Organic farm management for vabf conference 2013

Organic Farm Management: Record keeping is a key to success!

“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.”― Abraham Lincoln

How do we get from here…..

……to there? profitably?

Winter time’s a good time to put on our best thinking caps

something’s going on in this office—with a pencil

A 21 (27')

/

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 86'

'A' SECTI ON 2010

A19 11/ 1509 oat pea cover 27' 6/ 3 Gomphrena QI S carmine Wheat/ pea winter cover

A18 11/15/09 oat pea cover 50’ 6/2,3 Sunflowers 4 x 6” followed by direct-sown arugula Wheat /pea winter cover

A17 11/ 15/ 09 Ladoga Tulips 73' 6/ 1 Celosia Red Chief 4 x 6” on f abric wheat/ pea winter cover

A14 f allow 86'

A13 f allow 88’

grass

A8 4/ 29 Calendula I ndian Prince (bed end, too late); 6 x 6” Bunching onions White Spear, Purplette; Tadorna Leeks; King Richard Leeks 89’ 10/ wheat/ pea cover

grass

grass

88’

A7 4/22 Statice QIS Dark Blue 10/ wheat/ pea cover 88’

A5 4/ 22 Statice White Swan, sky blue, dark blue 10/ wheat/ pea cover 87’

A4 4/ 22 Statice QI S white 10/ wheat/ pea cover

87'

A3 4/ 22 Statice QI S rose waldemann’s green lettuce, romaine 4 x 12” on fabric 10/ wheat/ pea cover 84’

A2 4/ 22 QI S yellow statice 8/ 19 Merlin Beets 10/ wheat/ pea cover

71’

A1 4/ 22 QI S apricot statice 8/ 19 Nero Tondo radish; Miyashige daikon radish

66’ 10/ wheat/ pea cover

grass

A16 6/1 Ageratum Blue Horizon 4 x 12” on fabric wheat/ pea winter cover 83'

A16 fallow 85'

A15 fallow 85'

A6 4/22 Statice QIS light blue magenta lettuce 4 x 12” 11/1 wheat/pea cover 87’

…someone is going over garden maps..

2010 Greenhouse Record

I tem Variety Date

# of

containers

or cells flat type seed/ cell soil mix

seed co/

year

pot up

date tray size no. trays comments

Lettuce

Red Salad

Bowl 18- J an 3 128 ws 1 org J 09

Red Sails 18- J an 4 128 ws 1 org J 09

Encore

Mix 19- J an 6 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Waldeman 19- J an 6 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Mizuna 19- J an 2 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Arugula Astro 19- J an 2 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Spinach Space 19- J an 3 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Tyee 19- J an 3 128 ws 2+ org J 09

Spinach Tyee 5- Feb 3 128 ws 2 org J 09

Space 5- Feb 3 128 ws 2 org J 09

Lettuce Two Star 8- Feb 2 128 ws 1 org J 09

New Red

Fire 8- Feb 2 128 ws 1 org J 10Winter

Density 8- Feb 2 128 ws 1 org J 10

Tango 8- Feb 1 128 ws 1 org J 09

Encore

mix 8- Feb 10 128ws 1 org J 10

Broccoli arcadia 8- Feb 2 288 1 org J 10

Cabbage gonzales 8- Feb 2 288 1 org J 10

Onion

White

Spear 8- Feb 1 cedar flat broadcast org J 10

Leek Tadorna 8- Feb 0.5 cedar flat broadcast org J 10

Tomato Celebrity 8- Feb 106 288 1 org J 10

Tomato

Bush Early

Girl 8- Feb 130 288 1 org J 10King

Richard 8- Feb 0.5 cedar flat broadcast org J 10

Pepper Bell Boy 10- Feb 59 288 1 org Ger10

bounty 10- Feb 55 288 1 org Ger10

fat n

sassy 10- Feb 106 288 1 org Ger10

gypsy 10- Feb 51 288 1 org Ger10

ace 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10

el jefe 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10

red rocket 10- Feb 38 288 1 org J 10

conchos 10- Feb 117 288 1 org J 10

King

Arthur 10- Feb 36 288 1 org J 10

anaheim

sahuaro 10- Feb 30 288 1 org J 10

lipstick 10- Feb 30 288 1 J 10

and last year’sgreenhouse journal…

Upper Hoophouse

Dripping Springs Garden

Sample Crop Planning

Worksheet sorted by

target greenhouse date

arugula n/a 3-Jan 6-Jan 1-Feb 90 5 2" 2700 U2 22 x 128 ws

brassica mixers :tatsoi, ruby

streaks, mizuna, endive 3-Jan 1-Feb 5 6" 900 U4 3 x 128 ws each

Lettuce Mix (1st) 1/18, 2/8 3-Jan 12-Mar 1-Feb 90 6 6" 1080 U1, U2 total plants + 20% SF = 1296, 11 x 128 ws

spinach (1st) 1/19, 2/5 3-Jan 5-Jan 11-Mar 1-Feb 90 5 6" 900 U3 9 x 128 ws

Lettuce Mix (2nd) 1-Feb 1-Mar 6 6" 1080 U6 total plants + 20% SF = 1296, 11 x 128 ws

spinach (2nd) n/a 1-Feb 1-Mar 5 6" 900 U5 9 x 128 ws

Tomato, Celebrity 8-Feb 1-Feb 31-Mar 15-Mar 4 x 90 1 24" 360 U3-U6

Lisianthus

bump up

to 50's

3/1 24-Mar 24-Mar 2 x 90 4 6" 1440 U1, U2

Marigold, late 1-Jul 1-Aug 4 12" 360 U6

Zinnia, f all 1-Jul 1-Aug 4 6" 1440 U3, U5 grow stocky transplants

Celosia, late 15-Jul 15-Aug 4 6" 720 U4

Sunfl ower, f all, 1st 1-Aug 15-Aug 4 6" 720 U1

Sunfl ower, f all, 2nd 15-Aug 1-Sep 4 6" 720 U2

to come up witha plan for an evenbetter year in 2013….

