When you take out the middle man, you become the middle man.
In traditional agriculture you raise a crop to a certain stage, and then pass it on to the next person- the milk coop, the grain mill, stocker cattle operations, etc. Direct market farms are involved in every aspect of food production until it is in your hands. That means we have to plan for raising the livestock, scheduling processing dates, delivering the livestock to the processor, bringing them back from the processor, managing freezer inventory, and getting them marketed to you. Hours each week are spent judging supply and demand- often we get it just right, but sometimes we miss. We have processing dates scheduled on a bi-weekly basis. We leave loaded and come home loaded, dropping off the beef and hogs for the next pickup and bringing home the meat from the last drop off. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, but it can also be rewarding and freeing. We don’t farm traditionally because traditionally wasn’t working for us. Traditional wasn’t connecting people directly with their food supply. Traditional wasn’t providing any profit. Traditional wasn’t going to sustain our farm for the next generation. We believe food decisions should be in the hands of the people growing it and eating it. Those decisions require many different hats to be worn by a small group of people. Between beef, pork, and chickens, over 1500 animals will be processed off of our farm this year, and by the end of the week our goal is to have every animal on paper with a family assigned to it. We are close to that goal. The rest of the year will be spent caring for and coordinating the land, animal, and people involved in our operation. At the end of every year we ask, “Can we do more?” This year we’re operating off of “less is more.” We are expanding our hog production by 50 percent, but the rest of our energy will be spent on putting more focus and effort toward the things we are currently doing. When you become the bottom man, the middle man, and the top man you have to make sure you don’t have any gaps. That’s our goal this year- to fill in the gaps. What are some of your goals for this year?
0 Comments
|
Our Farm's Voice
Hello! I'm Madelaine Paige, and I'm so glad we've met. I love mornings, milk cows, and musings. Archives
July 2021
Categories |