Farm Innovations

Below you will find the 7 grant recipient articles from the Farm Innovations Menu:

"Increasing Early Spring Sales Through the Use of an Unheated High Tunnel"

Jack and Beckie Gurley, Calvert’s Gift Farm, Sparks, Maryland

Calvert's Gift Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm in northern Baltimore County, Maryland. The farm markets its produce through an on-farm CSA, farmers' markets, restaurant sales, and an organic cooperative. As in many vegetable operations, cash flow is a problem in early spring. Farmers incur many expenses during these months while saleable produce is not available until May. To address this problem, the Gurleys want to grow early season greens and other products in an unheated high tunnel for sale in March and April.

The Gurleys used the grant funding to purchase materials for a high tunnel. They built the 97' X 16' high tunnel in the fall of 2001. In early December 2001, carrots, leeks, lettuces, mizuna, and arugula filled half of the tunnel. More lettuces, cress, arugula, mizuna, and radishes were planted in the tunnel in late January 2002.

The first harvest was made in early February 2002, and weekly sales began at the end of February. Through late April, 288 pounds of greens were harvested from the tunnel. One hundred twenty radish bunches were harvested during that same period. The high tunnel continued to provide greens well into May, at which time the carrots were also harvested.

The high tunnel increased the farm's early spring income. As a direct result of the high tunnel production, the farm brought in over $1,000 in additional income. This equates to a return of approximately $36 per man-hour from planting to harvesting, exclusive of the expenses incurred in constructing the high tunnel. The Gurleys will investigate other uses for the high tunnel (e.g. transplant production, winter quarters for livestock) to make it an economic asset through the entire year. In future seasons, they will plant the entire tunnel at one time, which should solve succession problems they encountered when some salad varieties grew more quickly than others.

Individual Farm Marketing Grant

"Water Resource Improvement by Developing A Spring House"

Thomas and Judy Marti, Broad Valley Orchard, Adams County, Pennsylvania

Broad Valley Orchard is a three acre farm in Adams County, Pennsylvania that produces chemical-free fruit and vegetables.  The produce is sold through two farmers' markets, four restaurants, and two CSAs.  Since the Martis purchased the farm in 1983, there were nine years of average rainfall.  However, from 1992 to date, there have been eight years of drought.  The lack of recent rainfall, coupled with the farm’s small irrigation capacity, has severely limited the farm’s ability to supply their regular customers, let alone expand to meet the growing demand for chemical-free produce.

The Martis excavated a buried spring on their property with funding from the grant. The spring measures 6' x 6' x 4' and has a capacity of approximately 850 gallons. They also built a spring house/tool shed over the pool and constructed a 17' x 48' high tunnel. A manual foot pump fills 55 gallon drums that are located above the planting area and high tunnel. The field and high tunnel will be irrigated by gravity feed, a system that was field tested this past fall with success.

The farm's capacity to serve their market and expand production has increased with the development of a water supply and the high tunnel. An unforeseen benefit of building the spring house is that it also provides a water source for an experimental shiitake mushroom rick.

Individual Farm Marketing Grant

"Investigation of Retail Packaging Options for Farmstead Cheesemakers"

Vicki Dunaway, Ladybug Microcreamery, Willis, Virginia

Small-scale cheesemakers find availability of high-quality packaging materials very limited. Most cheesemakers must purchase a vacuum-wrapping machine, which requires a significant capital investment and repeat purchases of expensive non-biodegradable plastics. Vacuum packaging ensures that cheese will remain in good condition in a retail setting. However, other packaging options are advantageous because they allow the cheese's living organisms to receive oxygen.

Ms. Dunaway used the grant funding to locate sources of packaging options for small-scale cheesemakers. She conducted field tests by marketing cheese in different types of packaging that would be available to small-scale producers. The following types of packaging were tested:

• paper – deli papers of different weights and types
• cellophane – sold for Brie/Camembert storage
• films – specially made films for cheese that allow oxygen penetration
• HDPE containers – deli cups of various kinds
• PETE containers – clamshell containers
• wooden boxes and baskets – for shipping and gifts

The films, though more expensive than other packaging, were the best alternative to vacuum packaging. The HDPE and PETE containers also gave the cheeses good shelf life. Ms. Dunaway has included articles from this research in her newsletter CreamLine to educate other small-scale cheesemakers about her findings. She plans to continue experimenting with readily available packaging materials from restaurant suppliers.

Individual Farm Marketing Grant

"Using Modified Rowcovers as Season Extenders to Grow Specialty Beets"

David Barylski, Ellicott City, Maryland

In 2001, Mr. Barylski began growing specialty beets for a Howard County, Maryland restaurant client. He delivered between 20 and 50 pounds of beets each week to the restaurant. The restaurant indicated an interest in obtaining beets beyond the typical spring through fall growing season. Beets take approximately 65 days to bring to harvest, and can be picked for 4 to 5 weeks.

