Get big or get out farming antidote

Re: [spiers] Get big or get out farming antidote

----- Original Message -----
From: mgranich
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 10:43 AM
Subject: [spiers] Get big or get out farming antidote


PBS has recently aired programs highlighting small farmers. Some Farmers were
making a living on as little as 5 acres. They have found success by growing
organic, and by bypassing the wholesale food delivery system which gives a very
low price. Instead, they are applying direct marketing and working
directly with groceries like Puget Consumer Coop (PCC), Whole Foods,
and farmer markets. In New York City, there are 58 farmers markets, 28
in Seattle. One individual farmer sells his apples for several dollars
more than what he would get from a wholesaler, and PCC pays it because
PCC needs the relationship with the farmer. Too bad there are no small mom &
pop refineries
supplying gasoline.

Anthony

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Economies of scale and no "direct" marketing mechanisms in refined oil make
for a difficult time creating a small-scale fuel industry. ...

Economies of scale are changing of course, due to technology. And as market
prices create profitable rates of return on alternative fuels, small farm
biofuels may be a new way to compete on design. In fact that is already
happening.

There have been a few workshops in the northwest and other places in the US
for "on-farm" small scale biofuel projects, using relatively simple technology.
While the emphasis right now seems to be on reducing the farmers reliance on
expensive equipment fuel, most of us will see a time when you can pull into a
farmers market and buy tomatoes, cherries, blackberry jam, pickled asparagus,
and pump grain based petrol into your gas tank.

You read it here first on the John Spiers network!

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