Capturing the fleeting moment yields surprising and essential information about our operations—but we must make it easy to doand a normal part of our routines

Managing Daily Activities and Labor

We capture all miscellaneous to-do’s and what-to-get’s with an ever-present pocket field notebook and pen. Daily/weekly work goals go in a bound notebook and are checked off when done or carried forward.

Keeping good records is key to crop planning

Farm maps

Greenhouse log Market log

Harvest logCSA log

'D' SECTION 2010

D17 3/ 19 Red Gold potato ~8/ 1 Provider green beans 2 x 12 50’

D16 3/ 19 Red Gold potato ~8/ 1 Provider green beans 52’

D15 6/24 purple and common sage 52’

D14 3/19 Red gold potato ~8/5 transplanted ‘limelight’ millet 52' on bare soil

D13 Red gold potato ~8/5 Celosia Chief Fire, Orange/Peach on fabric 4 x 6” 54'

D12 Red gold/ and Carola potato ~8/5Celosia Kurume Mix, Chief Mix 55'

D11 3/19 Carola potato ~8/5 magenta lettuce 58'

D10 3/19 Carola potato ~8/5Chinese cabbage transplants 58'

D9 (was dahlias) 7/0 ‘Astro’ arugula direct-sown 4 lines 64' 11/1 wheat/pea cover

D8 (was dahlias) 7/20 ‘Bolero’ carrots with French Breakfast radish interplant 65’ D7 (was dahlias) 7/20 ‘Bolero’ carrots with radish interplant 67'

D6 3/19 Carola potato 2 x 12” 7/8 Tadorna leeks on fabric 4 x 6” 66'

D5 3/19 Carola potato 7/8 bunching onions white spear, purplette + leeks on fabric 66' 11/1 wheat/pea cover D4 3/19 Carola potato 7/20 Hakurrei turnip direct sown 11/1 winter wheat/pea cover

D3 67' fallow D2 57’ fallow

D 18 11/15/09 oat pea cover 50’ 3/19 red gold potato 2 x 12” ~8/10 Gold Coin marigold on fabric 4 x 12”

D 19 50’

We use section maps created with text boxes, each representing about ¼ acre (use dimensions that make sense for your farm). Here, each box in the section represents a 4’ wide planting bed; because of slope and contour on this site, beds range from 50’ to 275’ long. Bed length is displayed on map for planning purposes. Beds are designated with their section letter and a number. If the site allows, standard bed length is preferable.

FARM MAPS

A Section

B Section

C SectionD Section

Etc.

BB11 4/30 sunflowers sunrich orange on fabric 106’ *Sweet Williams super duplex, electron

BB9 Gladiolus 7/1/09 from bottom: 250 Ambush/250 Finishing Touch/500 Frosty White/250 Rapid Red/250 Romance/ 500 Violetta/ 250 Red Majesty (overwintered for 2010 bloom) (removed fall 2010) 230’

BB8 10/1/09 Cal Late garlic own seed 7 216’ 7/8 gladiolus: mystery, king’s gold, plum tart, prince indigo, flora red, frosty white

BB7 11/4/09 Bluecrop blueberries, 2-yr plants, with peat as above 200’ Asclepias tuberosa interplant

BB6 11/4/09 Blueray (2-yr plants) Blueberries (with peat addition) Asclepias tuberosa interplant 185’

BB5 11/4/09 Bluejay Blueberries add 5 gal peat moss per plant on bed surface tilled in 177’ Asclepias tuberosa interplant

BB4 11/4/09 Bluejay Blueberries 4’ apart, 1 gal (+peat) one Bluecrop plant at top; 12/16/09 interplant Camelot daffodils (start 11/22) 163’

BB3 4/09/09 Jersey Supreme Asparagus crowns 2 x 12” 155’

Blueberry Field Beds East Side 2010

BB10 late glads 6/19/09 Red Sensation Romance Orange Crush Splendid Orange Red Majesty (overwintered, removed in fall) 241’ 10/2010 Cal late garlic



BB12 7/9/09 late Glads 108’ *Sweet Williams super duplex, electron on fabric

Driveway to hoophouse

Hoophouse

BB 13 Potatoes 4/21 mixed cranberry red, prairie blush, carola from own stored DSG potatoes 285’ * Cal late garlic

BB 14 Zinnias 5/3 Benary’s giants mixed colors 280’ 11/1 Tulips from bottom: 600 angelique, 600 apricot parrot, 600 avignon, 600 banjaluca, 600 big smile, 600 black jack, some dordogne

BB15 Zinnias 5/3 Benary’s giants mixed colors 280’ 11/2-3 Tulips from bottom: remainder Dordogne, 1200 flaming parrot, 600 gander’s rhapsody, 600 king’s blood, 600 maureen

BB16 Gladiolus 279’

BB 17 Tuberose 273’ 11/3 Tulips from bottom: 600 renown, 1200 spring green, 600 super parrot, 445 Ednie’s sunrise

Blank maps (showing any over-wintering crops) are assembled with plastic sheet protectors into a 3-ring binder at the beginning of the season to use in the office or field for recording plantings; back sides can be used to note soil prep, fertilization, etc. At the end of the season the working copies are transferred to computer format

193’ 6/5 Gladiolus: Ambush Red (very nice red); Fiesta (yellow/orange bicolor); Frosty White; Finishing Touch (salmon); Rapid Red (best deep red); Romance (lovely ruffled lilac); Red Sensation (orange red); Violetta (beautiful deep purple * 10/ cal late garlic

192’ 11/5/09 Bachelor Buttons Blueboy, Frosted Queen Late zinnias 6/23 Benary’s Giant scarlet, lime, salmon rose, white, deep red, yellow, wine, orange, lilac, pink

189’ 9/30/09 Chandler strawberries (from DSG 8/20 cuttings) 6/16 Tuberose on black plastic 4 x 12” top few feet glads old spice, jazz age 11/2 Bachelor buttons Blue Boy, Frosted Queen ½ bed on fabric

197’ 9/30/09 Chandler strawberries 6/14 gladiolus: old spice, white prosperity, rhapsody in blue, applause, jester gold, orange crush, prince indigo

184’ Sweet William super duplex late Oct. 09 6/ 22 gladiolus red majesty, jazz age, vista, chichat, kingsgold

182’ 9/30/ 09 own Chandler Strawberries (after harvest, pulled off fabric, and left ½ bed for propagation berries and straw mulched 6/23 top half Sunflower ProCut and Sunrich Gold 10/7 Cal late garlic

218’ 11/ 5/ 09 tulips f rom bottom: 600 Kings Blood, 600 Maureen, 1200 Spring Green 5/ 4 tomatoes: (east) 20 viva I talia, 20 carolina gold, 26 celebrity. (west) 20 roma, 20 pink beauty, 26 big beef

220’ 11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 1200 Flaming Parrot, 600 Super Parrot, 600 Pretty Woman, 11/12 Avignon 5/4 tomatoes: 50 sunsugar, 6 blk cherry , 6 suncherry 50 sungold, 17 sungella * 10/ Chandler Strawberries last few feet Centaurea cyanus

Blueberry Field Beds West Side 2010

11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 600 Big Smile, 300 Darwinsnow, 600 Dordogne, 600 Gander’s Rhapsody 5/4 peppers 30 fat n sassy, 10 lipstick, 10 carman, 10 gypsy, 2 orion 12 Ace, 20 purple islander, 6 king Arthur, 6 red knight, 6 bell boy, 6 bounty, 6 orion 10/ Chandler Strawberries

11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 600 Angelique, 500 Black Jack, 600 Banja Luca, 400 Claudia, 300 Catherina, few Kings Blood 5/4 approx. 30 Oriental express eggplant, 6 hungarian wax peppers, 6 habanero, 4 anaheim, 12 rubicon , 12 red rocket Approx 30 Mangan eggplant, 10 el jefe hot peppers, 15 conchos, 15 Numex Joe Parker 10/ Chandler strawberries

Pussywillow/blueberry hedge

Limelight hydrangea hedge 4/6/2010

asian pear liliacs asian pear bridal veil asian pear bridal veil asian pear bridal veil asian pear

Asian pear lilac asian pear lilac

Capturing basic planting data on the field maps gives a spatial representation to the information and avoids cross-referencing between notes and maps

It’s easy to lose track of varieties plantedif the notebook’s not in the field

Early April salad harvestHoophouses get their own maps

Hoophouses get their own maps

UPPER HOOPHOUSE 2011 (30’ x 96’)

3 x 90 3/11/10 ‘Tyee’, ‘Space’ spinach 5 x 6” on fabric 3/31 Tomato interplant 1 line x 22” Early Girl Bush

T1 Karma dahlia 4 x 24” approx 8/15

4 x 90 3/12/10 Encore lettuce mix 6 x 6” on fabric 3/31/10 Tomato interplant 1 line x 22” Early Girl Bush

T2 Karma dahlia 4 x 24” approx 8/15/10

4 x 90 3/11/10 Lettuce Waldemann’s/ New Red Fire/ Red Sails/ Red Salad Bowl 4 x 12” on fabric

T3 3/31/10 Tomato interplant 1 x 22” Celebrity/ Bush Early Girl 9/30/10 Five-star lettuce mix 6 x 6”

4 x 90 3/12/10 Encore salad mix, Bianca endive, mixed lettuces on fabric

T4 3/31/10 Tomato interplant: Celebrity 9/30/10 Spinach ‘Space’ and ‘Lombardia’ 5 x 6”

4 x 90 3/24/10 Lisianthus Echo Blue 4 x 6” bare soil, cultivate, mulched after ~6 wks

T5 Tomato interplant mid-August—too late! 11/24/10 astro arugula + 5* salad mix on landscape fabric 12/19/10 completed with mizuna

3 x 90 3/24/10 Lisianthus Mariachi Pink, ABC Blue Rim, Echo Pink 4 x 6” same as above

T6 11/24/10 space spinach 12/19/10 completed

May 31--- Lo: 43 Hi: 76 Overcast and drizzly. Crew worked on setting out the end of the blue ageratum in the Z section, lettuce planting in D section, basil in E section. Lilies planted in the greenhouse. Harvested sunflowers, lilies in early a.m. to put in cooler for Sat. market. Ryan off to Blues festival in Helena for 3 days. Alana arrived to volunteer for the next week. June 1--- Lo: 43 Hi: 76 Overcast and drizzly. Crew worked on setting out the end of the blue ageratum in the Z section, lettuce planting in D section, basil in E section. Lilies planted in the greenhouse. Harvested sunflowers, lilies in early a.m. to put in cooler for Sat. market. Ryan off to Blues festival in Helena for 3 days. Alana arrived to volunteer for the next week. May 31--- Lo: 43 Hi: 76 Overcast and drizzly. Crew worked on setting out the end of the blue ageratum in the Z section, lettuce planting in D section, basil in E section. Lilies planted in the greenhouse. Harvested sunflowers, lilies in early a.m. to put in cooler for Sat. market. Ryan off to Blues festival in Helena for 3 days. Alana arrived to volunteer for the next week. May 31 May 31--- Lo: 43 ssunny Hi: 76 Overcast and drizzly. Crew worked on setting out the end of the blue ageratum in Z section,blue ageratum lettuce planting in D section, basil in E section. Lilies planted in the greenhouse. Harvested sunflowers, lilies in early a.m. to put in cooler no good! for Sat. market. Ryan off to Blues festival in Helena for 3 days. Alana arrived to volunteer for the next week.

Garden Journal

Includes date, max-min temps, weather, activities

(writing legibly will affect how useful it is later…)

Best to use a bound composition book that will not lose pages.

Greenhouse Journal: muy importante!

Sample Greenhouse Record

I tem Variety Date

# of

containers


seed co/

year

pot up


Lettuce

Red Salad

Bowl 18- J an 3 128 ws 1 org J 09


Encore

Mix 19- J an 6 128 ws 2+ org J 09





Tyee 19- J an 3 128 ws 2+ org J 09




New Red




Encore




Onion

White




Tomato

Bush Early





fat n



ace 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10

el jefe 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10



King


anaheim



Greenhouse Journal

Compositionnotebook with lined columnsfor data entry.Carried to thegreenhouse to record all greenhouse activities.Write it down before you leave!

The harvest journal records everythingeverything that comes in from the field

Standardizing units recorded will make harvest data more useful later

Vegetable harvests are record by piece, quart, pound, gallon, etc.

We find it most useful to record in the same units used for marketing.

Flower harvest recorded by # buckets and container size, and approximate stems per container

Our daily harvest info is entered on an erasable white board on the cooler wall by all workers as produce comes in; before the next harvest, data is entered into permanent logbook affixed to the white board (with a pen that can’t escape!)

If possible, entries also capture the harvest location

CSA box packing

On CSA packing days, exact box contents are also recorded in harvest log,as newsletters may contain only lists of ingredients

A word to the wise: write legibly!

Harvest Log 2010

Date: Monday May 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 5 lugs strawberries ~5lb ea 30 bu chervil, y section45 bu spinach, hoophouse25 lb salad mix36 bu green garlic, 3/bu 30 bu kale, x section

glads 12 tall bucketslilies 7 tall bucketsageratum 5 1g buckets CSA boxes (x28) :

1 pt strawberries 1 bu baby leeks (Marty).5 lb salad mix 1 bu white turnips (Marty)1 bu green garlic 1 bu kale.5 lb spinach 1 bu chervil

Harvest Log 2012 2-Jan 9-Feb 23-Jan 29-Jan 6-Febarugulaasparagus ( .5 lb bu)bac choi (pcs) 18 18 24basil bubasil lbsbeans, green qtblueberries pintbroccolicarrotscabbagechard (bu) 14chinese cabbage hdscucumbers, cratedaikon (lbs) 20eggplant, crfennel bulb pcsgreen garlic, bugarlic bulbskale buleeks bulettuce greenlf pcslettuce redlf pcslettuce romaine pcslettuce, butterhead pcsmint, buonion, green bu

The time spent entering the total annual harvest on a spreadsheet more than pays for itself in useful information

For example, in 2012 we discovered that:Asparagus harvest started and ended 4/6 to 5/11 and yielded 208 ½ lb bunches(worth $832 at market value of $4/bu) from 450 bed ft = $184.88 per 100’

Spring kale harvest began 4/23 and ended 7/20 and yielded 791 bunches(worth $1977.50, average price of $2.50 ea ) from 160 bed ft = $1235/100’

Strawberries began harvest 4/19 to 5/21 and yielded 193 qts (worth $1158 @ $6/qt from 592 bed ft) from 592 bed ft = $195.60/100ft

Gathering previous year’s crop data and making a plan


Crop Planning Worksheet

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Planning Worksheet

193’ 6/5 Gladiolus: Ambush Red (very nice red); Fiesta (yellow/orange bicolor); Frosty White; Finishing Touch (salmon); Rapid Red (best deep red); Romance (lovely ruffled lilac); Red Sensation (orange red); Violetta (beautiful deep purple * 10/ cal late garlic

192’ 11/5/09 Bachelor Buttons Blueboy, Frosted Queen Late zinnias 6/23 Benary’s Giant scarlet, lime, salmon rose, white, deep red, yellow, wine, orange, lilac, pink

