Thanks Jay, I'll be sure to check that site out.

Josh, my market will not allow ANY home butchering of ANYthing. They also don't allow any home-baked items, even if the legislature has passed a law to exempt farmers markets from the 'certified kitchen' for baked goods. I don't 'own' a lawyer, but I would love someone to take them to task.

We have chickens now, but haven't made any chicken tractors, but alot of the hens don't stay in their fence anyway. I just hope they don't peck at the strawberries. I would like to sell the strawberries.

I was with a group, for some reason it died, I think only me and a couple others were the only ones trying to make it work, but anyway Purdue and IN Ag were trying to kickstart a small scale poultry processing, because in spite of state law counties have the right to enact thier own laws if they are at least as strict or stricter. What you can do is sell the chickens from your farm, pass out brochures or flyers to your customers, have them call you , arrange a date for pickup, and time. That way you dont have to have refridgeration or freezer space, and the customer can pick up wrapped bird off the ice. Eggs can be sold at any farmers market in the state, if you buy a permit from state egg board, its around $10 , contact state board of animal health.
josh

The title of this forum is a good one! MAXIMIZE!
Our first year selling out of our Market Garden was this past summer, boy did we learn A LOT!! Maximizing, we found, will be KEY to our success. Not only maximizing space in the garden, but everywhere...especially on the table at market. More product on the table, more weeks of the year. Our #1 initiative this year- hoop house for the extra couple of months and to increase spring plant sales. #2 we are doubling our space (from 1/4 acre to 1/2 acre) We also are investing in some perennial items, apple/pear trees, blackberries, a strawberry bed, and we'll plant an asparagus bed in the spring. Cut flowers, which we did not do last summer will be part of our offering next year too. In the summer time when there is some cash flow, we will build a small "coop" to begin to produce rabbits...for both meat and mainly for the composted manure! We already have a chicken tractor for our hens, the egg money better than pays for the feed. Speaking of chicken tractors...we use what they call, electric poultry netting. It comes in 160' lengths that can be attached to each other if 40'x40' isn't big enough, clip their wings and the chickens are in. I only use one length for us. We move the fencing every month or so. It takes me about 1/2 hour start to finish to move the chickens, take the fence down and put it back up.
I love the forum here! Keep up the good communication!

poultry netting/electric netting is great, works with cow and goats also
josh

I heard the egg permit was $20, right now the chickens weren't producing in time for the market. The chickens are for egg laying, and we haven't thought ahead to 'fried chicken' time. We will be selling some eggs this next market year.

We are taking out an additional 5 1/2 acres for market gardening, and hoping that this year will produce better. With the tractor, I'm hoping that we can produce more of our own produce and not have to 'buy' as much. This year, we bought over $7,000 of produce. Luckily we sold alot more than that.

Im looking into converting a hay wagon into a mobile hen house to follow the cows around. They will break up the droppings and eat all the bugs. Im going to put rabbit wire over the floor joist (16"on center) so the droppings will fall to the ground and minimise clean up and bedding. I think Ill put a cat walk on the back and flaps on the backside of the nest boxes so we can collect eggs frm the outside. Ill be able to move the contraption in the morning before we turn the hens out, Ill pull it with the tractor. A 12x20 should hold 100 hens seeing how theyll free range. If I put skirting around the bottom just above the ground it will provide wind protection for the floor. I can put feeders and waterers on catwalk when I move the building. I think this would work, it will add nitrogen to the pastures, scratching will aerate, and manure dispersal, and parisite reduction while collecting cash from the eggs. Joel Salatin has a similar unit but a little different.
josh

Jay, I have a few questions regarding that site that you are using.

Do the customers pay the site? It says something along that line. If they do, how to you get your money?

When the customers order their produce, and they pay your directly, how to you report back to the site that they have paid? Is it sort like paypal? with invoices and such.

You stated that you were doing this with another farmer, are the 2 of you the only ones in your area? Do you deliver the customers' produce to your market, or do you have a different drop off place?

I know I should be asking Eric at the site, but I like to heard from someone that is actually 'working' with the site.

I don't have anything at this time, but possibly this spring. I had alot of winter squash left=over after my market, I donated it to the food bank. They are having a hard time getting rid of it, there was alot.

I will answer as many as I know. The site does not accept money. The money is all handled by the market manager. You can set it up to have customers have a dollar value "on account". It will subtract their purchases from their balance. The way the other farmer set up his Winter CSA, was people had to deposit $70 with him. Each week their purchases was taken off the $70. When they ran out of money, they could add money back to their account. He said in his contract, that if they didn't spend the $70, the balance was a "Donation" to the farm. If they added more money to it, then he will refund that money. I am going to do this with our market. If people have money on account then they will be more likely to check out the site and buy produce. Also this will give me money to pay the other growers when they come to drop off their produce to me.

Another way to do it is that when the customer picks up their order, they have a receipt that says how much they owe.

I am unsure how the site knows how much you pay. I am sure Eric, at the site, will know.

About drop offs and pick ups. The other farmer is the only person in the state that is using this site. There are 4 other "Growers" who are selling stuff through his site. Our markets ended on October 31. He has been selling produce, using the site, since then. His Winter CSA is running from November 1- December 19th. The drop off point is where the market use to be on a Saturday morning. People have to come and pick up their orders there. You could deliver it to the market or have a different place. You are the one in charge of your market, you decide how you want to do it. Here are my thoughts about it. I would have a drop off/pick up day on a different day of the week. This way you are getting a different crowd to be part of your market. If they can't make it to the market, then they can use the online market. A positive for doing a drop off at a market, you know you have sold X amount of $$'s and everything else is a bonus.

I hope this answers your questions. If it doesn't I will try to explain it again.

Jay

Ok, I think I got it. What I think is that the site is basing your sales on what you state, sort of a 'honor system'. I would be ok with that, but I'm sure there will be some 'bad apples'. I hope the farmer's website is simple because I haven't been 'brave' enough to get one started. I'm not very computer literate, or I don't think I am.

Are you your own market master? I read that the other farmer is the only other one in your state. Are both of you fellow marketers?

Well yes and no on the "honor system". If you don't have people make a deposit, then it is on the "Honor System". If the customer doesn't show up, then you didn't get paid for the produce.

I am going to use the deposit system. If they order it and don't pick it up, then I will deduct their order. I did pick that produce especially for them. I guess this would be during the early, early spring or late fall/winter because I could easily sell the produce during the summer.

I am a "Grower" for the other guy for this late fall/winter and my own market master for the new market I am starting in the spring. I am working with another producer to get this started. He is a teacher too, at a different school.

It is very easy to do. Just read and ask questions if you need help. First thing is to decide what you want to call your market. Then decide what your subdomain name will be. This is the word or letters before the .locallygrown.net

Mine is RVP (Republican Valley Produce)It is the name of the river that runs through the area.

The market I am a grower for. This is only for this fall/winter.
http://www.wintercsa.locallygrown.net/

The market I am starting for next year. I am just started, it isn't finished yet.
http://www.rvp.locallygrown.net/

When I would take special orders for picking, I would allow the customer to show up by a certain time, usually 1-2 hrs before the market ended, and then I would try to sell their order. I told them upfront, so they could not hold it against me.

I do like to idea of pre-orders. I'm going to start the process as soon as I figure out what to call myself.