What's A Cuke Worth?

In September of 2010, I took the time to write a blog that looked at the value of one of the many vegetable crops we were raising that year.  There were a few motivations for doing this at the time.  First, I would frequently assess whether we were growing the right amount of any given crop - and one of the ways to do that was to figure out if a crop was contributing financially to the farm in some fashion.  But, I also realized that boiling things down to financial numbers was both more complex than it seemed and it was not the only way to assess what we were growing.

I thought it might be interesting to look at what I wrote then and modify with a few more years of experience and see where it landed.  For full disclosure, we actually removed cucumbers from our production list this season - and we might see a reason for that as we go.

The first thing I often like to do is look at the value of the crop produced.  And, when I say value, we need to remember it isn't always about sales.  For example, I might look at buckwheat and see the value in its ability to suppress perennial weeds that have harmed other crops.  Or, I might add value for a basil crop for its ability to attract pollinators when allowed to bloom.  And I've been known to grow more green beans than we need because it can help with Colorado Potato Beetles in our potato crops.

No matter how I go about it, the process of exploring value is what is important here.  It isn't necessarily important that you uncover everything as long as you feel comfortable that you have enough information to make useful decisions. 

Our numbers from 2010 at the beginning of September for cucumber production were as follows:

• 4200 cucumbers went to the CSA
• 50 were sold at farmers market
• 400 were sold to other outlets
• 1400 were donated to various locations
• 1100 were used on the farm to feed birds, for events, for our own (or our family's) consumption or for promotional usages, etc

That is 7150 cucumbers produced, harvested and used in some fashion or another.  To clarify, our main business in 2010 was the CSA Farm Shares for about 120 members.  Deliveries were done at farmers markets, so we tried to maintain a front table with some extra produce.  One of the issues with that approach was that we only had certain types of produce at the table when we had fulfilled our commitment to the CSA.  That means we only had cucumbers when they were at top production - when every other vendor had cucumbers.  This is not exactly the best way to sell cucumbers at farmers market because you typically make your best sales on the 'edges' of the season!

We usually didn't have much time to pursue other outlets, so we sold what we could that way and we were quite free with our donations to the local food bank.

When we tried to assign values, we used these numbers:

• 75 cents at market
• 50 cent values to cucumbers given to CSA or donated. We figure in these cases that there is a discount because of the ability to move bulk amounts.
• We sell to other outlets in bulk at 40 cents.
• We assign 5 cent value to things used on the farm. There is still value - even if it is used to feed birds (or even compost).

That gives us a value so far of $2900 for this one crop.
This works out to about $4.32 per row foot assigned to cucumbers.

So, how do I feel about those values now?

We can't change the price we charged at farmer's market, so we won't discuss that one - and the bulk price to other outlets is also a constant.  Other than that, the rest was an assigned value based on various estimates.  

The first question, of course, is why did I go with higher values for CSA and donated crop rather than bulk price?  Most years, the CSA value for cucumbers would be lower, but at the point I wrote the 2010 blog, cucumbers had taken a higher than usual proportion of the share volume because some of the other crops were slow due to weather issues.  By the time we reached the end of the year, this value would be much lower because our Fall crops did very well (with the help of a new high tunnel!).

Backing up a little bit, there are two ways I could calculate CSA values for a given crop.  One would be to take the entire income from CSA shares for the year and assign value based on the portion of those shares represented by each crop.  But, that assumes each crop is appreciated in the same way by the customers (hint - they are not). 

The other option might be to consider it another bulk purchase and simply assign that price.  The problem with that is I run into the danger of over-valuing each crop and making the total value actually EXCEED the realized income from the CSA.

In the end, I simply recognize the weaknesses of each approach and go with an informal hybrid of the two.  It is just not worth the time and effort it would take to come up with an exact formulation.  

Why?  There is a point where the returns for the effort of determining exact values are negative.  We just need to get things close enough so we can get a handle on what we are doing and inform future decisions.

So, if I did this valuation process for 2010 now, with all of the data for the year and a few more years experience - what would I do?

I would start with the bulk price for both the CSA and food donations and I'd probably stop there.  I only need some reasonable base values of the crops I am analyzing each season to make comparisons.  I never had the time or energy (or need) to assess every single crop - which makes sense when you have forty or more crops each season.

