I had the most refreshing and invigorating discussion with the man who sells my pork. He is on a mission to feed good people good food and get good farmers a paycheck. This is how it works. On a given day the growers in his group add to his spreadsheet when they have to sell. Vegetables are the major contribution of course but there is also oils, honey, flour, seeds, beef, pork, lamb, etc. Lots of different foods.
The restaurants look at the spreadsheet and order what they need that week. Marty and his son sends the farm their each order, then the farmer picks and cleans and packages and labels the vegetables and transports them to Marty’s farm by a certain day. He has huge chillers. The next day he transports the products to Chicago and does the rounds of the restaurants delivering our goods.
This should take you to the link to his documentary.
For me I deliver the animal to the abbatoir on organic day and Will collects the carcass in his refrigerated truck and takes it up to the restaurant who ordered it.
The farmers, Marty, and his son Will, go through this process 51 out of 52 weeks a year. All the food is organic. He only works with growers who are guardians of the land and who ‘get it’ and he only sells to restaurants who are dedicated to good food and understand the concept of locally grown. (For instance, you are not going to get tomatoes and piles of eggs all years round in the midwest). He turned down almost 50 restaurants last year. So the demand is larger than what he can supply.
Last year he took the last of my pork. I was recommended by Jake and we were all flat out and in the middle of the season so he took me on to sell those last 8 plonkers without even meeting me. My little farm did well out of the arrangement.
Yesterday I went through a proper introduction and discovery with Marty and am now officially a part of this organisation.
And I can proudly say that I am the only woman he has who supplies pork. And now he has undertaken to buy my beef too! This summer he is all set to literally double his output. So, if I want to, I can grow and sell even more this summer. They love my pork – the chefs – they really do.
I have told him I cannot grow bigger than my land can handle, but I think I can become a bit more efficient and use the land better and maybe steal more family land from corn and beans.
So next I will have a meeting with my financial backers (John and his mother: The Matriarch) and we will discuss putting more land into pasture for cows, and we need to look carefully at the fences we use to pasture the pigs so I can extend their pastures.
I see the biggest loss being the garden – I just cannot have that huge garden to manage anymore. The garden takes more time than everything else combined and made very little last year. Having said that our plan as a couple has always been for me to grow the farm to just more than I can handle, by the last year John works in construction, then he will be available to farm with me and there will be enough work for him. (OK that sentence is way too convoluted) Let me put it this way. Our John retires in October and then he can help on the farm too. Though I may have to smash his IPad.
And he will be the gardener. I will still need my milking cows garden! And the kitchens garden.
In fact I was thinking of reducing my animal numbers because of Johns retirement. He has been heavily subsidising the farm. I could not see it working. But with the introduction of selling beef to the restaurants we may just get our heads above water.
So after having laid the groundwork for years and slowly growing my land and my herds and my network it looks like we are set to make enough money for the farm to pay for itself. I just need to hold steady and not take fright and flight.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
WEATHER: More clouds. Cooling off. How did it get to be Saturday again – already?.
Saturday 01/27 20% / 0 in
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The Kitchen's Garden 
79 responses to “ONWARD”
Have a great day.
Yes – the sun is out at the moment and it is almost warm!
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Oh Miss C, what excitement, and what a great vindication of everything you’ve spent years developing and working towards. We have faith in you, Marty has faith in you, the chefs have faith in you. Of course you can do this.
It really only means I keep doing what i have been doing but with the promise of monetary reward – just a little – but enough to be able to afford good feed and justify a bit more land grabbing..
How exciting!! I’m so glad others are appreciating all your hard work. John must be proud of you : ) I look forward to hearing more after your big business meeting ….
That is about it really – everyone is so busy I am sure it will not happen again for a good while. But I can go forward with some confidence now..
Oh my goodness, this is just so exciting. I bet those chefs appreciate your pork! We often go in with my daughter and son-in-law on a lamb from a nearby farm and it is so delicious. My daughter also buys pork and beef from the same farm–the difference in taste in amazing. I’m so happy for you!
I love lamb – I keep meaning to grow a few just for my freezer..
I love that you are on a profitable path. Making a profit is huge for small farmers, especially those who do not rely on government programs or loans. I buy a lot of real food from a PA farmer who has a farm stand on Saturdays close by.
