Southern SAWG--Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing

Organic Vegetable Production and
Marketing
Cathy Jones
Perry-winkle Farm
Chapel Hill, NC

Daniel Parson
Oxford College Farm
Oxford, GA

Morning Agenda
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Introduction
Marketing Decisions
Soil Health and Fertility
Cover Crops
Crop Rotations and Planning
Questions and Discussion

Cathy Jones & Mike Perry
Chatham County, North Carolina
24th year of production

Arbor Day Foundation Hardiness Zone Map

Start Small !!!
making mistakes on a small scale
lays the ground work for

Success on a larger scale

Parson Produce
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Operated 2009-2012
The Farmhouse B & B is 40 acres
3.25 acres vegetable and cut flower
Small Apiary
300 shiitake logs
Certified Organic 2012

Parson Produce
Marketing
• 85 member Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
• Stella‟s Southern Bistro and other
restaurants
• Greenville TD Saturday Market

Marketing Decisions
… or don‟t plant that first seed until you
know where and how you are going to
sell the final product!

Marketing…
Has as much to do with your success as
growing

Marketing…
Has as much to do with your success as
growing

Learning to market is as important as
learning to grow

One of the best!!

Written by

Eric Gibson

http://www.growingformarket.com/

monthly
issues…
in the mail or
online

Marketing…
Has as much to do with your success as growing
Learning to market is as important as learning to
grow

Markets are determined by farm location
Know where you will sell before you plant

Direct marketing vs. Wholesaling
What opportunities exist?
farmers markets and local restaurants
What can you create?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA),
buying clubs, mobile market, farm stand
What is your comfort zone / preference?
do you like people? solitude?

What are you wanting to
sell or market?
Farm-grown vegetables?
“Value added” products?
Farm-raised meats?
Your farm as a “destination” farm?

Farmers market tips
Be consistent! Be there week after week
Bring a diversity of product or varieties

Build a great looking display –
colorful, abundant, and clean!!
Offer great customer service –
be friendly, be knowledgeable,
be helpful

Wholesaling Opportunities
What types of opportunities exist?
Independent grocery stores
Food Co-ops
Restaurant suppliers
“Institutional buyers”- schools, hospitals, hunger
relief organizations, military bases
Other farmers with roadside stands, CSA‟s
maybe even

Farmer-owned cooperatives

Could a wholesaling coop be right for
you?

Organic Certification as a
marketing tool
Helps you develop your “brand”
Helps to open doors to certain markets
Tells customers about your values
Helps you differentiate yourself from others

Tell Your Story…
People want to feel like they know you
At marketshow pictures - posters, photo albums
use stickers, labels, bag inserts
CSA newsletters can include day-to-day
happenings to increase their connection
to your farm
Farm blogs
Facebook
Twitter
…newspaper articles = FREE advertising!!

CSA
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Financing the season up front
Planning of customer numbers/budget
Don‟t try this your first year
Lower costs/possible to avoid
transportation
• At or close to retail

What is Soil?
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Minerals--Sand, silt, clay, nutrients
Organic matter--dead organisms
Living organisms
Water
Air
50% solid material

Soil Texture
• Relative size: Sand>Silt>Clay
• Ideal soil: <52% sand, 28-50% silt, 727% clay
• Sand: gritty, drains quickly
• Silt: velvety, holds water, not nutrients
• Clay: sticky, holds water, nutrients well

Soil Texture
Take a small amount of moist soil
• Sands and loamy sands
– Won‟t hold a ball

• Loams
– Will hold ball when bounced in hand

• Clays
– Ribbon when pressed between thumb and
finger

Soil Profile
• O--organic layer
– Doesn‟t exist in ag soils

• A--alluvial layer
– Top soil: very thin here

• B--layer
– Sub-soil: plant roots penetrate this layer

• C--layer
– Weathered rock and parent material

http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/images/A-3.jpg

„Active‟ Organic Matter
Crop/cover crop residue
• Plant material you can see
• Consumed by microbes
– Increase microbial biomass
– CO2 released
– Plant nutrients released

• 10-20% becomes Soil Organic Matter
(SOM)

Soil Organic Matter (SOM)

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Nonliving organic fraction of soil--you
can‟t see it
Humic substances
Nonhumic substances--unaltered
remains
Principles and Applications
Humic Acid
of Soil Microbiology, Sylvia,
Fuhrmann, Hartel, Zuberer,
Fulvic Acid
ed.
Humin

SOM Benefits
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Microbial biodiversity
Plant growth promoting
Increased CEC (20-80% of CEC)
Buffers pH changes
Slow nutrient release (2-5% per year)
Trace elements
Principles and Applications
of Soil Microbiology, Sylvia,
Fuhrmann, Hartel, Zuberer,
ed.

How to Increase SOM
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Reduce tillage
Use cover crops
Do crop rotations
Compost
Mulch
Reduce tillage

Yield and Fertilizer Addition
Soil Fertility and
Fertilizers
Havlin, Beaton,
Tisdale, and
Nelson

Take a Good Soil Sample
Remove 6”
deep shovel „V‟

1” wide slice

Converting a Conventional
Recommendation to Organic
• UGA online resource
• Apply organic amendments for any
recommendation
• What is your preferred amendment?
– Least expensive
– Most effective
– Locally available
– On-farm resource like compost

Converting a Conventional
Recommendation to Organic
• Begin with your preferred amendment
-or• The most balanced in N P K
• Determine what else you need to apply
• Convert amendment pounds/acre to
pounds/field or pounds/bed

Make it Practical
• Write down „recipe‟ for each field
• Make copies and keep in the barn
• Convert to volume on fertilizing day
– Weigh amendments into bucket/container
– Mark bucket or container
– Use markings each time to get it right

• Load bags into cart and measure in field

Keep it covered !!!
Protecting and “growing”
your soil … by using

Cover Crops

How cover crops can help your soil
Adds much needed organic matter
Helps diversify your crop mix
Attracts beneficial insects
Breaks annual weed seed cycles
Ties up surplus / remaining nutrients
Holds your soil in place
Protects the soil surface

Over-wintered Cover Crops
Annuals

Perennials

Crimson Clover
Hairy Vetch
Fava Beans
Austrian Winter Peas
Forage Radishes
Subterranean Clover
Winter Wheat
Winter Rye

Alfalfa
Ladino Clover
Red Clover
Lespedeza
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Sweet Clover

Crimson Clover, Hairy Vetch, Rye

Summer Cover Crops
Soy Beans
Cow peas
Velvet beans
Sunnhemp

Millets
Sorghum-Sudangrass
Buckwheat
Black Oil Sunflower

Forage Planting guide for N.C.
http://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov//references/public/NC/forageplantguideNC.pdf

Determine square footage of field
Step it off- learning what’s your “step” length is a
valuable tool
Measure the length and width- convert to feetmultiple length by the width
example- 100’ by 200’ = 20,000 sq ft an acre is
43,000 sq ft
to keep it simple – using 40,000- a 20,000 sq ft
field is ½ acre
Consult chart and determine how much seed to
plant

Why Rotations?
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Required for certified organic
Reduce pest pressure
Reduce weed problems
Improve crop fertility
Reduce crop disease
Include cover crops in production

Certified Organic

“The producer must manage crop
nutrients and soil fertility through
rotations, cover crops, and the
application of plant and animal
materials”

Weed Control
• Crop/weed timing
• Diverse cultivation methods
• Cover crops as smother crops
Example: cultivation of winter squash
before vines extend

Crop Fertility
• Certain crops deplete certain nutrients
• Some crops make nutrients more
available
• Cover crops
• Different crop fertilization strategies

Crop Fertility
Example: adding compost to one
crop, followed by one that needs welldecomposed organic matter
Example: straw mulch on tomatoes
increases organic matter for
following crop

How to Design a Rotation
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Measure and map your fields
Divide into equal-sized „rotational units‟
Group cash crops: family, seasonality
Create rotational plan outline
Fill in with cover crops
Create detailed field plan

8

12

7
6

13

11

10

5
9
4
3
2
1

Plant Families
• Cucurbitaceae squash, melons, cucumbers, lufa, pumpkins,
• Solanaceae tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato
• Convolvulaceae - sweet potato
• Malvaceae - okra, cotton
• Asteraceae - lettuce, sunflower, endive
• Chenopodiaceae - spinach, beet, chard

Plant Families
• Brassicaceae cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards, kale,
brussel sprouts, arugula, boc choi
• Apiaceae - carrot, celery, fennel, cilantro
• Fabaceae - snap beans, peas
• Lilliaceae - garlic, onion
• Poaceae - rye, oats, sudangrass

Timing of Crop
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Planting through harvest
Over-wintering or perennial
Consider double cropping
Cover crops and incorporation

Spring and Fall
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Carrots and Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Kale
Potatoes (Spring only)
Arugula, Turnips, Lettuce, etc.

Summer
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Beans and Flowers
Peppers and Eggplant
Cucumbers and Squash
Tomatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Okra
Melons

Overwintering
• Garlic
• Various Cover Crops

Arrange Crops
• Note-card method
• Blank grid method: column names
– Field Number
– Crops and Cover Crops
– Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall

Field Rotation Plan 2012
Field

Crop

1

Broccoli
Soybeans/Buckwheat
Carrots and Beets
Rye Aisles
Potatoes
Sudex/Soybeans
Garlic

2

3
Late Flowers/Beans
Wheat/Crimson Clover
4
Okra
Rye/Hairy Vetch
5
Peppers/Eggplant
Oats/Winter Peas
6

7

Arugula and Lettuce
Soybeans/Buckwheat
Cabbage and Kale
Rye/Crimson Clover
Cucumbers/Squash
Oats/Winter Peas

8

9

10

Carrots and Beets
Soybeans/Buckwheat
Broccoli
Rye/Clover
Sweet Potatoes
Oats and Clover

Cabbage and Kale
Buckwheat
Arugula and Lettuce
Wheat Aisles and Crimson Clover

11
Early Flowers and Beans
Rye and Hairy Vetch
12
Melons
Rye and Crimson Clover
13

Tomatoes
Oats and Winter Peas

Season
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Chioggia Beets
Lettuce Mix
Braizing Mix

Field 1 Layout
Scarlet Nantes Carrots/ Cherry Belle
Radish
Chioggia Beets
Radish
Arugula Roquette
Radish
Spring Onions (Failure)

Leaf Mulch
Leaf Mulch
Leaf Mulch

Georgia Sweet Onions

Red Ace Beets

Red Ace Beets

Leaf Mulch

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar Snap Peas

*All beds 50 feet on 5 foot centers
Tillage

Tillage and bed preparation March,
2004

Planting

March, 2004

Harvest

April-June, 2004
Fertrel 4-2-4 OMRI approved band
applied at 100#N/acre

Fertility

Rowfeet

Flat Size

5
5

2934
2934
500
500

2200
2200
6000
6000

1.334
1.334
0.084
0.084

#REF!
#REF!
0.85714286
0.85714286

214
214

50
50

Feet per Ounce

Date-Harvest Est

# of Plants

Ounces of Seed

Days to Harvest

Plants / Foot

14.67
14.67
#REF!
#REF!

150
150

# of Seeds / Oz

Date-Transplant Est

200
200
250
250

# of Seeds

Date-Seeding Est

26-Feb
26-Feb

14-Oct
9-Oct
25-Apr
17-Apr

Days SD to TD

Field

28
28

55
50
58
50

# seeds per foot

Crop

Beets
Beets
Broccoli
Broccoli

20-Aug
20-Aug
29-Jan
29-Jan

# of Flats

Chioggia
Red Ace
Gypsy
Pacman

1
1
1
1

Beets
Beets
Broccoli
Broccoli

Variety

Chioggia
Red Ace
Gypsy
Pacman

Crop

Variety

What, Where, When, How
Much

Afternoon Agenda
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Transplant Production
Equipment
Dealing with Weeds
Harvest and Post-Harvest Handling
Food Safety/GAPs
Organic Certification
Record Keeping

Growing your own
transplants
or how to
stay in control!!

Direct Seeding vs.
Transplanting a crop
How do you decide?
How do we decide?

When transplanting makes more
sense…
1. When the seed is expensive, finicky, slow to
emerge, not competitive w/ weeds
2. When you are trying to “push” the season
3. Allows cover crops more time to grow

4. Allows more flexibility in crop planning

Sources for

Transplants
garden centers / hardware stores
nurseries – local or mail order
from other organic growers

Sources for

Transplants
garden centers / hardware stores
nurseries – local or mail order
from other organic growers
or

Grow Your Own….

Basic needs of
transplants
Warmth
Light
Moisture
Air Flow

What are you going to need?
Good quality potting soil
Flats, trays
Nutrients- fertilizers
Seed covering- vermiculite
Seeds
Heat mats
Seeding tools
Clipboard/ record keeping

BRASSICAS - 2009
Variety

Cabbage

Arcadia

JSS- 1000
Hlms- 1000

1-Jan
1-Feb
15-Jun
15-Jul

Sess. Grossa

JSS- 1/4#

Spring Raab

B. Raab

Target

Premium Crop

Broccoli

source am't

JSS- 1/4#

Alcosa

JSS mini

savoy

Capricorn

Territorial

Charmant

Territorial

Early Jersey

Hlms oz

Primax

JSS- 2mini

Red
Jewel

Stokes-1000

Ruby Ball

Territoial

Chinese
Cab

Blues

Stokes '04

Collards

Top Bunch

15-Mar
7-Apr
21-Jul
15-Aug

1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul
1-Feb
15-Jul

1-Aug

1-Jul

Flash

Kale

JSS mini

15-Jan
1-Jul

Lacinato

SoC-pkt

29-Dec
1-Jul

Red Russian

JSS- oz

29-Dec
1-Jul

Winterbor

JSS- mini

29-Dec

Actual

Germ.

Trans.

Harvest

Transplant Specifications

Vegetables

Cell Size

we

Depth

Temp

Broccoli

1"

Brussel Sprouts

1"

Cabbage

1"

Cauliflower

1"

Collards

1"

72

Weeks to

Germ

use

Days to

Transplant

4

5 to 7

80

5

5 to 7

1/4"

85

4

5 to 7

1/4"

72

85

1/4"

50

1/4"

80

5

5 to 7

1/4"

85

5

5 to 7

Additional topics:

Sanitation in the greenhouse
Growth regulators
Pests in the greenhouse
Transplant Specifications

Daniel‟s Soil Mix
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2 @ 3.8 cu ft peat moss
2 cups lime mixed into peat
4 cu ft vermiculite
4 cu ft perlite
4 cu ft quality compost or vermicompost
2 cups kelp and/or Azomite
4 cups Fertrell 4-2-4

How Does Your Garden Mow?
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Finish mower: Lawn mower on steroids
Bush hog: Rotary mower cuts saplings
Sickle bar: Low power, large pieces
Scythe: Silent sickle bar
Flail mower: Shredder
String trimmer: Small jobs

