anyone having any luck selling products or crops localy?

[dillpickle]

thanks guys this is excellent (and very valuable) information you are sharing!

 

[Big_White]

Hey wannabefree i feel your pain on the green beans. Two years ago my brother and I heard there was gonna be a good price for sellin green beans. Man was there a shortage of seeds, my brother had ordered an extra 5 lbs from our local seed and feed that winter so we were lucky. We had 8 rows of green beans at 200 foot long, We planted them at two week intervals. That way we where training the last ones while picking the first ones. My brother kinda fell off the wagon as far as pickin goes, but i would be out there atleast 8 hours a day if not more, and we were sellin them for 25 a bushel, and that was to a produce stand, for him to resale. We offered him the lowest price that season and always had the best product to. Dad was proud that summer. Haha, helped pay some bills

 

[FarmerChick]

before you plant to sell anything, check your local farmer markets. see what is there and change a bit.
we sold 8 ball zucchini. not the long cylinder ones, cause everyone sold those....be got the 8 ball zuccihini cause they made 'cups'
stuff cook and eat SOLD tons of those and no one had them it is all about being a tad different, knowing what the cust. base can handle and doing research to make a buck

 

[BarredBuff]

Hey wannabefree i feel your pain on the green beans. Two years ago my brother and I heard there was gonna be a good price for sellin green beans. Man was there a shortage of seeds, my brother had ordered an extra 5 lbs from our local seed and feed that winter so we were lucky. We had 8 rows of green beans at 200 foot long, We planted them at two week intervals. That way we where training the last ones while picking the first ones. My brother kinda fell off the wagon as far as pickin goes, but i would be out there atleast 8 hours a day if not more, and we were sellin them for 25 a bushel, and that was to a produce stand, for him to resale. We offered him the lowest price that season and always had the best product to. Dad was proud that summer. Haha, helped pay some bills

I wish we had the extra room for a place to grow extra veggies to sell.

 

[me&thegals]

I agree with FC. I try to sell what is NOT being sold. Sometimes it takes time and hard work to get people hooked (kale, Swiss chard, unusual vegetables), but once they're hooked you have the market.

Wow, FC!! That is a crazy amount of income every week! I'm so impressed! On good months, I manage about $1200 per month for 4 days at market, but this is in towns of 2000 and 10,000.

We do CSA for 20-30 families, sell about 25 dozen eggs per week, sell approximately 100 meat chickens/year, farmer's markets, soap, body balm and lip balm. Much smaller scale than FC, but I love it and it brings in a nice side income.

We charge $3/dozen for pastured eggs (but not organic)
$540 for 20 weeks of vegetables
$5/bar of soap
$9/body balm
$3/lip balm
$5/1/2-pint jam
$8/quart pickles
$3/lb for chicken
etc.

I never, ever try to have the best prices at a market. I try to have the best quality, the most unusual, and the highest prices. In a shocking way, having higher prices may actually bring you more sales, due to real or perceived increased value. I'm growing and making premium products, and I sell them for the prices they deserve.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I used to help my uncle in his greenbean field. All I did for him was help pick, but we worked our butts off. Cash money and it made me happy to be near my childhood home near my relatives, so I gladly did the work, but I don't think he charged enough, because if he'd have given me 5 dollars more/bucket, I wouldn't have been overpaid. If I'd do it again, I think I'd prefer to do it for myself to get a bigger cut, but I'd charge more $. I know how hard I worked that summer. I think of that, everytime I open a can of greenbeans.

I turn a profit on my chicken operation, but I don't just do it for the eggs. If I would, I'd still be waiting to catch up on my expenses. I bought a big, second hand incubator and I do about 4 hatches a year from my own stock of chickens, guineas and geese. I have also hatched out ducks, but they all drakes. I sell the chicks 2 for $5.00 straight run. I'm thinking I will do much better this year because I obtained the right breeds to start a sex-link project, so I can guarantee the sex of those chicks. So I plan on selling my pullets for 3.00 and my cockerals for 1.00, which I know I will be keeping most of the males until slaughter age, but that's part of my plan. Some of my customers want meat. If you don't under sell yourself, you can turn a profit.
You got to use your head and keep down expenses though. I go to the river and get my grains in bulk, so I don't have to buy processed feed at an ag store. There are about 20 or so reasons why I turn a profit though. Don't let anyone kid you.
You have to be knowledgeable about chickens to do this. People come with questions and if you look and talk like you don't know anything, they won't have respect for you.

I also am just getting ahead with my beekeeping. It took a few years before we were set up enough to harvest to sell. Thats a major chore when we doing it. I looked around at prices and the nearest beekeeper undersells his honey. I refuse to do that. I'm not desparate to sell my honey. If I have to sell for less than I feel its worth, I'm keeping every drop. But guess what.......I'm down to only 4 jars and its going to be another 3 months before I harvest again, so DH is going to start us some meade. If you honest and demand a fair price for your work and investment, you will get it, most likely.

My parents have an orange orchard. They made decent money on it, but it was a job. They had to go out of our area to sell where its colder to turn a profit and they had a lot of strange experiences. They got old and sick and gave me the crop. I tried so hard to sell it, but I can't. Its too big and I already had 2 jobs and was homeschooling. Its fine, if its your only job, but I couldn't do it. I would think they could have had less orange trees, and planted a huge garden to satisfy more of our local needs, so we wouldn't have had to leave this area. I tried to strike a deal with a wholesaler, but Mom and Dad caught a fit. Besides the guy never got back with me. Apparently the produce you buy at the store....well the farmer who actually grew it, got very little of what you pay for your produce. It would be good though, if I was retired, with less obligations.