I have never applied for a loan and am in no program at all that is for sure. I love that you have a local farmer – everyone needs a farmer..
This gives me hope that there are other communities of organic and clean-minded folks who want and even demand a better way of eating. I know of a few similar ranches in north and west Texas who extend organic fruits, vegetables and meats to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I am not aware of any in this state, but maybe they do exist. I marvel at the connectedness you have with these like-minded people. What a wonderful feeling it must give you to be a part of such a community AND to be the only woman supplying pork in that area! Woot!!
Vegetable gardens are so labor intensive. I cut back on my biggest garden last year – I simply cannot keep up with all that is required from planting to harvest time. The pecan orchard cleanup takes up most of my time now. I can imagine if you do it for big production for restaurants it’s just too much to contend with, along with the livestock. Will you still keep a smaller garden to support family and the workers that help you all spring and summer?
Do you plan on picking and packing and selling the pecans? c
We would but this year’s crop proved to be ruined by weevils mostly, and some scab disease. We still haven’t found anyone to help us with pruning and maintenance… and I haven’t managed much in the cleanup department either. It’s such an old orchard that it may not be good for anything other than a wildlife sanctuary. Today’s commercial pecan production is much different than it was when this orchard was planted. I’m not sure we can ever make money from it… but we initially purchased it for the deer. It’s just fine if all it ever manages is to feed the wild things. 🙂
Well, isn’t that splendid! I love how in the space of one paragraph you scale back the big garden, but maintain the ktichens garden, and then John will retire, so he will be able to garden and farm. Perhaps not scale back so much as reconfigure. There may be ways to garden and raise vegetables more intensively than in conventional rows with slightly less work, or perhaps grow crops that require less human hours. Lord knows I’m working on this, too. It is truly shocking how little we pay for fresh veg – there we see most clearly the absurdities of our government-subsidized big-ag industries, I think. Anyway, tremendous news about the plonker and beef sales! Wonderfully done!
Wow! And the adventure continues in an exciting direction! How wonderful!!! 🙂
It is pretty wonderful – I feel much better after our little talk..
Lots of good news in this post. The arrangement with the organic foods supplier is a good deal for him, you, the land, the restaurants, and the diners. I hope it goes well. I look forward to watching.
It is great to be a part of a group who is moving in the same direction – farming like I do is a solitary profession
That sounds brilliant. Selling quality animals and vegetables to restaurants is a big thing here. People want to know where their food comes from.
It is a very upwardly mobile movement – I am so happy to be involved at a more lucrative level – not a lot of money in the realm of things but better every year I hope.
It’s a good trend across the board – I hope it all goes well, you’ve certainly worked for it!
Having watched people struggling to stay on the farm – by supplementing with off-farm work, just as you do there – for my whole life; I am truly hoping these new, more direct supply chains mean that Producers finally start to get fair prices in return for all the never-ending work they do…
All the best for the future!
Onward …. and upward 🙂 This is all good news indeed. I could not get your link to the documentary to work but did go look around the site and it all looks amazing. I am so proud of you, your attention to detail has been rewarded, I assume the organiser does get a cut too? Laura
yes – he takes 17 percent of my cheque. I think that is fair too – without him there was nothing.
What exciting and promising news Miss C! This journey will be fascinating to experience with you. As I read this post I was trying to remember just how I found your blog and I really don’t remember, although I would guess it had something to do with my keen interest in the pictures you have consistently posted of the animals, as I am not a farmer and my own personal garden has now been condensed to a few small beds in front of my apartment. It has been, and now will continue to be, a pleasure to see where this new road takes you (us). Thank you for letting me be a part of this journey 🙂
I bet your two small beds produce just enough – it is amazing how much food you can grow in a small area..
Have you read “compassionate carnivore” by Catherine Friend? She talks about ‘happy meat’ like what you are producing.
I have read so many books on the subject and that does sound familiar – I will double check – Thank You! c
So wonderful to read your well thought out plans, look a little way down the road with you & see your bright horizon. I wish you & your family & partners much success & happy days ahead.
It certainly invites me to make some choices I could not otherwise do ..