Used -------------- New
• Lower initial cost
• Higher repair costs
• Your time is
valuable
• Greater breakdown
potential
• Best if you can
repair it

• Years trouble-free
• Warranty
• Maintenance
counts!
• Local dealer/repair
• Options tailored to
your operation
• Best if you can
afford it

Realistic Maintenance
• Winter Overhaul
– Change oil
– Change filters
– Adjust settings, clean anything you can

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Check oil every time
Change oil at least once during season
Adjust and tighten often
Fix problems ASAP

Equipment Safety
• Read your operator‟s/owner‟s manual-seriously
• Properly maintain equipment
• Don‟t disable safety features--really,
don‟t
• Wear well-fitting long pants, shirt
• Use ear protection, safety glasses

Equipment Sources
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Bother your local tractor dealer
www.earthtoolsbcs.com
www.marketfarm.com
www.ferrari-tractors.com
Johnny‟s Selected Seeds
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply

What is a Weed?
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A plant out of place
Anything you can’t make a dime on
An r-selected species
A plant that thrives on disturbance
Very successful plants

Why Weeds?
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Plowing creates a niche
Good nutrition makes plants thrive
Growing crops year after year
Ineffective control leads to proliferation

Work It
Weeds are the number one problem for organic
farmers.
We have more tools and methods to deal with
weeds than any other pest.
Would you rather deal with insects, disease, or
weeds?

Annual Weeds

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Grow, produce seed, and die
within one season
Relatively fast-growing (faster than crops)
Produce large amounts of seed
Seed is abundant for 7 years
Easy to kill in seedling stage
Thrive on disturbed environments

Perennial Weeds
Plants survive from year to year
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Dormant and growth phases
Vigorous vegetative reproduction
Will produce and grow from seed
Often patchy and creeping
Stores energy from year to year

Problem Weeds
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Nutsedge
Bermuda Grass
Pigweed
Sida
Summer Grasses

• Hen Bit
• Wild Radish
• Yellow Dock

How to Cope with Weeds
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Quit farming
Plow and cultivate
Mulch
Pull by hand
Smother crop with cover crop
Rotate your fields
Organic sprays?

Plow and Cultivate
• Plowing is a short-term benefit and long-term
detriment
• Plowing stimulates weed growth
• Plowing allows later cultivation of weeds
• Cultivate early and often
• The least soil disturbance is the best
• Cultivation can stimulate weed growth

eXtension Web Resource
http://www.extension.org/pages/21452/weedmanagement-in-organic-vegetable-productionsystems-topics

• Articles on many aspects of weed control
• Videos of farmers and their weed control
machines

Organic Mulch
• Becomes SOM
• Must be refreshed every season
• Sourcing, transportation, and application
challenges
• Straw in the summer
• Hay is likely to have weed seeds
• Leaves are excellent, challenging application

Plastic Mulch
• Agricultural plastic
– Easy application with tools
– Easy planting by puncturing plastic
– Removal and disposal challenges

• Landscape fabric
– Lasts multiple seasons
– Planting holes must be prepared by melting
– Must be applied by hand.

Harvest / Post Harvest
…now that you have grown it,
how do you maintain it’s quality and
freshness?

F.S.M.A.
The FDA’s

Food Safety Modernization Act

Need Help Creating a Food Safety Plan?
http://onfarmfoodsafety.org
an online tool for developing a
custom food safety plan
Project supported by: Farm Aid,
Univ. of California, the
Wallace Center, Community
Alliance with Family Farmers,
and FamilyFarmed.org along
with support from USDA, FDA, and several
industry leaders

USDA and Organic
• 1990 -- Congress passes Organic Foods
Production Act (OFPA)
• 1992 -- USDA establishes the National
Organic Program
– USDA appoints National Organic Standards Board

• 2000 -- USDA publishes approved standards
• 2002 -- NOP rules fully enforced

Daniel and Organic
• 1998-Internship at Wildflower Organics
– Certified by Georgia Organics

• 2000--Certification dropped, name changed
to bernadette‟s garden
• 2002-Manage student farm that becomes
certified
• 2004-Certified at Gaia through GCIA
• 2009-Established Parson Produce
***Certified July 2012***

Organic Production Definition
“A production system that is managed…
to respond to site-specific conditions by
integrating cultural, biological, and
mechanical practices that foster cycling
of resources, promote ecological
balance, and conserve biodiversity”

The Organic Rule
• Definitions
• Applicability
• Organic Production and Handling
Requirements
• Labels, Labeling, and Market
Information
• Certification
• Accreditation of Certifying Agents

The Organic Rule
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Administrative
State Organic Programs
Fees
Compliance
Inspection and Testing, Reporting, and
Exclusion from Sale
• Adverse Action Appeal Process
• Miscellaneous

Allowed Synthetic
“A substance included on the National List
of synthetic substances allowed for use
in organic production and handling”

Annual Seedling
“Plant grown from seed that will complete
its life cycle or produce a harvestable
yield in the same crop year or season in
which it is planted”

Buffer Zone
“…must be sufficient in size or other
features to prevent the possibility of
unintended contact by prohibited
substances…”

