Strategically Growing Your Farm
Enterprise
Jody Bolluyt
Roxbury Farm Kinderhook, NY
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
Started the farm in 1990 with 5 acres
Through the generosity and support of
Roxbury Farm CSA members, Equity Trust, and
the Open Space Institute the farm has grown
to over 350 acres.
The land, farmhouse, and barns will remain
affordable for farmers in perpetuity.
3 5 a c re s i n G re e n M a n u re C ro p s
3 5 a c re s i n Ve ge t a b l e s
2 1 0 a c re s i n H ay a n d Pa st u re
9 0 a c re s i n we t l a n d , fo re s t , s h r u b - l a n d a n d
w a t e r w ay s
FarmAid 2013
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:•Who are your customers•Planning•Financials•Equipment & Infrastructure•Labor
1990 5 acres of vegetables for
wholesale: mostly head lettuce
•Neighbor did primary tillage
•Super C tractor with basket
weeder
•Rotavator
•Waterwheel wheel for
transplants
•Roller marker for direct seeding
•1-row Nibex push seeder
•14 X 48 tunnel with propane
heater for transplants
•Access to an old dairy barn
•Installed a cooler and set up
washing area
•10 horsepower pump & 1000 ft
of 2-inch irrigation pipe
•30 member CSA in
NYC
•Greenmarket in NYC
•Restaurant
accounts
•6 acres of
vegetables
•Kubota tractor & 2
bottom plow
•Small disc
•Rotary mower
1991
1992•CSA started in the Albany
Area: up 200 CSA
members total
•Greenmarket in NYC
•Restaurant Accounts
•8 acres of veggies
•4 wheel drive tractor with
a bucket
•Chisel plow for primary
tillage
•Improving land: building
roads, protecting creek
banks from erosion
•Building Housing:
apprentice housing &
farmer housing
•10 acres of
vegetables
•300 CSA
members
•Restaurant
and
Institutional
Accounts
•Potato
planter
•Potato
harvester
•12 ft box
truck
1993
1994 to 1999 •Increased to 20 acres of
veggies
•Cow/calf herd with 10
mother cows
•Grew to 650 CSA
members
•Institutional Accounts
•Case 265 cultivating
tractor
•Haying equipment
•Improved barns for
livestock and loading dock
•Manure spreader
•Irrigation equipment
•Traded in smaller tractors
for larger tractors
•Waterwheel transplanter
2000 •Moved to new land
•150 acres with a house
and 99 year lease
•100 acres with short-
term lease and leased
barns, greenhouses,
housing for farm
workers
•Cut back to 550
members
•Sold cow herd
•Imants Spading Plow
•Lannen Carosel Planter
•New Cooler for barn
•25 horsepower diesel
irrigation pump
2001•25 acres of
vegetables
•850 members
•last year of our
institutional accounts
•100 horsepower
tractor (used)
•2 row potato digger
2002 to 2005 •1100 CSA members
•Quit growing strawberries
•High clearance tractors
•Additional cultivation tractor
•Larger harrow and disc
•Winstrip greenhouse trays &
new benches
•Tray filler for greenhouse
•MaterMac 3 row seeder
•Plastic crates for harvest and
delivery
•Hillside cultivator for plastic
crops
•Quick hitches for all tractors and
implements
2006 to 2010 •1100 CSA members
•Livestock
•Traded in 100 horsepower
tractor for JohnDeere
tractor (new)
•Built 100 acres of fence
•Built farm worker housing
•Barns for sheep and hay
barn/cow barn
•Hay equipment
•Made our own straw for
mulch
•Bale shredder in between
plastic beds
2011 to
Present
•1100 CSA members
•Added winter share
•2 farmers markets
•1 restaurant account
•Expanded cow herd
•Built new cow barn
•Cultivating equipment
•Harvesting & washing
equipment
•Bin Washer
•Purchased more land
•Built more farm roads
•Upgraded hay equipment
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
•Provide high quality food at an affordable price
•Provide meaningful work in a respectful
workplace
•Sustain and build soil fertility using as few off-farm
inputs as possible
•Develop a relationship with the land: look at
each field individually and each part of the farm
and find its best possible use, respect the limits of
the land, the natural areas on the farm are
important part of the overall farm.
•Provide livestock with the best environment
possible in order to allow the animals to express
their true natures
Records
PlanningEvaluation
Harvest Record Keeping
Record Keeping
Salad mix 288 lbs Lind. Sect. 4 bd 3cilantro 72 lbs Lind. Sect 4 bd 4
HARVEST RECORDS
2 Beds of Fall Bunching Carrots 12 bu of carrots .12 acres
Prepare Soil: time/acre in min time for carrots in min
Chisel Plow 1x 15 2
Disc Bedder 20 2.4
Rough Bed 15 2
Stale Seed bed 3x 45 5
Fertilizer 15 2
Manure, compost
Other
Plastic mulch
Seed/Transplant:
Seeding in field 60 7
Cost of seed
Transplanting labor
Cultivation:
Reemay on/off
Hoeing 1x, 2x, 3x
Hand weeding 1 6000 720
Hand weeding 2
Hand weeding 3
Straw mulch
Irrigating 1x
Tractor cultivating 3 x 120 14
Side-dressing
Spraying
Flame weeding
Other
Pre-harvest Subtotal: 755 12.5 hours
Harvest:
Yield 7300 bunches 876 bunches
Harvesting 14500 (240 hours) 1740
Washing 360
Post Harvest:
Mow crop
Remove mulch
Disk 45 5
Sow cover crop: spinner
Sow cover crop: no-till drill 45 5
Harrow 20 2.4
Post-harvest Subtotal: 2113 35 hours
Marketing Costs:
Labor: sales calls for
season (for this crop only)
Commissions
Farmers’ market expense
CSA share
Format from
Richard Wiswall
How long
does it take
you
complete
certain tasks
Soil Tests
Crop Rotation Records
Harvest Projections
Roxbury Farm HOME DATA
2006
Section 1 Section 2 Section 3
5.8 bu/bed 44.8 bu 5.8 bu/bed 44.8 bu 5.8 bu/bed 44.8 bu
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
ROUTE 9H
turn
ips
Radis
h /
Aru
gula
Min
i C
abbage
Min
i C
ab
ba
ge
/ 2
nd
Ta
tso
i
Bro
ccoli
Rabe
Bro
ccoli
Rabe /
3rd
Tats
oi
3rd
Peas
3rd
Peas
3rd
Peas
3rd
Peas
tats
oi
Tats
oi /
Turn
ips
2nd P
eas
2nd P
eas
Chard
Scalli
on 1
Chard
2
Scalli
on 2
1st
Peas
1st
Peas
1st
Peas
1st
Peas
2nd P
eas
2nd P
eas
Lindenwald Field Map
Crop Rotation Plan
Crop Rotation Sampleyear 1 barley, peas, bell beans
broccoli, cauliflower, kale
broccoli, cauliflower, kale
year 2 spring fallow
sorgum sudan grass, forage soybean mix
late summer fallow followed with oats
year 3 potatoes or spring fallow
potatoes, or winter squash
rye and hairy vetch
year 4 rye and hairy vetch for straw
summer bare fallow
oats and peas
year 5 spring fallow
carrots, beets, celeriac, parsnips and sweet potatoes
carrots, beets, celeriac, parsnips and sweet potatoes
year 6 back to year 1
Excel for Crop Planning
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
Make sure your financial planning includes funds for
reinvestment in the farm and can pay you a living wage and
good wages to your employees.
Month by month Cash Flow Statement
Crop Enterprise Budget Copyright © Richard Wiswall 2009
Crop Year: 2014 Crop: Bunching carrots Unit Area: 1 bu Note: 100 bed units per acre
and specify: early, mid, late Bed feet or acres: 12 bu
Today's Date: Rows per bed & plant spacing:
Costs in $: Remember to prorate to unit area Field: Projected
$ $ $
Prepare Soil: Labor cost Machinery cost Product cost labor at 15.00$ per hour tractor rental $37/hr
Chisel Plow 1x 3.57 20.50$ acre 1.11$
Disc Bedder 4.99 20.00$ acre 2.59$
Rough Bed 3.21 17.50$ acre 1.11$
Stale Seed bed 3x 5.06 17.50$ acre 2.96$
Fertilizer 2.39 31.50 10.70$ acre 1.11$
Manure, compost $350 a ton for Kreher's Composted Poultry M anure Fertlizer at 1500 lbs per acre
Other
Plastic mulch
Seed/Transplant: Tractor Cost $30.50 per hour
Seeding in field 6.06 20.00$ acre 3.66$
Cost of transplants
Transplanting labor
Cultivation:Reemay on/off
Hoeing 1x, 2x, 3x
Hand weeding 1 180.00
Hand weeding 2
Hand weeding 3
Straw mulch
Irrigating 1x
Tractor cultivating3x 5.40 15.00$ acre tractor cost $30.50 per hour
Side-dressing
Spraying
Flame weeding
Other
Pre-harvest Subtotal: 180.00 30.68 31.50 = 242.18 Pre-harvest cost for 12 bu
Harvest: Total yield for 12 bu 880 bunches
Total hours to harvest 12 bu 29
washing 90.00
Bags, boxes, labels 6.00 0.10 per box x 60 boxes
Delivery
Post Harvest:Mow crop
Remove mulch
Disk 5.36 20.00$ acre plus $37 an hour for tractor
Sow cover crop: spinner
Sow cover crop: No-till 5.25 19.10$ ace plus $37 an hour for tractor
harrow 4.69 17.50$ acre plus $37 an hour for tractor
Post-harvest Subtotal: 270.00 45.99 37.50 = 353.49 Harvested cost for 12 bu
Marketing Costs:Labor: sales calls for Average 10 mins/week for 3 weeks: .5 hr
season (for this crop only)
Commissions Commissions, if any, to growers’ co-op, broker, or salesperson
Farmers’ market expense See Worksheet 1.