And, I think I might argue that the 5 cents per cucumber for the rest works out well enough.  Though my gut tells me I am underselling some of the benefits that come from feeding the birds, etc.  My gut also tells me that I am overvaluing these things because I can't readily change them into cash.

But, again THAT IS NOT THE POINT.  If we consistently use the same valuation system, we do not need to make it balance exactly with actual cash.  What we need is to value things for the purpose of comparison so we can evaluate how we are doing with our crop.  Instead of using dollars and cents, we could make up a new unit... call it "whatsits" or "thingies" or something else if it makes you feel better.  It's a unit that we can use on our farm.  Maybe I'll call them GFFs?

After adjustments, our value for the cucumbers in 2010 might be closer to $2500 (or 2500 GFFs)- which would still have been a reasonable return.

Is there other value we missed?

It is a common mistake to miss some intangible benefits that come with a given crop or practice.  The reason for that is that we have a hard time figuring out a monetary value to assign these things.  And sometimes we do it a disservice when we try.

For example, it works well to plant multiple successions of cucumbers AND they can get an early start (or late finish) in high tunnels.  Consistent and long production of a quality crop brings value.  We might be able to assign numbers to that if we really wanted to.  Remember how I mentioned the production "at the edges?"  If you have quality product in the early or late stage of the typical season, it usually can bring a better price - so it can have more value.

So, why don't I use those numbers?  

First, time is valuable too.  So, I was never convinced I needed to do that for this particular crop - though I did try it with lettuce (for example).  And second, I figured edge of the season value averaged out with prime season value.  The end results were only a few dollars (or GFF units) different, so why should I get that detailed?

Here's another example of value we might consider:

Cucumbers mature in 50 to 70 days depending on the variety.  Most melons take 80 or more days to mature.  Many winter squash take even longer.  And, squash bees are the best pollinator for these crops.  

So tell me, doesn't it make sense to get an early planting of cucumbers going to start feeding those squash bees so they are present when the longer season crops need them?  And maybe additional successions of cucumber (or summer squash and zucchini) might help to keep those populations healthy and moving about the farm for future production?

How do you put a value on that?  It's hard enough to actually establish whether or not there is measurable differences in pollination - so there isn't a good way to establish a value easily.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it. 

So, maybe $2900 (2900 GFFs) is still a reasonable estimate for that 2010 crop?

So, what does this crop cost us?

In the 2010 version of this blog, I proceeded to work on the costs for our cucumber crop:

• Seed cost - $62
• We direct seeded these into the ground, so planting cost was low
• Irrigation costs depend on the year. 2010 was wet, so this was minimal
  
• Labor included seeding, cultivation, weeding and harvest.
• Labor for cleaning, packing and distribution.
• Overhead costs, such as fuel for delivery and equipment are split between so many crops that this is not a huge factor.
• The highest cost is labor. 

Estimate of person hour labor spent on this crop = 160 hours.
Assign a value of $10/hour and you have a labor cost of $1600

In 2010, I calculated a net value of $1238 from the crop, not including overhead expense splits.

How have things changed for cucumber production costs?

The biggest change in process over the years was that we moved from direct seeding cucumbers to transplanting them.  We made that move because it increased the reliability of each succession.  After all, there is value in being able to consistently produce a crop (another intangible we often fail to measure).

Otherwise, labor is still the biggest expense.  And, $10/hour doesn't represent the present day labor cost either.  Either way, it is safe to say that the expense per row foot for growing cucumbers has gone up since 2010, if only because the rate per hour is higher.

The price we can get for cucumbers hasn't exactly changed much since 2010 and the cost has gone up.  Our $1200 "profit" on cucumbers would look more like $500 in 2022.  But that assumes we have two things:

1. sufficient labor to grow and harvest the crop
2. sufficient demand for the crop in the markets we have available to us
   

Well, once we hit 2020 (and the pandemic) we no longer had the access to labor we once had.  For that matter, we lost most of the demand too.  Combine all of that with a decreased value over cost per row foot and...

the farm stops growing the crop.

What did we learn over time?

Over a period of ten growing seasons (2010 to 2019) we developed a fairly consistent production system for cucumbers that routinely resulted in quality product in a volume that covered all of the demand we were willing to pursue.  We were also able to devise a system where the failure of one succession rarely resulted in a drop in income for this crop..

In short, what we did worked.  And our analysis of the crop informed the small adjustments we would make from year to year as circumstances changed.