Commercially available
“The ability to obtain a production input in
an appropriate form, quality, or quantity
to fulfill an essential function…”

Compost
…a managed process…that combines
plant and animal materials with an initial
C:N ratio between 25:1 and 40:1…
• Static pile: between 131F and 170F for
3 days
• Windrow: 131F and 170F for 15 days,
turned at least 5 times

Compost Tips
• Vegetable based „mulch‟ doesn‟t need
composting
• Use a regular formula of ingredients
• Keep records and take temperatures

Crop Rotation
“…a planned pattern or sequence in
successive crop years so that crops of
the same species or family are not
grown repeatedly without interruption in
the same field”

Crop Rotation
“Perennial cropping systems employ alley
cropping, intercropping, and
hedgerows…in lieu of crop rotation”

Crop Year
“That normal growing season for a crop
as determined by the Secretary”

Cultural Methods
“Methods used to enhance crop health
and prevent weed, pest, or disease
problems without the use of
substances…”

Excluded Methods
“A variety of methods used to genetically
modify organisms…”
“Methods do not include traditional
breeding, conjugation, fermentation,
hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or
tissue culture”

Handling Operation
“…operation that receives… agricultural
products and processes, packages, or
stores such products”

Planting Stock
“Any plant or plant tissue other than
annual seedlings… used in plant
production or propagation”

Prohibited Substance
“A substance the use of which in any
aspect of organic production or handling
is prohibited…”

Sewage sludge
“…generated during the treatment of
domestic sewage…”

Synthetic
“A substance that is formulated or
manufactured by a chemical process...
except…substances created by
naturally occurring biological processes”

Applicability: who must certify
• Production or handling operations
• Products sold as organic
• Products intended for processing or
resale as organic

Exemption
• Producer when gross organic income is
under $5000 annual
• Processed products when organic is
only specified on ingredient list
• Rules and records must be current

Record Keeping
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“adapted to the particular business”
“sufficient detail”
Maintained for at least five years
Available for certifying agent, federal
secretary, state official

How long before I can certify?
“No prohibited substances…applied for a
period of 3 years immediately preceding
harvest of the crop”

Soil Fertility
• Maintain or improve the condition of the
soil
• Manage using rotations, cover crops,
and plant and animal materials
• Maintain or improve soil organic matter
content

Animal Manure Use
• Soil contact: 120 days before harvest
• No direct soil contact: 90 days before
harvest
• Uncomposted plant materials lack these
requirements

Mined Substances
• Low solubility is approved
• High solubility with conditions
• Example: Chilean nitrate cannot be
more than 20% of crops nitrogen
requirement

Plant and Animal Materials
• Ash from burning these materials
• Chemically altered IF allowed synthetic
• Burning of crop residues not allowed
except
– Suppress spread of disease
– Stimulate seed germination

Organic Seeds, Seedlings,
Planting Stock
Except
• Untreated seed when not commercially
available
• Allowed synthetic treatment when not
commercially available
• Perennial crop when managed
organically > 1 year

Organic Seeds, Seedlings,
Planting Stock
Except
• Annual seedling with temporary
variance
• When prohibited substance treatment is
Federal or State Phytosanitary
regulation

Crop Rotation
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Maintain soil organic matter
Pest management
Plant nutrient management
Erosion control

Pest Management
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Crop Rotation
Sanitation
Cultural Practices
Beneficial habitat or introduction
Nonsynthetic traps, lures, repellents

Weed Management
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Biodegradable mulch
Mowing
Livestock grazing
Mechanical cultivation
Flame weeding
Plastic IF removed at end of growing or
harvest season

Disease Management
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Cultural practices
Biological
Botanical
Mineral

The Certification Process
•
•
•
•
•
•

Implement organic management
Select certification agency
Submit application
Clarify as requested by agency
On-farm inspection
Ruling by the agency‟s board

Organic Farm Plan Worksheet
•
•
•
•

Section 1: General Information
Section 2: Farm Plan Information
Section 3: Seeds and Seed Treatments
Section 4: Source of Seedlings and
Perennial Stock
• Section 5: Soil and Crop Fertility
Management

Organic Farm Plan Worksheet
•
•
•
•

Section 6: Crop Management
Section 7: Maintenance of Organic Integrity
Section 8: Record Keeping System
Section 9: Affirmation

Found on web or from certification agency

Resources
• OMRI listings at www.omri.org
• National Organic Program at
www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
• Appropriate Technology Transfer to
Rural Areas www.attra.org

Record Keeping
Can be the hardest part of farming!
• Seed order records
• Planning changed to record of season
• Daily diary of what‟s done
– Land preparation and pest/weed control
– Planting and fertilization
– Harvest: where and how much

Record Keeping
• Planning turns to records
– Revise seed order plans to actual orders
– Record plantings on planning sheets

• Keep good business records
– Receipts from seed and fertilizer
companies
– Sales records: invoices and CSA lists

Morning Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Overview of What‟s Ahead + Questions
Insects and Disease
Irrigation
Alternative Crops
Business Management, Labor, Taxes
Evaluation

Why Do We Have Pests?
• Plant eating insects will be found in
association with their larval food source
• We are growing those plants
– Over and over again
– In abundance in neat rows

Can we eliminate insect pests in
agriculture?

