Nova Scotia and North Carolina

The theme of the articles I've been posting lately seems to be: you can't make a living from just farming anymore -- at least not the kind of farming in which farmers sell to middlemen who determines the price of the goods. Different strategies are in order, from direct-to-consumer sales to hosting customers on the farm for all kinds of activities.

"A tough row to hoe," by Gordon Delaney of the Halifax Chronicle Herald, discusses Nova Scotia's once booming, but now struggling, hog industry. In Nova Scotia, says the article, "Large retailers can bring pork into the province cheaper than local farmers can produce it."

It sounds much like the dairy crisis.  The cost of farmers producing the goods is greater than the wholesale price that they receive for the goods.

Photo caption: At the age of 53, Gerald Vermeulen is being forced to shut down his Canning hog operation. The lifelong farmer’s eyes fill with tears as he says: ’It’s going to be difficult for me to transition into something else, but that’s what I’m going to have to do.’(Photos by TIM KROCHAK / Chronicle Herald Staff)


From the article:

The hog industry is an example of how farmers have had to struggle to survive in a changing marketplace where large national and international grocery chains rule, and competition from cheap imported food products puts the squeeze on local farmers...There’s been a huge consolidation over the past 10 years among retail chains and other food distributors, putting the primary producer at a disadvantage in negotiation and positioning of prices, relative to the costs involved in producing food.

The article continues to analyze the food security risk inherent in a system in which only 7.2% of consumers' food dollars go to local farmers, down from 10.1% in 1991.

There is now, however, a small reverse in the trend. The local foods movement is changing consumer behavior, and some farmers are diversifying and pursuing agritourism in order to become resilient to the tough market.

Photo caption: Caroline Bishop and her father, Andrew, have branched out into alternate farming methods at their Noggins Corner Farm near Wolfville. Plastic field tunnels allow them to grow things like raspberries that normally couldn’t be grown here this time of year.                                              

Maryland and SoCal Agritourism

Photo by Skip Lawrence The Frederick News-Post's Ike Wilson penned an article called "Farm fall," on Maryland agritourism. The opening paragraphs outline an unfortunate but typical pattern for small farms, particularly in more urban/suburban areas. Agritourism here, like elsewhere in the country, is providing a bit of hope for farmers who have run out of options for economic survival. From the article:

"Maryland lost 82 farms in 2006 and the number of cows in the state has dwindled to 60,000 from double that number about 12 years ago, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture. To cope, farmers like the Burrier family in Union Bridge decided to diversify after they realized that the prices they were being paid for the products from their KKR Acres Dairy Farm did not cover production costs.

That's when Little Beavers Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze was born, said Robyn Burrier, who runs the business with her husband, Dennis. This fall marks the first patch and maze for the Burriers."

Corn mazes and pumpkin patches seem to be some of the more popular ways that farmers delve into agritourism. Corn mazes run a whole gamut from super high-tech, GPS-designed mazes that are contracted to professional corn maze companies, to farmers who mow or hand-weed their own whimsical trail through the corn field.

I have to admit: I've never been to a corn maze, but I'm intrigued. I'm a bit turned off by the flashy, crowded ones, but whatever the form, I'm glad that farmers have found this unusual way to bring folks to their fields.

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Don Curlee of the San Diego Appeal Democrat writes, in an article called Farm tourism in full bloom in rural San Diego, that "the contributions of agritourism to farmers and to the enjoyment of California's non-farm population is on display in San Diego County like no place else." A bold claim! UC-Davis is doing a lot of good work to promote agritourism in the area, with its Small Farm Program. Unfortunately, the UC Small Farm Program is shutting down at the end of 2009 due to a budget shortfall.

Farmers turn to agritourism to stay afloat

Vermont's dairies are struggling. Wholesale milk prices are the lowest they've been in 30 years -- low enough that the price doesn't even cover operating costs. An article in the Brattleboro Reformer talks about the dire plight of Vermont dairies, which are trying crop diversification and agritourism to remain solvent. Reporter Chris Garofolo highlights the Guilford, VT Gaines Farm which started a corn maze, and other farms that have turned to online sales, farm stands, and summer farm camps. Garofolo ends the article with this: "The Green Mountain State was home to 11,206 dairy farms in 1947, but that number has dropped steadily the last half century. There are now fewer than 1,500 dairy operations in Vermont." -------------------------------- Apple orchards in New York seem to be in a better situation, as all the rain has made for larger-than-normal and high-quality apples. U-pick sales, additionally, are up. Though the Poughkeepsie Journal article "Pick-your-own season looks promising for local orchards," by Sarah Bradshaw, still mentions the steady decline in the state's apple orchard acerage: "[in 2007] the state had 1,350 apple farms and about 50,000 acres, down from 53,000 acres in 2002 and 66,000 acres in 1997," it is, on the whole, very optimistic.

Photo caption: Apples ripen at Terhune Orchards in Salt Point. Thousands are expected to descend on the Hudson Valley to pick and purchase apples from local orchards. (Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal) --------------------- Elsewhere in the northeast, the Blue Heron Organic Farm in Lincoln, MA is holding a festival and fundraiser in order to stay afloat and to fund a new greenhouse. The fundraiser will feature music, hayrides, and workshops.

Delaware u-pick apples and Maine corn mazes

You-pick apple orchards in Delaware, and agritourism in general, were the topic of a Delaware Online article today. And Maine corn mazes received similar positive attention in a Kennebec Journal article. Both articles stress the pleasant, family-friendly experiences people enjoy when they visit farms, as well as the benefits for farmers.