Young farmer ponders economic sustainability

(photo by kevindooley)

You may remember Krystle from "Ruminations on farm business from an aspiring farmer." She is young farmer working in New Mexico and now pondering the next steps to take. You can check out her site at http://www.selfmadefarmer.com. The following are excerpts from her November 2007 newsletter; sign up for the mailing list by sending Krystle an email at: lettucehead@selfmadefarmer.com.
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"The best way to stay grounded, it seems, is to develop a vision based on some core values and principles that you believe in, and to return to this vision every time you feel discouraged. So I've spent the last month focusing on a foundation which will ultimately become the backbone of my business plan. My main guide was a publication titled "Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses" developed by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.

The first thing I did was identify values, or "standards, beliefs or qualities that you consider worth upholding or pursuing." In other words, they define what it means to me to be successful in farming. They're broken down into four categories: personal, economic, environmental, and community. What resulted was a list that pretty much defined why I've chosen farming as a lifelong vocation. In time, I plan on focusing on these values individually, through future newsletters or articles."

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"During my first two years of farming in New York, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who was a lifelong farmer and took me under his wing. I often think to this day that if it hadn't been for his influence, I might've wasted years in the wealthy hobby farming community, where having the rarest breed or the most unique tomatoes outweighs turning a profit. It's great when--of all the things wealthy people can do with their money--they choose to preserve farmland and endangered breeds or varieties; but from what I've seen, such operations tend to have unrealistic expectations that always fall on the staff, and the turnover is high, despite good pay.

Instead, I learned early on that there are profits to be made from farming, if one chooses to be creative and ambitious enough. I also realized that if I could make a living from farming in a way that's both ecologically and financially sustainable, I'd feel like an accomplished human being. Once that was settled, I knew what I needed to learn: how to run a farm as a business. And I knew I wasn't getting it in New York. But I'd added another value to my list: financial sustainability."

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"In looking at the big picture, I acknowledge that the only way an alternative food system is ever going to become established is if every generation builds upon the work of the one before it. To reinvent the wheel unnecessarily is not only counter-productive, but it's also a waste of time. I've learned to value continuity and collaboration more than ever.

With these realizations in mind, I'm now more open to the possibility of striking up a partnership with an existing farmer and working out some way that I can invest in their farm, rather than build one from the ground up. Whether it'll actually pan out that way, who knows? If there's anything I've learned in New Mexico, it's to hang on to your values and just wait and see...!"

-Krystle