With the grant funding, Mr. Barylski set out to experiment with a prolonged growing season. He planned to start planting beds in February 2002, with harvest through March, and again in October 2002 with harvest through December. To obtain sufficient growing temperatures for the beets during these colder months, he planned to use row covers. The row covers were constructed of PVC pipe, wood ridge boards, and 6-mil covering. The ten constructed row covers allowed for two beds, each measuring 50' X 4'.

Mr. Barylski estimated the yield from the covered beds would be 150 - 300 pounds, with gross revenue estimated between $225 and $450. Unfortunately, a drought made it impossible to till the ground early in 2002 before the temperature rose to make the row covers unnecessary. Similarly, the fall season drought left the soil too dry for planting. In early spring 2003, the soil was too wet for field preparation. Mr. Barylski believes the row cover approach is not ideal for the Maryland climate, as the approach depends on an appropriate level of soil moisture. An experimental planting is still scheduled for fall 2003.

Individual Farm Marketing Grant

"A Resource Manual for Start-up Food Processors in Maryland"

The Agriculture Committee of the Howard County Economic Development Authority
Ginger Myers, Agriculture Economic Development Specialist
Maryland Department of Agriculture and
Maryland Cooperative Extension-Howard County, Maryland

Direct marketing and value-added processing are two of the best business practices that farmers can employ for improving their net profitability. Maryland farmers would benefit from the availability of a resource manual on establishing a food processing business. To that end, Ginger Myers produced a resource manual that provides farmers with necessary information regarding food preparation regulations, health code standards, vendors, suppliers, and business inputs needed to make an intelligent decision regarding whether a food processing enterprise is right for their operation.

The grant funding was used to print 250 copies of the 178 page manual. Several experts graciously contributed their time and knowledge to the project. A sample of topics in the manual include:

• Identify Your Marketing Niche
• County Zoning, Permits, and Licenses
• Health Department Regulations
• Labels, Codes, and Packaging
• Writing a Business Plan
• Pricing Your Product and
• Distribution

The manual also includes a resource directory and checklists.  The manual is being offered at cost to ensure a revenue stream to support reprinting.

Group Marketing Grant

"Establishing the Financial Feasibility of Producing Certified Organic Value-Added Products"

Appalachian Harvest Organic Cooperative
Appalachian Sustainable Development, Abingdon, Virginia

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) is a not-for-profit organization working to promote healthier communities in a ten county region of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. ASD is organizing a cooperative network of local certified organic farmers who sell their produce to several supermarket chains under the Appalachian Harvest brand. By creating markets for locally grown organic products, the Appalachian Harvest network hopes to revive a suffering regional agricultural economy. Supermarket chains and Appalachian Harvest growers have expressed an interest in developing a line of processed goods, which would provide additional income to the growers.

The grant funding provided ASD with an opportunity to test the financial feasibility of a value-added product. Appalachian Harvest staff chose to test produce "Garlic and Basil Tomato Sauce" at a commercial-scale kitchen in Tennessee. Four batches of the sauce were produced and jarred to compare costs over different production runs.

The results from the test productions were disappointing. The total cost per jar is too high to warrant a successful commercial venture. However, the test productions identified several potential areas for cost reduction, such as better organization for reduced kitchen rental fees and labor costs. Appalachian Harvest is committed to continued experimentation with value-added processing.

Group Marketing Grant

"Expanding Production and Marketing Opportunities for Small Farm Enterprises on the Lower Eastern Shore"

Laura Romaneo, Agricultural Education,
Worcester County Cooperative Extension, Maryland
Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware
Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland
University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, Maryland

While contract poultry production and row crops currently dominate the Lower Shore Agricultural scene, there is an ever increasing need to diversify farms, develop alternative production practices, and produce non-traditional crops and livestock in an effort to keep local farms profitable and rural communities viable, maintain open space, and address growing environmental and consumer concerns regarding land use and safety. Maryland Cooperative Extension Lower Shore Extension Offices, Salisbury State Small Business Development Center, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Delaware State University Small Farm Technical Assistance and Outreach Program joined forces to offer educational programs for small farmers and assist in development of the Lower Shore Small Farm Cooperative.

The grant funding enabled the participating groups to support several activities in conjunction with Future Harvest - CASA. A small farm short course was offered to introduce new farmers to farming and horticultural concepts. Fifty one people attended the Shore Small Farm Forum, a gathering of extension, industry, and invited speakers who discussed the challenges and future of small scale farmers. A bus tour took participants to four farms with innovative direct marketing techniques.

A class titled "Bridging the Gap" was offered in Salisbury and Dover to increase farmer/consumer contact. Participants felt that there is a need for more advertising of locally produced foods, which could be accomplished through direct sales to school systems and an advertising focus on the freshness and taste of locally grown food. Finally, two meetings were held to discuss the formation of the Lower Shore Cooperative. A buyers' cooperative is tentatively planned. This cooperative would assist greenhouse growers to purchase their commonly used supplies in bulk in order to reduce costs.

GROUP MARKETING GRANT