189’ 9/30/09 Chandler strawberries (from DSG 8/20 cuttings) 6/16 Tuberose on black plastic 4 x 12” top few feet glads old spice, jazz age 11/2 Bachelor buttons Blue Boy, Frosted Queen ½ bed on fabric

197’ 9/30/09 Chandler strawberries 6/14 gladiolus: old spice, white prosperity, rhapsody in blue, applause, jester gold, orange crush, prince indigo

184’ Sweet William super duplex late Oct. 09 6/ 22 gladiolus red majesty, jazz age, vista, chichat, kingsgold

182’ 9/30/ 09 own Chandler Strawberries (after harvest, pulled off fabric, and left ½ bed for propagation berries and straw mulched 6/23 top half Sunflower ProCut and Sunrich Gold 10/7 Cal late garlic

218’ 11/ 5/ 09 tulips f rom bottom: 600 Kings Blood, 600 Maureen, 1200 Spring Green 5/ 4 tomatoes: (east) 20 viva I talia, 20 carolina gold, 26 celebrity. (west) 20 roma, 20 pink beauty, 26 big beef

220’ 11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 1200 Flaming Parrot, 600 Super Parrot, 600 Pretty Woman, 11/12 Avignon 5/4 tomatoes: 50 sunsugar, 6 blk cherry , 6 suncherry 50 sungold, 17 sungella * 10/ Chandler Strawberries last few feet Centaurea cyanus

Blueberry Field Beds West Side 2010

11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 600 Big Smile, 300 Darwinsnow, 600 Dordogne, 600 Gander’s Rhapsody 5/4 peppers 30 fat n sassy, 10 lipstick, 10 carman, 10 gypsy, 2 orion 12 Ace, 20 purple islander, 6 king Arthur, 6 red knight, 6 bell boy, 6 bounty, 6 orion 10/ Chandler Strawberries

11/5/09 tulips from bottom: 600 Angelique, 500 Black Jack, 600 Banja Luca, 400 Claudia, 300 Catherina, few Kings Blood 5/4 approx. 30 Oriental express eggplant, 6 hungarian wax peppers, 6 habanero, 4 anaheim, 12 rubicon , 12 red rocket Approx 30 Mangan eggplant, 10 el jefe hot peppers, 15 conchos, 15 Numex Joe Parker 10/ Chandler strawberries

Pussywillow/blueberry hedge

Limelight hydrangea hedge 4/6/2010

asian pear liliacs asian pear bridal veil asian pear bridal veil asian pear bridal veil asian pear

Asian pear lilac asian pear lilac

First step: collecting fieldtransplantinginformation, thengreenhouse planting datesinto the planning spreadsheetWe separate out flower and vegetableplantings for planning purposes .

Sample Greenhouse Record

I tem Variety Date

# of

containers


seed co/

year

pot up


Lettuce

Red Salad

Bowl 18- J an 3 128 ws 1 org J 09


Encore

Mix 19- J an 6 128 ws 2+ org J 09





Tyee 19- J an 3 128 ws 2+ org J 09




New Red




Encore




Onion

White




Tomato

Bush Early





fat n



ace 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10

el jefe 10- Feb 34 288 1 org J 10



King


anaheim



VegetableGreenhouseRecord 2010


Crop Planning Worksheet

2013

Ageratum Blue Horizon 12-May 4 x 12"

Anemones 31-Jan 4x6 2011 field hoophouse, extras from hoophouse planting

Anemones Galilee Blue, Meron

Albino, mystery 30-Dec 4x6 hoophouse beds

Anemones Galilee Red and Pink 1-Jan 4x6 hoohouse

arugula ~8/1 DS 50

arugula 8-Sep 10/4/2010 45 lower field hoophouse

arugula, astro 7/20 DS 64

arugula, late hoophouse: astro 11-Oct 24-Nov ~25 6x6"

asian greens mei qing choi, osaka purple, prize choi ~8/1 DS 60

asian greens yukina savoy, tatsoi, tokyo bekana ~8/1 DS 60

basil nufar, aton 8-Mar 15-May 80 Y8 insect problem, then neglected

basil nufar, napolitano 3/8,22 18-Jun 61

Beets merlin 8/19 DS 76

Broccoli Arcadia 8-Feb 5-Apr 160

Broccoli Arcadia, gypsy, blue wind 6/24-7/6 ~8/1 114

cabbage, mini: Gonzales 8-Feb 6-Apr 98 Y5

carrots bolero 7/20 DS 132

carrots yaya 4/19 DS 120

cauliflower: amazing, cheddar, cassius, fremont 7/1,6 ~8/1

celery, tango 11-Feb 13-May ~60 Y10 didn't make it

Partial worksheet with crop list and planting dates/amounts from previous year,taken directly from field maps and greenhouse journal

Flower I tems

ageratum blue horizon 1st 22-Mar 7-Mar 1-Jun 16-May 83 100 4 12 400

ageratum blue horizon 2nd 4-Apr 13-Jun 50 4 12 200

agrostemma purple queen 11-Feb 1-Feb 12-Apr 15-Mar 44 50 4 6 400

anenome galilee blue, red, pink; meron bordo 11/13/2009 11/4/2010 1-Jan 7-Jan 7-Jan 180 180 4 6 1400

aster matsumoto 9-Mar 1-Mar ~5/13 1-May ~40 50 4 6 400

bachelor buttons overwinter crop 2010/11 9/7,16

10/13, 11/2/2011 90'

bachelor buttons, spring crop 12-Jan 1-Mar 60 4 12 240 BW

bachelor buttons, spring crop 15-Feb 1-Apr 80 4 12 320 A?