We also determined that investing additional capital into a labor saving piece of equipment (like some version of this) was not going to fit our operation or the future plans for our farm.  We considered, at one point, adding trellising to our cucumber operation to reduce harvest labor costs.  But, we found that would only move labor to a different point in time where we wouldn't have enough of that resource available.

We did make adjustments to our cucumber succession timing and we changed the composition of the varieties we grew in each succession.  As it was, we came to recognize that not all cucumbers could be valued equally.

But that, as they say, is another story for another time.  If you read this far and found some of this useful or interesting, excellent.  If you found it amusing - ok, I can accept that too.  If you skipped to the end to find out how this blog was going to end.  Here you go.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Two Year Blitz

On March 31, 2020, I challenged myself to do something I had actually done once before - only moreso.  I challenged myself to publish a blog a day for three months.  I had accomplished the "blog a day" once before in January of 2019 (one month).  But, the blogging that followed for the rest of that year may have been some of my least productive for quite some time.

I actually met the goal I set for myself in 2020, publishing something every single day from March 31, 2020 to June 30 of that same year.  I then promptly took a day off on July 1st, but came back with something on the 2nd and promptly ran off another eight in a row.  

Now, here we are.  Two years after I set the initial goal.  

I took the screenshot you see at the top of this post on March 3.  For 2022, I had yet to miss a day of publishing a blog.  Much to my surprise, I looked and found that I had not missed a day in November or December of 2021 either.  A new run of consecutive posts that exceeds my prior streak.  As a matter of fact, I have not missed a single day this year up to this point. That surprises even me.

Since the first string of posts in the Spring of 2020, during the beginnings of the pandemic, there have been well over 600 blog posts shared here with those who care to read them.  One entry will typically have from five hundred to fifteen hundred words.  If I might be so bold as to suggest a reasonable average of 800 words per entry, we have 480,000 - and probably closer to a half million - words available for us to read, ponder, or even.... ignore.  All as we see fit.  

I will give you a few hints as to how this has been possible.  First, I have my mother to thank for her willingness to teach her children how to be touch typists.  I am afraid I would have very little inclination to write as much as I do if I had to search for each letter of every one of those 480,000 words.  

Second, the goal is to PUBLISH one entry a day.  It has not been to WRITE an entry a day.  There are times when I have very little that makes me want to write.  Then, there are moments where I just want to write... and write A LOT.  It might be more accurate that I EDIT something every day.  And, I still find typos and errors when I go back and read something - much to my horror and irritation.

Third, I reminded myself that I already had a great deal of decent material written.  Some of it was for the newsletters we emailed to our customers in the early years of our CSA.  We even printed a few out!  You may have noticed that material that has been sitting on our old farm website is steadily becoming blog posts too.  There is no need to completely re-invent the wheel for each entry.  Besides - I bet you most of the redone material is completely new to most people who see it the second time around.  And, there is no such thing as good writing - just good re-writing.  Some of the best entries are things that have had other iterations.

And, some of those iterations.... I'm not sure I want you to see them anymore!

Finally, there is this.  I read an entry by John Pavlovitz that confirmed for me part of the reason for my blog blitz.  The title of his blog was "The World Needs Good News This Year - Give it Some."

Well folks.  Those who read the Genuine Faux Farm blog are a small group - but a group I care about.  If I can fill a small corner of your worlds with something thoughtful, something interesting, something new, something beautiful, something that encourages us to exercise gratitude, awe and wonder.  If I can do that on a regular basis.

Then I am content.

But, I am also looking at stepping back from the daily posts now in hopes that I can create some "better" posts.  Still on a regular basis - just not likely on a daily basis.  There are still a series of posts sharing recipes that are all lined up for Tuesdays - all the way to mid-May.  There will be Postal History Sunday entries every week as well.  And then I will likely average two other posts per week.  I think four posts a week ought to be just fine, don't you?

Have a good day and great remainder of your week!

Most Popular

I tell myself it is perfectly normal to want to look back during the last week of a year and think about things - considering what went well and learning from things that did not.  It is also perfectly normal to want to do "countdowns" and other year-end summary writings.  I tell myself this, but I still sometimes wonder if people who read this blog like it much when I do actually do one.

