Market Technique 

Rag & Frass grows a various choice of greens year-round for 2 farmers markets and their roadside stand. Julia depends on market statement and buyer habits to find out which merchandise go to which market, and the amount sizes of the merchandise offered on the markets. She has discovered that completely different markets are likely to have completely different shopping for tendencies, and that it is good apply to get to know your prospects and cater to them accordingly. For instance, in Macon, smaller portions promote finest, and bigger portions promote higher in Atlanta; Julia infers that that is seemingly as a result of older prospects or smaller households in Macon, and larger households in Atlanta. Julia and her workers monitor the inventories of what’s offered week to week, and use their instinct primarily based on expertise and real-time suggestions to plan for his or her markets and prospects’ preferences. One other tip could be to stroll via the market in the beginning of the day earlier than prospects arrive to see what different farmers have at their cubicles. If everyone seems to be carrying a ton of salad greens, for instance, then you could possibly anticipate to not promote out or should you did, you’d know the demand of the market is being fill by a number of farms and you could possibly most likely carry extra the next week. It is about understanding the boundaries of buyer shopping for so that you just decrease waste.  

Infrastructure By means of NRCS EQIP 

Strategic whole-farm planning is central to constructing long-term resilience at Rag & Frass Farm, and federal conservation packages have performed a key function in that technique. The USDA Nationwide Sources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental High quality Incentives Program (EQIP) has supported climate-smart conservation initiatives on the farm, together with: 

• A properly 

• Irrigation field installations for every zone within the fields 

• Two excessive tunnels 

• Artificial reusable mulch 

• Excessive tunnel gutters for roof runoff administration 

Julia cautioned farmers to not apply for too many practices directly, as NRCS EQIP packages function as reimbursements, and up-front prices can add up shortly. She suggested utilizing EQUP packages strategically in order that they work for the farmer, and never the opposite manner round.  

For instance, Julia had seen success utilizing woven black-on-white panorama material on her farm, which saved cooler in the summertime, mirrored warmth, and helped scale back aphid stress on the crops. She is ready to double crop within the panorama material, so long as she fertigates the second crop, and might reuse the material for as much as 10-12 years. Utilizing the EQIP Mulching 484 Conservation Follow Commonplace, Julia was in a position to get monetary assist to buy the artificial mulch by pondering exterior of the field and contemplating the precise wants of her farm and farm methods. If you happen to’re an natural farmer utilizing reusable panorama material, make it possible for, like Julia, you monitor the integrity of the material to verify it isn’t degrading within the area so that you just stay in compliance with the Nationwide Natural Program regulation 7 CFR 205.206(c)(6).