Dysfunctional Pest
Management
•
•
•
•

Identify your pest
Identify which spray kills your pest
Spray and pray
Repeat: because it‟s coming back

Integrated Pest Management
•
•
•
•

Identify your pest
Learn the life cycle of your pest
Look for beneficials that eat your pest
Do anything culturally to alleviate the
pest
• Choose a specific, natural spray that
attacks the pest when most vulnerable

Ecological Pest Management
•
•
•
•

Identify (ID) your pest
Learn its life cycle
ID any predators that eat your pest
Learn their life cycle
Do anything you can to hinder your pest
and enhance your predator!

Insect Pests
• Colorado Potato
Beetle
• Mexican Bean
Beetle
• Stink Bugs
• Leaf Beetles
• Vegetable Aphids

• Tomato Hornworm
• Cabbage White
Moth
• Tomato Fruitworm
• Vine Borers
• Squash Bugs
• Yellow-Lined Leaf
Beetle

Mexican Bean Beetle and
Predator

Insect Management
•
•
•
•

Beneficial attraction
Winter cover crops
Hand picking
Crop timing

•
•
•
•

Bt/Safer soap
Rotations
Tilling in residues
Transplanting

Predatory Stink Bugs

Photos by Debbie Roos
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html

Lacewing Eggs and Larva

Photos by Debbie Roos
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html

Carnivorous True Bugs
Big-Eyed Bug

Minute Pirate Bug

Newport News Master Gardeners

From University of NebraskaLincoln/Photo by Jack Dykinga,
image from the USDA Agricultural
Research Service.

Rotations for Insect Control
• Biodiversity
• Cover crops attract beneficials
• Break cycles of infestation
Example: soil-borne nematodes that are
plant-family specific

Biological Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Attracting beneficials
Cover cropping
Promoting soil health
Certain amendments
Eating pest species

Cultural methods
•
•
•
•
•
•

Raised beds
Drip irrigation
Variety selection
Crop rotation
Maintaining plant vigor
Soil nutrient amendments

Mechanical Methods
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Safer soap
Cultivation
Remae row cover
Insect removal
Trellis
Landscape fabric
Amendments

Disease Management
• Mulching tomatoes
• Early harvest
• Careful
harvest/preparation
• Early planting
• Crop spacing
• Field sanitation

•
•
•
•
•

Rotations
Raised beds
Drip irrigation
Variety selection
Greenhouse
sanitation
• Crop removal

Land Area

Marketing Plan

Production Plan

Crops

Crop Rotation

Diseases Potentially
Controlled
•
•
•
•

Limited host range pathogens
Pathogens without airborne spores
Early and late blight: tomato and pepper
Scab: root crops

Diseases Poorly Controlled
•
•
•
•

Damping off
Verticillium wilt (300+ susceptible)
Anthracnose - beans, cukes, peppers
Fusarium - tomatoes, peas, melons,
dahlias
• Root knot nematodes - corn, lettuce,
tomatoes

Disease Control
•
•
•
•
•

Break the cycle of soil-borne disease
Keep disease from building up
Increase beneficial microorganisms
Pathogens with limited host range
Pathogens without airborne spores

Problem Diseases
• Late Blight
• Early Blight
• Tomato Spotted Wilt

• Bacterial Soft Rot
• Fusarium
• Other undiagnosed
diseases

Resources
• Appropriate Technology Transfer to
Rural Areas (ATTRA)
– www.attra.org

• Using Cover Crops Profitably
– www.sare.org

• Adams-Briscoe Seed
• Johnny‟s Selected Seeds

Resources
• Rodale’s Pest and Disease Problem
Solver
• Garden Insects of North America by
Whitney Cranshaw
• Manage Insects on Your Farm: A Guide
to Ecological Strategies by Miguel
Altieri, Clara Nicholls, with Marlene Fritz
• SARE Books available online

Is It Ever Going to
Rain Again???

terms for discussing water needs:
Saturation– when all soil pores are filled with water
Field Capacity– the soil-water content after gravity has
drained all that it can (usually 1 to 3 days after rainfall)
Permanent Wilting Point (PWP)- the soil-water content
at which a healthy plant can no longer extract water at
a rate to recover from wilting
Plant Available Water (PAW)- is the amount of water in
the soil that is potentially available for plant uptake.
Crop Water Use Rate- Maximum daily rate at which a
crop can extract water from a moist soil

http://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/map/4_inch
_plant_available_water/soil_moisture_temperature

Corn uses water three times as fast during the pollination period (65 to 75
days after planting, 0.25 inch per day) as during the knee-high stage (35 to 40
days after planting, 0.08 inch per day).

Vegetable Crop Irrigation Chart
adapted from Doug Sanders'

NCSU HIL- 33E

Rooting

Potential

Crop

Frequency

Critical Period

Depth

Defects

Asparagus

1" / 20 days

Crown set, transplanting

D

Shriveling

Beans

1" / 5-7 days

Flowering

M

Poor pod fill

Beets

1" / 14 days

Root expansion

M

Growth cracks

Broccoli

1" / 5 days

Head development

S

Cabbage

1" / 10 days

Head development

S

Growth cracks

Carrot

1" / 21 days

Seed germination,

S-M

Growth cracks

Root expansion

misshapen roots

Cantaloupe

1" / 10 days

Flowering, fruiting

S-M

Ch. Cabbage

1" / 5 days

Continuous

S

Tough leaves

Collards

1" / 14 days

Continuous

S

Tough leaves

Corn

1" / 14 days

Silking

S

Poor ear fill

Cucumbers

1" / 7 days

Flowering, fruiting

S-M

Pointed, cracked

Eggplant

1" / 7 days

Flowering, fruiting

M

Blossom end rot
misshapen roots

Greens

1" / 7 days

Continuous

M

Tough leaves

Overhead irrigation
Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Effective in mimicking
rainfall
Effective in establishing
cover crops, other
broadcasted crops
Delivers a lot of water,
faster

Delivers a lot of water, faster
Timing- shouldn't water in
the middle of the day
Doesn’t work with plastic
mulch
Can promote foliar diseases
by wetting leaves
Challenging with diverse
crop mixes

Alternatives to Vegetables
actually…
in addition to your vegetables

… at Perry-winkle Farm
“Variety is the spice of life”… diversification
is our mantra
“Don‟t put all your eggs in one basket”… you
might need to eat some of those chickens
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never
know what you are going to get” … I wish
we could grow chocolate in NC

Business Management
This is supposed to be a
business after all

“Management” Means Making Decisions
Sales & Marketing
What to sell?
To whom to sell?
Price at which to sell?
Cost of getting sales

Production
What to plant?
How much to plant?
Production inputs
Overhead expenses

Physical Asset Base
Equipment procurement
Facility procurement
Land procurement

Treating your farm as a business
Consider these ideas-

Incorporate your farm as an LLC or Corporation
Open a business checking account:
Pay with checks or card- and don‟t use for
personal expenses
Keep the business at arm‟s length

Pay yourself a salary

What are you worth?
What is your time worth?

Farmers typically do not value their own labor in
profitability calculations, or even “pay” themselves
an hourly rate.
While this is common among many small business
owners, it results in understating total costs particularly labor cost!

Treating your farm as a business
Record keeping is helpful in knowing:
where you are and where you are going…
but also where you have been
It is as important as most other jobs on the farm,
perhaps even more so…
… but there is a cost to collecting data

There are many forms of recordkeeping:
Daily work lists- including pick list
Harvest records
Field maps
Planting calendars, schedules
Irrigation logs
Soil amendments records
Market sales records
Sales receipt books
>>>actual accounting ledgersQuicken, QuickBooks, spreadsheets

A simple excel spread sheet
27
Arugula
Basil
Basil- Red Rubin
Beans-Tema
Beans- Gold Rush
Beans- Magn/GC
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cilantro
Collard
Eggplant- Blk B
Eggplant- Dancer
Millionaire
Nubia
Oriental Charm
Fennel
Figs
Garlic
garlic bunches
Grapes- bronze F
Grapes- blk N
Leeks
Lettuce- Cherokee
Lettuce- Magenta
Lettuce- Erm/Adriana
Lettuce- Green *
Lettuce- Kalura
Lettuce- Skyphos
Lettuce-Vulcan
Kale- Lacinato
Kale- RR
Redbor
Winterbor
Mizuna
Pac Choi
Peppers
Okra
Onion- Candy
Super *
Red Candy
Peas
Pea Shoots
Salad Mix
Spinach

