Quote:
Originally Posted by PureHarvest
The auction near me is no way to make a living.
25# boxes of tomatoes brought $8-10 yesterday.
1/2 bushel box of jalapenos $7
Watermelons $2.25
1/2 bushel box of yellow squash $5
Cantaloupes $1.30
I often wonder if people that want to get into the game of market growing (while looking at the pictures of tidy green rows of crops and romancing the idea of living the farm life) seriously consider volume, price and their distribution options when they decide to jump in.
Think of how many boxes of tomatoes you have to move at $10 each to NET just $1,000 by the end of the season. How many plants will that take? How much cost (including your time) goes into the production and harvesting of those plants?
I am in awe of anyone that makes a living solely by growing vegetables on a non-industrial scale.
Then there is that sweet spot where you find a production system that works for you and a distribution channel that pays you what need and more to make the money that is worth working for...
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I made a living growing produce, mainly tomatoes, and sold them through that auction for several years. I now play around with tomatoes, and still make more than I should compared to the fun I have doing it.
For one, if a person can't make money selling their products at going market price, they are in the wrong business. For two, if one values their products above market price they are in the wrong business. For three, if a person makes less than he spends producing a product, he needs to get a bigger truck, or learn more about the product he is producing.
When I was at my prime growing tomatoes for market, I roughly estimate that I had a return of $100 for every $10 spent, maybe more certain years.