming.htm http://www.keepourfoodsafe.org/keep_our_food_safe/2008/11/usda-prop...
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Permalink Reply by Torry on -
Getting your farm certified as organic is a tough, costly procedure....not that the methods of organic farming are difficult, but the process to be able to sell your food labeled as "organic" is a real journey. I've know several farmers to just go ahead and use organic farming practices, and when they go to market, they tell their buyers exactly how they farm...this way you build a personal relationship with your clients, and can work towards getting certified as your business grows.
Torry
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Permalink Reply by Hardryve on -
Thanks for all of your replies, this week on the 19th of this Nov I will be at shands for an operation, keep me in your prayers. It is difficult at times to reply to all of you, but as this yr close's we need to upgrade this pc in order for me to get on more frequently. With dial-up it interferes with the land phone so getting on is a problem. Better days ahead though, all of the info replied here is most encouraging and we will put it to use as we develop these ideas straightaway......again Thanks for all of your supportive interactions and look forward to more and future reports on how we may be coming along as time permits....
Hope to converse with you some more until then,
Hardryve
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Permalink Reply by Kurt on -
Have your 100 acres been farmed conventionally before?
I'm using a mixture of sugars,seeweeds and different herbals as an all natural fertilizers with no chemicals and animal by products. After using it for 2 years I could increase my harvest by close to 100%
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Permalink Reply by Katherine Mann on -
No one has mentioned water - a big an somewhat expensive issue for our farm. We use drip irrigation, but we have to pump off a creek. Dropping a well or digging a pond are both hugely expensive, so if you have a source of water nearby try to use it. Also, I don't know if you have pests like deer around, but we had to build a deer fence around our field. It was relatively inexpensive, using only wires space a foot apart attached to wooden posts and charged with an electric fence charger. It might be good for you to try to visit some nearby organic farms to see how they do things. Usually us organic farmers are happy to share our secrets.
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Permalink Reply by Hardryve on
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Thanks Katherine,
Don't have enough time to answer you right now but thanks again for your help,
Hardryve (John)
Katherine Mann said:No one has mentioned water - a big an somewhat expensive issue for our farm. We use drip irrigation, but we have to pump off a creek. Dropping a well or digging a pond are both hugely expensive, so if you have a source of water nearby try to use it. Also, I don't know if you have pests like deer around, but we had to build a deer fence around our field. It was relatively inexpensive, using only wires space a foot apart attached to wooden posts and charged with an electric fence charger. It might be good for you to try to visit some nearby organic farms to see how they do things. Usually us organic farmers are happy to share our secrets.
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Permalink Reply by Hardryve on
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To all, have been in touch with "FOG" out of Gainesville Fl. After talking with someone there they have informed me to pay a $25 fee for the certification service they offer. Have not done that to date. Soon however we will, also considering meeting with them to see first hand the operation. Thank you all for your info, it is well appreciated and will come in handy in the near future as we progress here. As I stated earlier, we are also in the process of updating our PC and connection, so as soon as this is done I will be on more frequently to keep up all of your replies. Thanks for being patient. Will keep you all abreast on how were doing so that others that might be thinking of organic farming will also be encouraged to participate.
Much appreciated, Hardryve (John)
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USDA Issues New Regulations Protecting Contract Farmers
The USDA released regulations (PDF link) this week that will provide new, much-needed protections for contract poultry farmers.Contract farming generally refers to a system in which a farmer raises or grows an agricultural product for a larger company. Contract poultry farmers invest their own money to build poultry barns to company specifications. Under contract, a company delivers the chicks to the grower who uses company feed and medicine to raise the chicks. The company retains ownership of the birds and dictates how the chicks are to be raised. The grown birds then go back to be processed by the poultry company for a previously agreed-upon price based on the birds' weight.
A typical chicken house costs about $300,000 to build, and most companies encourage growers to build at least four houses, for an investment in excess of $1 million. Frequently, growers take out loans covering that entire expense, only to find themselves dropped by the company, often with little or no notice. While there exists the potential for fair contracts in this agricultural system, that has not been the case historically. Contract growers have typically been extremely vulnerable, the contracts tilted against the grower who is subject to the whims of the poultry company. These new regulations issued by the USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration will help change that system.
Under the new rules:
- Companies must provide farmers with a written copy of the contract before the farmer makes an initial investment in his or her poultry houses;
- Contracts with confidentiality clauses must allow farmers to discuss contract offers with federal or state agencies, immediate family members, business associates, farmers who contract with the same company, accounting services hired by the farmer, a lawyer or financial advisor before signing;
- Contracts must state that if a farmer is put on a performance improvement plan (in other words, if they've received a warning that could potentially lead to their contract being terminated), they must be told why, what steps will be taken to help them improve, how they can regain good standing, and the factors that will be used to determine when or if the contract will be terminated;
- Farmers must be notified in writing within 90 days before a contract is terminated, expired, not renewed or not replaced.
"When the company terminated my contract, the company representative left a message on my answering machine saying that the flock of chickens that we had would be our last," Kevin said. "We had no warning. No one should be in that situation."
Mickey Box, a farmer in Berryville, Arkansas, agreed. "Growers have been left in the dark," Mickey said. "When I was put on a performance improvement plan, I knew I could lose my contract. It would have helped to know how I could get back in good standing."
Becky Ceartas, director of the contract agriculture reform program at Farm Aid-funded group Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI), said these rules increase fairness, transparency and good business practices.
"Before farmers make the financial commitment to build poultry facilities on their farms, they need to know exactly what's expected and what the terms of that arrangement will be," said Ceartas. "An informed farmer can make better decisions, and that benefits everyone."
Farmers and concerned consumers can get more information about these rules by calling Ceartas at (919) 542-1396 x209 or by visiting www.rafiusa.org.
The Administration will release additional proposed regulations in early 2010 that will deal with other competition and fairness issues in poultry and livestock agriculture—stay tuned!
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