Total Crop Costs: 270.00 45.99 37.50 = 353.49 Total crop costs
Harvest cost 435.00
Total Costs:
Format from
Richard Wiswall
Cost of Salad Harvester compared to hand harvesting
Purchase cost 24,000.00$ 2,000.00$
Salvage value 9,000.00$ 750.00$ After 12 years of use
annual depreciation 15,000.00$ = 1,250.00$ purchase cost minus salvage value
years of use
Overhead:
Interest 160.00$ = 80.00$ (purchase cost+salvage value+depreciation)$ per year X real interest
2 2
Insurance 34.00$ = 17.00$ (purchase cost+salvage value+depreciation)$ per year X insurance rate
2 2
Shelter 80.40$ = 80.40$ $0.67 per sq feet of floor space
Maintenance 450.00$ New blades, bearings belts etc
Cost per year: 1,877.40$
1100 times 0.75 lb for 20 weeks 16500
Cost per lb @ 16,500 lb 0.11$ $1877.40 divided by 16500 lb
Cost per hour 45.51$
Annual use 41.25 hours
Capacity
hand labor per hour 50 lb 50
harvester per hour 400 lb 400
Cost Salad harvester per hour
Tractor 40.00$ per hour
Labor 3 people $15.00 per hour 45.00$ per hour
harvester cost per hr 45.51$ per hour
Total cost per hour 130.51$ per hour no time is taken into consideration for hook-up or breakdown
Total cost per lb 0.33$ per lbs
Cost hand harvesting 15.00$ 0.30$ per lbs
Equipment cost comparisons
QuickBooks Accounting
Software
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
Farm Layout and Field Arrangement
72 “
row 1 row 2 row 3 row 4 row 5 row 6 row 7 row 8 row 9
Determine the working width of all
equipment and set the
wheel width of all tractors
56 “
High Clearance with creeper gear
Ut i l i ty w i th creeper gear
Cultivation and Weed Control
Root Harvester
Equipment for Washing & Packing
More Storage & Cooler Space
Well lit and cool area for washing & packing
Salazar Bin
Washer
Introduction to the Farm
Overview of Farm Growth
Things to consider as you scale up:
•Who are your customers
•Planning
•Financials
•Equipment & Infrastructure
•Labor
number of
Labor needs workers hrs/week
January 6 25
February 6 25
March 6 40
April 7 45
May 11 45
June 12 45
July 12 50
August 12 50
September 12 50
October 12 45
November 12 35
December 6 30
Roxbury Farm’s Seasonal Labor curve
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
number of workers
hrs/week
total
Procedures
CommunicationEvaluation
Flow
Daily Crew Meetings
Weekly Task List
In the field instruction
TRANSPLANT SPACING
CROP ROWS SPACING (IN.) NOTES
Basil 3 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Broccoli 2 12 lannen: 12" sprocket every cup
Broad Beans 2 5 lannen: 5" sprocket, every cup
Brussel Sprouts 2 36 lannen: 18" sprocket, every other cup
Cabbage 2 12 lannen: 12" sprocket, every cup
Cabbage, Mini 3 12 lannen: 12" sprocket, every cup
Cantaloupe 1 12 water wheel
Cauliflower 2 24 lannen: 12" sprocket, every other cup
Celeriac 2 12 lannen: 12" sprocket, every cup
Celery 2 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Chard 3 9 lannen: 9"sprocket, every cup
Collards 2 24 lannen: 12" sprocket, every other cup
Corn, Sweet 2 14 lannen: 14" sprocket, every cup
Cucumbers 1 12 water wheel
Eggplant 2 18 water wheel
Flowers 2 9 water wheel (use two wheels from onion wheel)
Fodder Beet 2 12 lannen: 12" sprocket, every cup
Garlic 2 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Joi Choi 3 12 lannen: 12" sprocket, every cup
Kale 2 12 lannen: 12" sprocket every cup
Kale, flowering 2 14 lannen: 14" sprocket, every cup
Kohlrabi 3 5 lannen: 5" sprocket, every cup
Leeks 2 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Lettuce, Head 3 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Mei Ching Choi 3 9 lannen: 5" sprocket, every cup
Onions 3 9 water wheel with small spikes
Parsley 3 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Peppers 2 18 water wheel
Pumpkin 1 12 water wheel
Rutabaga 3 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Sorrel 3 9 lannen: 9" sprocket, every cup
Strawberry 2 12 bare root
Summer Squash 1 12 water wheel
Sweet Potato 2 12 bare root
Tomato 1 24 water wheel: plug every other hole on wheel
Watermelon 1 12 water wheel
Winter Squash 1 12 water wheel
LANNEN SPROCKETS: smallest is 5", next is 9", next is 12", next is 14" largest is 18"
WATER WHEEL: 2-row wheel spikes are 18" apart; 1-row wheel spikes are 12" apart;
3-row wheel spikes are 9" apart
Cheat Sheets
Cheat
Sheets on
transplanters
Written Policies & Agreements
Transitions between jobs
Division of Labor
Roxbury Farm 2013