Now that financial goals are set, crops selected, and seeds ordered, the next step is simple: follow through with the crop plan. After that, simply keep good records and analyze your crop profitability. Crop Planning Step 8: Carry Out the Crop Plan Do the work! Crop Planning Step 9: Keep Records As Allan Savory says in Holistic Management, the word “plan” is a 24-letter word:...
After the initial planning for financial targets comes the field planning—crop choice, planting schedules, crop maps, and, finally, filling out seed orders for each crop. Crop Planning Step 3: Make Field Planting Schedules Two things to consider in this step are when and how much to plant. When to plant. This is calculated by subtracting the days to maturity from your target...
In the previous post, we examined the first of Dan Brisebois’s 11 steps for crop planning: setting goals. Today we’ll look at the second: developing a marketing plan. Crop Planning Step 2: Develop a Marketing Plan Your marketing plan will be based on your salary, budget, projected expenses, and financial goals. Since you’ll be aiming to meet your financial goals, it only makes sense to plan how...
In the first post in this series with grower Dan Brisebois, we gave an overview of Ferme Tourne-Sol. Today we’ll examine the first of Dan’s 11 steps for effective crop planning. Before You Start Dan can’t stress this enough: before you even consider beginning your own farming operation and growing for a living, get some training. Find a good farm with a system that works and learn the...
In this blog series, we’ll be learning from farmer and Ferme Tourne-Sol co-owner Dan Brisebois about crop planning for organic vegetables. Hopefully, we’ll shed some light on how to increase productivity (and profit) with the use of a strategic plan, coupled with flexibility, to maximize our farms’ potential. First of All, What Makes a Good Farmer? Is it being able to grow multiple...
In the last post, we covered features of JM’s design for his market garden, including his permanent bed system and some of the equipment he uses. In this final post, we’ll look at work-life balance, seeding, and weeding. Working Hours The farm’s 10-acre land constraint has been a blessing to JM and Maude-Hélène since it has forced them to prioritize, to determine which things they were and...
In the first post in this series, we explored the factors that influenced JM Fortier as he began to design his market garden. Today we’ll look at several integral parts of successful farm design, including permanent beds and equipment. Purchasing Land for a small farm If you look around, there are lots of buildings that can be reclaimed and repurposed. One of those buildings in JM’s case was a...
Market gardening is a vital part of the local food movement. If enough people become serious about it, market gardening could replace large-scale vegetable production. This has the potential to improve overall soil health as well as human health. Many young people are interested in agriculture but have trouble entering the industry. For budding market gardeners, it can be nothing short of...
In the final part of our series on the benefits and how-to’s of leasing land for market gardening, we turn to the specifics of converting leased land into an urban farm. The Initial Conversion Turning a newly rented piece of land into a farm is a process. Before signing the lease, Curtis takes a shovel and digs into the ground to check the soil and to look for invasive weeds. This is an...
In the first two parts of this series, we’ve covered the benefits of leasing land to start a market garden and how much you should expect to pay for that land. Today we’ll cover how to increase the value of your rented land. There’s No Shortage of Land According to urban farmer Curtis Stone, “Land is basically free. Not to buy, but to use.” There’s a ton of uncultivated land just sitting...
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