Yet here I am, looking at the year's photos and finding the emotions that came with them jumping back up to the forefront.  This early photo of lettuce, beans, potatoes and peas soon after Valhalla (our bigger high tunnel) was rolled off of them.  We're still eating some of the bounty from these plants that we put up for ourselves and we hope to do so for quite a while yet.

So, I will indulge by looking at some of the things we put up for ourselves during the year.  Things that we can enjoy during some of the longest nights and shortest periods of daylight hours.

Today's task?  I thought I would share with you the most read entries in the 2021 Genuinely Faux blog according to the metrics provided by Blogspot.  

11. Matters of Competence

This list MUST go to eleven!  It's a tradition, don't you know? And, well, ok....  I wanted to include this one on the list, because I like it.  The great thing about this list is that there are four or five here that might actually have fallen into my own top ten list.  But, now that they're here, I don't have to put them in THAT list!  

Warning, the post above just might have some dirt on the potatoes.

10. What if? A Local Food Challenge

This blog led to a more refined version that was placed on Pesticide Action Network's blog in my professional capacity as Communications Associate.  So, this one got a decent amount of attention - and for good reason, I think.  This is a good "thought experiment" blog that needs to go beyond thought experiment and move towards "actual thing we consider doing."  

What do you think?

9. That Doesn't Seem Fair - Postal History Sunday

This will not be the only Postal History Sunday that makes the list.  I am still a little bemused by the attention PHS has gotten in various circles.  But, let's be clear here, it's not like any of these posts have thousands of readers or anything like that.  And, that's not the point.  The point is that people are still looking to learn something new and they are ok with having someone share something they enjoy - like postal history.

That alone, gives me hope for the future.

8. Fighting to Wake Up

This entry is an important story with an important point.  And it was painful to revisit and difficult for Tammy to read as well.  But, it is still good writing, I think.  And, it is STILL a very important point.  We must continue to properly fund and support our Emergency Medical Services - regardless of how rural or urban the space they serve might be.

7. Garden Sunshine

The funny thing about the tools that measure blog visits is... they're sort of funny.  Funny as in funny strange.  Frankly, I don't trust them terribly much because those that collect them are often not willing to be transparent about how they collect them.  And, there is no way for me to know for sure why a certain blog got attention and another did not.  

Case in point, this blog that features the Garden Sunshine bell pepper.  I've written on various heirloom veggies before, and they usually don't stand out for readership.  This entry is just as good as any of the other veggie blogs I've written, but not tons better.  I'm sure it will remain a mystery to me.  But, I'll help it out by linking it here so it will maybe get another hit or two!

6. Best Laid Plans

And here is an example of a blog that was better than I initially thought it was.  I'd like to think that a higher readership level means other people recognized that it was a pretty good entry.  This is part of what made this exercise interesting for me.  I wasn't entirely sure what I would find, but I had some preconceived notions as to which ones would be at top.  

I was right on some, wrong on others.  Ah, live and learn!

5. Burst of Energy

One thing I noticed about "readership numbers" is that they often cluster.  One strong blog often raises a few around the edges.  So, there is a cluster of blogs in late February into early March that did fairly well, it seems.  But, that's not just it.  I feel like my writing was getting pretty darned good through the first part of the year - until that ... thing... happened in late April.  But, we won't talk about that here, nope!

4. Pollinator Support in the Nooks and Crannies

This one was based off a "lightning talk" I did for the Practical Farmers of Iowa conference early in 2021.  Even I think it was a pretty good presentation and it translated very well to a blog.  It was good enough that my colleagues at PAN agreed that I should adapt it for the Honeybee Haven website that PAN maintains.  I still believe in everything I put there and I hope to live up to my own expectations to support the pollinators on our farm every year.

3. We Need to Consider the Real Value of Our Food

The only good writing is re-writing.  And this is an example of working on an item until it shines a bit.  I've written on this topic on and off for years on our blog.  Sometimes well and sometimes less well.  Some of that writing was used to put together a blog for PAN that was well received.  In fact, it was received so well, I put it on our blog too - where it apparently also garnered some attention.

It's another thing that I hope will move from good ideas in writing to reality in our world.

2. Thurn and Taxis - Postal History Sunday

C'mon!  This thing has a musical interlude AND bonus material, what more could you possibly want in a blog post?

This is one of those times when the blog received outside help with a "fifteen minutes of fame" event so to speak.  It was right about here that I was featured in a couple of interviews regarding the Postal History Sunday weekly feature on the blog.  So, there were a number of curious souls who had to take a look.

It doesn't hurt that I consider this to be an excellent PHS entry.  So, no gripes about its appearance here.

1. Business, Madness, and Social Betterment - Postal History Sunday

Perhaps it is unfair to put PHS blog posts up against the other entries because they have become the most consistently branded part of this blog over the past year and a half.  If I had continued with a Veg Variety Saturday or some such thing, would they have filled several slots?  Who knows?  I certainly don't.

It doesn't matter.  This post got the most attention according the Blogspot metrics - like them or not.  And, you know what?  This is actually a really entertaining post that has a little bit of everything.  I am pretty happy with having something of this caliber in the number one spot.

Hm... maybe those who read this blog have pretty good taste after all?

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Thanks for reading the blog, providing positive constructive feedback and doing what you can to live an inquisitive, thoughtful life that recognizes the good things in this world.

Genuinely Fun Facts

Every once in a while, Tammy and I see something and say, "Hm, that might be interesting for other people to see on the blog."  Sadly, most of the time, we say this when neither of us is prepared to write it down.  As a result, there are a whole bunch of great ideas that fall out of our brains and rattle around on the floor.  So, if you see some of our ideas sitting on the edge of street somewhere, please direct them to us.

Genuine Faux Farm By the Numbers
Many of you already know that Rob likes his numbers.  Sometimes, the numbers actually interest other people as well, so we thought we would share a few that might be enjoyable.

Mr Aubergine wants to know...

190,000 - the approximate number of eggs our laying hens have produced from 2012 to 2020.  No, it's not the same group of laying hens every year.  

We have a great post about the ladies that answers a number of questions about how we raise the birds and we point you to the Poultry Slam post from 2015 as a starting point.

41,500- the approximate number of cucumbers harvested on our farm since 2006.  Yep, that's about 3000 a year.  All that time picking cucumbers and wondering when the cucumber frog is going to startle the farmer...
 

164 and 11.1 - the number of songs a typical Genuine Faux Farm music play list contains and the number of hours that playlist would normally take to play in its entirety.  Our most recent playlist is actually only 95 songs and 6.4 hours.  We attribute that to the PAN job and all of the Zoom meetings Rob has been attending over the past several months.  It turns out, turning up music by the Choir or King's X or Apocalyptica only makes these meetings more difficult for most people.  Me?  I think we'd get more done - but that's probably my introverted nature speaking!

75 - the number turklets we intend to order for our farm in 2021.  Tammy actually presented on the topic of raising turkeys for the 2021 Practical Farmers of Iowa annual conference.  Many people think turkeys are very difficult to raise and the reality is that turkeys are a much higher investment per bird, so you feel the loss of one far more keenly than you might a broiler chicken or a laying hen.  Still, we've gotten pretty good at it over the years and we enjoy the birds (most of the time).  Good enough reason to keep at it.

Of course, we should also remember the collective amnesia farmers have this time of year with respect to some of the hard work and the issues they must deal with during the growing season.

Genuine Faux Farm, A History

Once upon a time, there WERE foxes on the Genuine Faux Farm

Take a look at the larger crack in that foundation.

In 2007/2008, after the old hog building came down, a vixen decided we had the perfect place to raise a few kits.  We were able to get a few pictures and were also able to contact photographer, Kip Ladage.  Kip came out and got some great pictures (one of which is signed and hanging on our kitchen wall).  Once he had captured his photos, we went about our normal business of farming.  This was too much for Mama and she moved the kits away soon after. 

Frankly, if they would have signed a contract stating they would not kill all of our chickens, we'd have been happy to have them stay.  But, having us as their neighbors was just a bit too close for comfort from their perspective.

I'm not sure how we should feel about that.

 That old barn was good for something

Those who have been to the farm over the last ten or so years, but not prior, have not seen the old barn with a roof and siding.  When the barn was still largely intact it was the perfect nesting space for barn swallows.  There were always two major hatchings of chicks and once they fledged we'd get to see the grand line-up on the electric lines.  Sadly, with fewer nesting spots and other issues having to do with the decline of our wild birds, we don't get to see this any more.

Both of us feel that the decline in swallows corresponded with the increase in Buffalo Gnats on our farm as well.  It's almost enough to make us build a barn just for swallows.  The problem is - we know it is not just the absence of the barn.  The number of swallows nesting in our granary and the Poultry Pavilion are also down from prior years -and some of the old barn still stands, but does not seem to support much more than one nest.

The acrobatics of all of these young birds was something to see those first several years at the farm.

The year the cucumbers would not grow

Just... pitiful

The farm is full of lessons of humility.  One of our earliest such lessons came in 2008 when we had a year where one of the 'easiest' crops to grow simply wouldn't.  The following year was a bit better, but 2010 was the year of the cucumber, when we harvested well over 7000 fruit.  

There are still a few people who read our blog that will remember the year of the cucumber in their CSA shares.... I hope they have forgiven us.

You Did What When?!?

We thought we could end this post by high lighting a couple of other posts that tell you some stories about each of us.  Take each link and enjoy! 

Young horticulturalist?
Would you like your plants to get big and healthy this year?  Diligently prune off the flowers just as Tammy did in her family's garden.  Just remember that you won't get any fruit if you take off ALL the flowers.  But, then again, if that's the goal you want....

Deliveries by Rob started earlier than you think.
Officially, the Genuine Faux Farm started operations in 2005.  But, the very first deliveries were made years earlier - even before Rob and Tammy met.  The produce came from the 'garden' Grandpa Faux maintained and he was happy to have a high school baseball player available to run the gauntlet that were essentially 'drive-by vegetablings.'

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This post is loosely based on a fun post published on February 23, 2018.  As I was doing a quick look for "throwback" candidates, I felt compelled to do some updating and modifications to this one.  Yes, some of it is similar to the original, but there is sufficient new material to keep it fresh.  

Have a good day everyone!

What Yield Data Can Do For You

A few years ago an idea was floated around the Practical Farmers of Iowa Cooperators Meeting within the horticulture group.  Without obscuring the point of this blog with too much detail, suffice it to say that growers and PFI staff recognized that it is NOT easy to get reliable yield numbers for all of the varieties and crops that exist.  This is even more true if you want numbers specific to the state of Iowa.  You could go to resources such as Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers to get some ideas about what you should expect to produce for a given hort crop.  But, the numbers there are general guidelines and may not be as useful depending on scale and location.

A Simple Yield Data Collection Tool

PFI has created a Yield Data Collection Site that is fairly simple to use and has the potential to be a useful tool for hort growers in the state.  

If you collect yield information and have records for planting and harvest dates.  If you can calculate the square footage dedicated for a given crop.  If you can answer some simple questions regarding your growing culture - direct seed, transplant, irrigation, under cover, etc.  Then your data could be a part of a useful aggregate that we all can use.

Start With One Crop Type

If you are interested in adding data, I strongly encourage you to do so.  And, if you do, concentrate on one crop first to get used to the tool.

In our case, we had onion yield data readily available for a few recent years.  I simply entered the data for one variety for one of those years, made sure to save it and THEN I used the 'clone crop' function to create a new copy.  I then edited the new crop with the data for another variety for the same year or for another year's results of the same variety.

Take a Moment and See What You Can Learn

Once I had three year's worth of data, for a total of 13 crops, I decided I wanted to learn what I could from my data AND the data provided by other growers in the state.

 

I did a search by crop - in this case - onions.  And I found that there were 48 records in the data base for onions at this time.  Entries came from various parts of the state and included records for growers with small production amounts as well as larger production amounts.  As I reviewed the data, I would say that we were a 'moderate sized' onion grower for those that had shared yield data.  However, I could see that we had the ability, with changes to how we do things, to scale up to onion planting areas that were as big or bigger than other farms that had reported using this tool.  This tells me that there are some potential models of comparison in the data should I wish to go that way.

I was curious what would happen if I wanted to look at a specific variety, so I chose the White Wing variety that we like on our farm.

I found five entries for White Wing.  Most of those were entries for our crops, so it was clear that I wasn't going to learn a whole lot more than I already knew at this point.  But, this illustrates the reason why it would be better if more growers entered their yield data into the site.  The data points are not excessive and the clone crop function reduces the effort significantly.  Did you raise White Wing onions?  Add some data so I can learn more!  Ok... add some data so you can learn more too!

The "export CSV" is an easy to use function that allows you to download the data to a spreadsheet so you can do some comparisons and do any of your own calculations you might like to try.   A snapshot of the data I received when I downloaded the CSV file for White Wing is below.