bachelor buttons overwinter crop 2011-12 1-Sep 1-Oct 200 4 12 800

basil, cinnamon 1st 8-Mar 1-Mar 6/4? 15-May <55 55 4 12 220

basil, cinnamon 2nd 15-Apr 15-Jun 55 4 12 220

calendula indian prince 11-Feb 1-Feb 29-Apr 3 ~15 4 6 440

celosia chief fire, kurume scarlet, orange/peach, others 4/20,26 15-Apr 6/1,3 20-May 153 150 4 6 1200

worksheet with added target greenhouse/transplant dates and amount

Example: hoophouse planning with map and worksheet

( Sample Planning Map) UPPER HOOPHOUSE 2011

(30’ x 96’)

3 x 90 3/11/10 ‘Tyee’, ‘Space’ spinach 5 x 6” on fabric 3/31 Tomato interplant 1 line x 22” Early Girl Bush Karma dahlia 4 x 24” approx 8/15 U1 (2/1 salad mix) (3/20) lisianthus (8/1 late sunflowers)

4 x 90 3/12/10 Encore lettuce mix 6 x 6” on fabric 3/31/10 Tomato interplant 1 line x 22” Early Girl Bush Karma dahlia 4 x 24” approx 8/15/10 U2

(2/1 arugula) 3/20 lisianthus 9/1 late sunflowers

4 x 90 3/11/10 Lettuce Waldemann’s/ New Red Fire/ Red Sails/ Red Salad Bowl 4 x 12” on fabric 3/31/10 Tomato interplant 1 x 22” Celebrity/ Bush Early Girl 9/30/10 Five-star lettuce mix 6 x 6” U3 (2/1 spinach) (3/15 celebrity tomato interplant) (8/1 late zinnia)

4 x 90 3/12/10 Encore salad mix, Bianca endive, mixed lettuces on fabric 3/31/10 Tomato interplant: Celebrity 9/30/10 Spinach ‘Space’ and ‘Lombardia’ 5 x 6” U4 (2/1 tatsoi, mizuna, ruby streaks, endive) (3/15 celebrity tomato interplant) (8/1 late celosia)

4 x 90 3/24/10 Lisianthus Echo Blue 4 x 6” bare soil, cultivate, mulched after ~6 wks Tomato interplant mid-August—too late! 11/24/10 astro arugula + 5* salad mix on landscape fabric 12/19/10 completed with mizuna U5 (3/1 spinach) (3/15 celebrity tomato interplant) (8/1 late zinnia)

3 x 90 3/24/10 Lisianthus Mariachi Pink, ABC Blue Rim, Echo Pink 4 x 6” same as above 11/24/10 space spinach 12/19/10 completed U6 (3/1 lettuce mix) (3/15 celebrity tomato interplant) (8/1 late marigold)

Upper Hoophouse


Sample Crop Planning

Worksheet sorted by

target greenhouse date

arugula 3-Jan 6-Jan 1-Feb 90 5 2" 2700 U2 22 x 128 ws

brassica mixers :tatsoi, ruby

streaks, mizuna, endive 3-Jan 1-Feb 5 6" 900 U4 3 x 128 ws each

Lettuce Mix (1st) 3-Jan 12-Mar 1-Feb 90 6 6" 1080 U1, U2 total plants + 20% SF = 1296, 11 x 128 ws

spinach (1st) 3-Jan 5-Jan 11-Mar 1-Feb 90 5 6" 900 U3 9 x 128 ws

Lettuce Mix (2nd) 1-Feb 1-Mar 6 6" 1080 U6 total plants + 20% SF = 1296, 11 x 128 ws

spinach (2nd) 1-Feb 1-Mar 5 6" 900 U5 9 x 128 ws

Tomato, Celebrity 1-Feb 31-Mar 15-Mar 4 x 90 1 24" 360 U3-U6

Lisianthus

bump up

to 50's

3/1 24-Mar 24-Mar 2 x 90 4 6" 1440 U1, U2

Marigold, late 1-Jul 1-Aug 4 12" 360 U6

Zinnia, f all 1-Jul 1-Aug 4 6" 1440 U3, U5 grow stocky transplants

Celosia, late 15-Jul 15-Aug 4 6" 720 U4

Sunfl ower, f all, 1st 1-Aug 15-Aug 4 6" 720 U1

Sunfl ower, f all, 2nd 15-Aug 1-Sep 4 6" 720 U2

Completed hoophouse worksheet sorted by greenhouse date

Planning for CSA and other markets

May 20‘Chandler’ strawberries‘Encore’ lettuce mix (various colors and types)Lettuce heads, either Romaine or GreenleafGreen garlic (immature garlic whose greens and bulbs may be sauteed)Spinach from the hoophouse (giant bunches for steaming, sautee, or salad) Baby leeks (from Marty’s Totally)White turnips (from Marty Totally)Kale Chervil May 27‘Waldemann’s’ green leaf lettuce‘Encore’ lettuce mix- last week for salad mix until fallLeeks, from Marty’s Totally‘Easter Egg’ radishesShiitake mushrooms

‘Chandler’ strawberries CSA BASKET CONTENTSShallots, from Marty’s Totally 2010Summer savory, dried June 3‘New Red Fire’ and ‘Winter Density’ lettuces ‘Chandler’ strawberriesLeeks from Marty’s TotallyOnions from MartyWhite turnips from MartyItalian/curly parsley Compiling previous year’s CSA share contents helps toKale visualize availability and product mix for current-yearGreen garlic CSA planting plan

Sales Projection for : CSA 30 SHARESYear: 2011 15-May 22-May 29-May 5-Jun 12-Jun 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 2-Oct 9-Oct 16-Oct

Dates

Cro

p

Un

it

Va

lue (

$)

apples peck 5arugula bunch 2.00 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30basil bunch (.25lb) 2.00 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30beans lb 3.00 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30beets bunch 2.50 30 30 30blueberries pint 4.00 30 30 30braising greens bunch 2.50 30 30 30 30 30 30 30broccoli head 2.00 30 30 30 30 30 30cabbage head 2.00 30 30 30carrots bunch 2.50 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30cauliflower head 2.50celery head 2.50chard bunch 2.50 30 30 30chinese cabbage head 3.00collards bunch 2.00cucumber each 0.75 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90daikon bunch 2.00dill/cilantro bunch 2.00 30 30 30 30eggplant each 0.75fennel head 2.75garlic head 0.75 120 120 120 120 120 120 120kale bunch 2.50 30 30 30 30 30 30kohlrabi head 0.75leeks bunch 2.50 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30lettuce head 2.00 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30melon each 3.50 1 1mint bunch 2.00onion each 0.75 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90pac choi head 1.50parsley bunch 2.00 30 30parsnip bunch 2.50peaches peck 5.00peppers, hot each 0.25 240 240 240 240 240 240 120peppers, sweet each 0.75$ 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 120 60 60potatoes quart (2lb) 3.50$ 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30radish bunch 1.50$ 30 30 30 30 30 30sage bunch 2.00$ salad mix lb 7.00$ 15 15 15 15 15 15savory bunch 2.00$ scallion bunch 2.00$ 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30shiitake lb 12.00$ 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5

spinach lb 7.00$ 15

strawberries pint 3.00$ 30 30 30 30squash, summer eachsquash, winter each 2.50$ 30 30sweet potatoes lb 1.00$ 120 120 120tomatoes, cherry half pint 2.00$ 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30tomatoes, slicers quart (2lb) 5.00$ 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 15 15tomatoes, paste quart (2lb) 4.00$ turnip bunch 2.00$ 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30watermelon each 5.00$ 30 30

Target Weekly Sales ($) $23 $26 $23 $23 $26 $28 $33 $23 $26 $23 $27 $26 $28 $28 $31 $25 $30 $28 $30 $27 $31 $28 $26

Spreadsheet of projected CSA harvests: planting plan can be developed by back-trackingplanting dates and row-ft necessary for yield desired

Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growersthoroughly covers planning for markets and CSA’s using spreadsheets that calculate seeding to harvest dates and yields; very useful for growers with no planning history.

Farmers Markets record keeping

Market log needs to record what is taken to market and how much is sold

Market Log 2011 Date:________________ Special Orders for Today:Total Receipts_________ ___________________Starting Cash_________ ____________________Net Receipts__________ ____________________5% TuTh/ 7.5%Sat

Commission____________ ____________________Employee Payments______ ____________________Meals________________ ____________________Weather______________ Special Orders for Future Markets:Date needed who what telephone________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Town List:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MARKET LOG 2011 (back side)

ITEMS TAKEN TO MARKET TODAY QUANTITY/SIZE ITEM PRICE UNSOLD TOTAL________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ITEMS SEEN AT MARKET TODAY WE SHOULD GROW:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A photo record of your market display each week provides information about your seasonal product mix, presentation to customers, and is great material for websites and other social media.

The paper trail: keep and file all receipts for expenses and sales—all of them!

Careful financial accounting opens our eyes to the sobering truth of our farming activities!

Receipts can go from your wallet to a simplenail or box on the desk until you have time to fileunder useful expense categories. File away all statementsby categories useful for quick retrieval and entry into Quickbooks or other financial program

You can learn to use a financial program even if you are nota numbers geek…and if you’re serious about your business, youprobably can’t afford not to.

Dripping Springs Garden 2012 CSA Program

Name full veg share small share flower share fall extension

Langner 575 60Hall 575Heller 575 184 60schweiger 575 60Trotter/Reese 575 60Richards/Sampson 575 60Mitchell 575 60Ogle 575 60Smith/Wallace 575 60Williamson 575 60Motes 150 60George 575

Spreadsheets are a simple way to map annual incomefrom the farm’s diverse enterprises

Dripping Springs garden 2010 Fayetteville Farmer's market sales by day of week 2012 Farmers Market

Tuesday Square

Thursday Square Market

Saturday Square Market

Date Amount commission csa Date Amount commission csa Date Amount commission labor csa

4/7/2013 $3,856.50 $289.24 $60.00

4/10/2013 $554.00 $27.70 4/12/2013 $559.00 $27.95 4/14/2013 $2,792.25 $209.42 $60.00

4/17/2013 $413.00 $20.65 4/19/2013 $586.00 $29.30 4/21/2013 $2,564.00 $192.30 $60.00

