Finding More Profitable Models For Small Farmers
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
For smaller farmers, competing in today’s agricultural economy can feel nearly impossible. Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo suggests going it alone is risky, and the old model of cooperatives may see a resurgence in U.S. agriculture. Sando has seen a number of small farmers come and go trying to build a business relying on just farmers markets.
Sando… “ In Mexico, we're so big now in the villages where we're buying the beans, they do co-ops. So all the neighbors get together and grow the same bean, and I keep thinking maybe that's a way for smaller American farmers to compete is by doing some sort of co-op. Especially as now I just heard, one of the packing houses for fruit in California that's been there for 100 years is closing, and it's just getting worse. So how do you make it better? To me, it would be specialty crops and direct to consumer, but I don't know if it's enough to do. And the hard part I know with farmers markets now—when I started out there weren't that many, and now every chamber of commerce wants a stupid little farmers market, and they don't care if you make any money. But for you to get up at dawn, pack your stuff, drive two hours, sit in the sun, and have people haggle over the price, it's heartbreaking. I mean, you have to find that one thing that every chef wants that no one's doing, or every chef doesn't even know he wants, you could own that. You could actually pre-sell it and not even have to go to market. You could say, "Oh no, we've got it, but you have to do our CSA or the chef has to order it."
Once again, that’s Steve Sando with Rancho Gordo.
