Food Hub Soils Course for Growers 2013Ellen Polishuk, Potomac Vegetable Farms

BASIC FACTSNorthern Virginia (DC area)2 Farms3 owners: Ellen, Hana, HiuEcoganic Methods$1 million in gross sales Loudoun County, Virginia, 50 miles NW of Washington, DC180 acres total 50 acres inside 8 deer fence 10 acres cash crops 10 acres on vacationAll other acres in fallowgrassland/forest/riparian Who Works Here?Ellen: owner, problem solver,bookkeeper, payroll, planner, PRperson, mechanic/tractor driverWorkers 2 FT Permanent Farm Managers (husband/wife) 6 Full Time seasonal 4 Part Time seasonal PVF, Inc. Financial Status S Corp, all are W-2 employees SEP-IRA for owners and anyone with 3 years of service Health insurance for permanent workers No grants, govt payments or off farm income floatingthe boat Only farm debt for managers house we bought($100,000 mortgage) Financials for PVF - WestGross income around$350,000Expenses: Total labor cost = 50% Capital expenses = 10-15% CROPS* Vegetables (80% of income) tomato family greens cucurbits* Lots of culinary herbs (15% ofincome)* Greenhouse grown plants formarket (5% of income)* 200+ tons CMC compost for us What we Dont GrowNo Sweet CornNo Tree fruit or berriesNo Fancy pants flowers MARKETSFarmers Markets 3/week(65% )60 CSA members (7%)1 roadside stand (14%)Wholesale to our sister farm operation (14%) How do we grow? ECOGANICALLY!!Lots of land + Lots of toys + Lots of people=lots of fun and good money too ALL RETAIL BABY! Work Crew Equipment at work InfrastructureBarnShopGreenhouseTrucksShedsCompost pad 1. Fun (high quality of life is a Must)2. Make a Living3. No or Low Debt4. We like people5. Keep investing in capital assets6. Machines are cool7. Organic Practices PVF Value Statement: Local Ecoganic Fresh, very very fresh Tasty and nutritious, grown on lively soils! Family farmed Happy, empowered workers Good neighbors Smile we Decisions that increased profits Compost operation Spader as tillage cannot be beat Ecoganic vs Organic = good choice CSA = great money, early Build a big deer fence Decisions that decreased profits Not using soil tests sooner relying on compost andcover crops alone not enough Too slow to improve housing options Working ground when its too wet! Not implementing a more weed combative rotation new problems may have been avoided Poor personnel management = lots of unnecessaryheartache Too slow to build proper deer fence What is sustainable ag?The Triple Bottom Line Ecologically Sound Socially Just A sustainable agriculture must be able to meet theneeds of the present without diminishingopportunities for the future. It must be capable ofmaintaining its productivity and value to societyindefinitely forever. John Ikerd, The Economics of Sustainable Agriculture whats your limiting factor? Information Strategic ThinkingMarketing PlanPest ManagementHarvest & Post-HarvestTrellisinIrrigatio ControlWeedn gLabor Farm Design & Crop Decisions Rotations Soil Fertility Diversity=Balance=SustainabilityAlex Hitt, Peregrine Farms, 2012 Soil management, Fertility, Rotations Soil: The cornerstone ofsustainability Three Legged Stool Physics Components, texture, bulk density, CEC, OM Chemistry pH, nutrient content, OM Biology Soil food web, OM The Conventional Out of My Kind of Out of BalanceBalanceBIOLOGICALBIOLOGICAL Components of Healthy Soil Mineral Componentsderived from parent material Sand= 0.05 2 millimeters, inert (has no capacity to holdwater or nutrients), pore space Silt= 0.002 to 0.05 millimeter, holds water and nutrientsfairly well Clay: