Hello, and welcome back to other types of employment! This time we are talking with an organic farmer. So, Frank why is organic farming so much better than regular farming?
The advantages to organic farming are many fold. Environmental and ethical reasons aside, if you can get certified organic, your products can be sold for a much higher price.
But doesn't it also cost more to maintain?
If you do it right, it doesn't have to. We have been farming without pesticides or genetics for millennia and we are just realizing that some age old ways of doing things are just as effective as new industrial means. By combining these old methods with new technology, we can farm even more efficiently and still not use harmful practices.
Could you give an example of this?
Why yes, I could in fact there are several examples. The use of black plastic does not involve the use of pesticides to keep weeds down but also makes the soil stay moist for longer, thus reducing the need for watering. If you will be farming in places like New England, a greenhouse can mean that you expand the growing season for much longer. It also keeps out weeds and pests and is a more concentrated method of growing plants. To take this a step further, if you combine fish, you have aquaponics. This keeps the cycle of life going without the use of fertilizer. The dung and water from the fish fertilize the plants, and the plants keep the water clean and oxidized so the fish can continue to grow. Once they finally get big enough, the fish can then be sold. Organic farm raised salmon catch a hefty price.
Those were some good examples Frank, are there an other business models for farming that might be more profitable than wholesaling to grocery stores?
I'm glad you brought that up. The farm stand is an age old strategy that still works today, but if you have a bad year and some of your crops fail, you might loose some customers. Another strategy is to sell shares of your years harvest for a fixed cost. That way even if your crop fails, you still have money. If you have a bumper crop, those who bought the shares will get a huge abundant of healthy food for the majority of the year.
Well thank you, that’s all the time we have today for other types of employment. Join us next time and we will go over an innovative business plan that is sure to spark the interest of many.