28

5.25
1.75

30

9
3.5

31

15.75
2.5

32

17.75
2.25

33

34

36

37

38

39

40

41

6
3.25

29

35

9.75
3
1.5

9.5

12.25

6
10
4

8

8

8.75

4

8.75

11.5
29.5

3.5
2.5

19
12.5
37.5

13

23
15.5
19.5

31
29
44.75

45.5
39.5
34.75

35.75
63
75

6
19.75
10.75

23
8.75
14.5
3
12.75
7.5

3.5
18
5
8.25
2.5
5.5
5.5

3.25
21

6
19
5
11.25

8.5

3.5
4

3.75
2.75

17.5
3

42

43

44

45

46
10

47
14

48

3.75

49
5.5

50
5

51

7.75

5.25

total

Value

135.75

160.25
190.75
264.75

1629

615.75

1847.25

48.5
15

20.5

9.25
7.25
12.75
7.5

6.25
13
2.25
14.5
8.5

8.25
11.5
5.75
8.5
12.25

8.25
14
3
10.25
6.5

9.5
29.5
4.5
17
11

11.25
36
4
29.25
17.5

6
30.25
3.75
16
14

8
3
10.5
2.5
16
6

4
1
3.75

16

19

17

1.25
4
19

1 bus +
20

8

10.5# +
8

11

207
71.25
221
39.5
153.5
103
31

31

43

27.5
22.25

3.5
33.75

517.5

588.25

93

31
106

137

100
50

7

1176.5

250
125

822

133
21
8

24
8

9
3

13
13

19
10

14
8

505
12

6

4
4
3
4

2
1
1
3

4
11
5
6

7
6
5
7

2
4
2
3

1.5

27.25

26

22.25

12.5

3.25

22.25

3

12
3
12

4
5
6
15.5

15

12

7

12.75

3.5

10.75

4.25

4.5

4.75

2.25

6.25

3.25

20

4
3
2
4

16.25

4.5

5

5
3.5

1
3

9.5

25

13.5

52

30
48
26
49

4

130

153

459

2.5

1.75

2

1
4.25

2.5
1.25
5.25

11.75

3
3.25
6.25

0.25
2

53.75
19.25

645
154

CARRBORO FARMERS' MARKET - 2013
Weather

Date

Quantity
Crop

S/O

Taken

Am't
Time

Sold

Price

$$$

Price

$$$

Total $$$

Weather

Date

Quantity
Crop

Taken

S/O

Am't
Time

Sold

Total $$$

Whole-farm Cost Analysis for Managing a
Market Vegetable Farm
There are many “whole-farm” systems, or tools:
Excel spreadsheets
Quickbooks, Quicken
Schedule F
Packaged accounting systems can be useful forTax & reporting focus
Detailed management focus

What you choose, and how much work you are
willing to put into them, depends on how you want
to use the information.

the “Veggie

Compass”

…a whole farm tool
Compares external enterprises:
Includes cost of production plus cost of distribution and overhead.
Has rigor of assigning all costs including direct and indirect.
Looks at individual crops in the overall enterprise.
Looks at actual, past results but can be used as forecasting tool.

Many of these powerpoint slides were developed in 2011 by Jim Munsch (WI) for
Southern SAWG. Thank you to Jim for granting us permission to continue to use
these slides to teach how to measure and plan for whole farm profitability.
Ellen Polishuk (VA) developed additional slides, based on her experience with
Veggie Compass.

Processes (Activities/work)
Common to All Channels

GreenhouseLabor
Seed
Utilities
Supplies

Growing in the FieldLabor
Machinery
Seed
Supplies
Fertility

Harvesting, Cleaning, PackingLabor
Machinery
Supplies
Utilities

A key to comprehensive,
whole farm cost approach
is the assignment of every
expense somewhere!
The “somewhere “ depends
on what you need to
manage the business.
One approach is to look at
“activities” in logical
groups that can be
managed.
This becomes even more
meaningful if you can do it
by Crop!

Algebra of Profit - “Manageability”

What is easily changed about your profit picture (things with a  )

Sales
(Revenue)

Amount Sold (Lbs) 
X

Price ($/Lb) 

Minus

Cost

-Variable
-Semi-fixed
-Fixed

Cost to Produce 
Cost to Sell 

“Overhead”

Equals
PROFIT or Return
*Owner‟s labor
*Management
*Investment

-Variable
-Semi-fixed
-Fixed

Personal
Interest
Assets

Breakeven Sales Volume = amount of product
you need produce and sell to cover costs of
production

.
Sale Price
$7
$9
$10
$15

less
less
less
less

Variable Cost per Unit
$5
$5
$5
$5

equals
equals
equals
equals

Contribution Margin
$2
$4
$5
$10

Next, divide total fixed cost by each contribution margin to compute the breakeven
sales quantity. Notice that the higher the price, the smaller the quantity you will
need to sell to break even. However, at higher prices, the product will be more
difficult to sell.
Total Fixed Cost
$100
divided by
$100
divided by
$100
divided by
$100
divided by

Contributions Margin
Breakeven Sales Quantity
$2
equals
50 units
$4
equals
25 units
$5
equals
20 units
$10
equals
10 units

Benchmarking With Other Farms

Components of Production Cost on Successful
Vegetable Farms…….
Labor is:
60% Harvest &
Packing
30% Growing
10% Selling/log

Schedule F for
the 1040
QuickBooks can help
you decide what
classes of expenses
are tax deductible
and
Schedule F can help
develop categories of
expenses

Resources better management
examples of Enterprise BudgetsCarolina Farm Stewardship Association (NC/SC)
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/enterprise-budgets/

Clemson University (SC)
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/aes/budgets/

North Florida Research and Education (FL)
http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/files/xls/enterprise_budgets/BellPepper
s.xls
"If you can't pencil a profit, you aren't likely to plow one."?

Labor Issues
Do You Need Help?
Do You Want Help?

Is Help Available?
How Can You Best Utilize Additional
Labor?

Economics of employees
They will help you earn money
They are going to cost you $$$

______
Average of 33% of sales spent on labor

Tax implications of employees
Schedule F- they are a Labor Hired expense
the $250 or $2,500 testwithhold Social Security and Medicare
Useful Publications from IRS
Pub 51 – Ag employers tax guide
Pub 225 – Farmers Tax Guide

useful tax “registrations”
EIN- Employer Identification Number
State Sales Tax exemption number
Property tax- farm use status

Southern SAWG--Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing

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