4/24/2013 $553.00 $27.65 4/26/2013 $773.00 $38.65 4/28/2013 $3,340.00 $250.50 $60.00

5/1/2013 $676.00 $33.80 5/3/2013 $796.00 $39.80 5/5/2013 $2,994.00 $224.55 $60.00

5/8/2013 $706.00 $35.30 5/10/2013 $1,096.00 $51.45 5/12/2013 $5,387.50 $404.06 $600.00

5/15/2013 $551.00 $27.55 5/17/2013 $707.00 $35.35 5/19/2013 $1,815.00 $136.13 $60.00

5/22/2013 $391.00 $19.55 98 5/24/2013 $608.00 $30.40 5/26/2013 $2,146.00 $161.10

5/29/2013 $247.00 $12.35 190 5/31/2013 417 20.85 6/2/2013 $1,933.00 $149.98

6/5/2013 $317.00 $15.85 165 6/7/2013 $324.00 $16.20 6/9/2012 $1,160.00 $87.00 $60.00

6/12/2013 $467.00 $23.35 180 6/13/2013 $439.00 $21.95 6/16/2012 $1,637.00 $122.80 $60.00

6/19/2013 $588.00 $29.40 6/21/2012 $655.00 $32.75 6/23/2012 $2,355.00 $164.85

6/26/2013 $745.00 $37.25 6/28/2013 $649.00 $32.45 6/30/2012 $2,612.00 $195.90 $60.00

7/3/2012 $736.00 $36.80 100 7/5/2012 $640.00 $32.00 7/7/2012 $3,032.00 $227.40 $240.00

7/10/2012 $855.00 $42.75 7/12/2012 $635.00 $31.79 7/14/2012 $2,819.00 $211.42 $120.00

7/17/2012 $781.00 $39.05 7/19/2012 $893.00 $44.65 7/21/2012 $3,010.00 $225.75 $260.00

When analyzed, Farmers Markets income spreadsheets give useful information about seasonal and annual trends; where do we need to bump up production to fill gaps in sales?

Dripping Springs Sales to Ozark Natural Foods 2012

1/3/2012 10-Jan 24-Jan 30-Jan 7-Feb 10-Feb 14-Feb 21-Feb 27-Feb 6-Mar 9-Mar 12-Mar 16-Mar

spinach bulk 5.5 12 13 20 3 12 8 11.5 12

spinach bags .5 lb 18 30 30 26 22

daikon @ $1.50/lb 20

spring mix bulk 6 12 9

spring mix bags .5 lb

romaine heads

red leaf lettuce

green leaf lettuce

Jap turnips @$2ea

parsley

arugula, bu 24

chard 19bu 14 30 20

basil bulk @$10/lb

bac choy @ $2.00ea 18 bu 18bu 24

tatsoi @ $2ea

green onions @1.50

leeks @2.00

bulb fennel @$2/bu

sungolds @3.50/pt

tomatoes @$2.50/lb

[email protected]/pt

green bells @2.50 lb

Spreadsheets of wholesale accounts separated by itemshow where profit centers may lie, and what may notbe worth the effort…

Excellent hard-won advice on farm businessmanagement, plus crop enterprise budget calculator and examples

Farm Enterprise Budgets calculate net profits per acrethat include labor, delivery, Farmers Market, overhead, greenhouse, tractor, implement and irrigation costs.

Sample net profit per 1/10 acre calculations from Wiswall’s Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook:

Basil $3,560Broccoli $116Sweet corn -$116Kale $2,463Bell pepper $1,556Parsley $4,742Potatoes $261

“Grower to Grower: Creating a livelihood on a Fresh-Market Vegetable Farm”

http://www.cias.wisc.edu/crops-and-livestock/report-helps-fresh-

market-vegetable-growers-understand-and-share-finances/

published by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS)

Study of 19 Wisconsin growers 2002-2004, all with over 10 years experienceAll but one farm using organic methods6 Market Gardens <3 acres, ranging from .5-2.7 acres8 Market Farms 3-12 acres5 Vegetable Farms >12 acres

Growers in study tracked expenses, sales, and labor hours over three years—and opted to compare net cash income (farm’s gross sales minusall current year’s cash expenses)

Summary of financial measures for three different farm sizes

Market Gardens <3 ac

Gross Sales range: $8,888-$25,605/ac average: $15,623/ac

Net Cash range: $1,892-$9,487/ac average: $5,664/ac

Net Cash to Gross range : 9%-57% average: 36%

Hourly wage range: $3.32-$6.57 for owner average: $4.96

Market Farms 3 -12 acres

Gross Sales/ac range: $6,267-15,276 average: $11,121

Net Cash/ac range: $1,331-8,547 average: $4,679

Net Cash to Gross/ac range : 16-57% average: 36%

Hourly wage range: $2.26-16.92 for owner average: $7.45

Market Farms >12 acres

Gross Sales /ac range: $6,750-14,466 average: $10,810

Net Cash/ac range: $1,103-7,430 average: $3,757

Net Cash to Gross/ac range : 16-51% average: 31%

Hourly wage range: $3.46-14.90 for owner average: $11.36

We prefer to work smarter, not harder

Just observing and recording what we already do yields a tremendous amount of information…and the observation changes our behavior

And our workers’…

Happy Planting!

Organic farm management for vabf conference 2013

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