The data includes information on crop spacing, growing zone, irrigation, plant and harvest dates.  If you happen to see differences in the data from entry to entry, it is possible you might glean some of the reason for those differences based on the cultural information found there. 

I downloaded the CSV for all of the onions.  I then focused on the red onions to see what I could learn.  

The three entries at the bottom come from our farm. 

• Column 3 is square footage for the crop
• Column 4 is total pounds of production
• Column 5 is pounds of production per square foot
• Columns 6 and 7 give the plant spacing and the dates show the date range for harvest

The first thing that jumps out at you would be our harvest for 2018.  Over 1 pound per square foot is a ridiculous number.  But, as far as that year was concerned for our red onions - it WAS a ridiculously good year.  So, we can take that as an example of what might happen if the planets align and everything goes right.  We clearly cannot expect that on a yearly basis.

On the other hand, it seems that numbers from .42 to .69 pounds per square foot are not out of the question in Iowa for red onions.  Based on this information, I might say that a half pound per square foot would be a reasonable goal for a grower in the state.  But, of course, the data set is still small, so you have to be careful about what you conclude.

Other information that might be of use to a grower includes the harvest date range.  You might notice that our harvest dates (again the last 3 entries) are significantly later than other growers.  By the same token, if you were to look at the planting dates, you might also notice that we are slower to get things in the ground as well.  What this data does is give a grower reasonable date ranges to work with and still be able to expect a crop.

You might also notice that the harvest date ranges are small - with a start and end date typically being one or two days apart.  This is no surprise to most growers as they typically harvest all red 'storage' onions at the same time.  Wider harvest ranges indicate crops (like tomatoes, peppers and beans) that are harvested more than once.  In that case, you might get an idea as to what a reasonable harvest window might be.

Take A Moment, Enter A Crop on a Rainy Day

So folks - since Iowa needs rain and some appears to be on the way - use a rainy day to enter some horticulture crop data into this useful tool.  If we can all manage to do a bit of this here and there, we will benefit in the long run.  We will listen to our own recommendation and enter ten entries for green bean data next.

And, before you think I don't understand that this sort of thing can take time - and time is often in short supply for diversified growers - let me assure you that I rarely can get everything done that I think is worth doing.  Despite being a backer of this project for some time, I STILL have trouble finding time to do this.  So, I get it.  And I still say we should all take the time and participate.  Enter one crop for one year today.  Do another one next week.  And one more the week after that.  It's amazing how much can happen with a slow, steady commitment to the process.

Consider how we might benefit from this:

• Beginning farmers could use some baseline numbers as a starting point so they can learn what they should expect and adjust when they fail to reach those expectations.
• Those who are considering crop insurance can have some baseline numbers for Iowa that can be used to support claims during a bad year.
• Growers of all sorts can use each others' experiences to consider varieties to try on their own farms.
• Growers can consider different cultural approaches, such as plant and row spacing, succession timing and irrigation practices by looking at the base data provided in this tool.

But, it only works well if we participate.

So-Called Media Madness

I have long been a skeptic regarding social media and I admit that part of that skepticism comes as a result of my education background in Computer Science.  When you add in the fact that many desire to make money via social media, I get even more uneasy.  Top that with the fact that many otherwise decent people seem to think they can comport themselves like monsters via electronic communications methods and there you have it - a summary of most of what makes me uneasy with so-called social media.

And yet, our farm has been posting regularly on Facebook for many years and on Twitter for several months now.  If I feel as I profess, why do I even bother?

That's a great question with a much more complex answer than you might think!  Are you ready to go on a ride with me?  You might pick up some insights as to how social media works for a small business or farm like ours and you will certainly get some ideas as to how silly some of it is as well.  I promise, I'll do my best to keep it lively!

How Do You Reach People?

This is not a new question to small businesses.  Marketing has been a complex problem since the time Grog the Caveman opened up his "Used Stone Wheel Lot."  When I was growing up, the options to a small, local-sales business (or farm) would be local radio, local newspaper, the phone book, posters and signs, bulk mailing, phone or door-to-door soliciting, guest presentations and sponsoring local events.  Oh... and let's not forget word of mouth.

Unfortunately for small businesses, the phone book is gone and most local newspapers and radios have closed up shop.  My apologies, of course, to the local radio stations and newspapers that still exist - but a small business has to have enough of a budget to use those resources and you must admit that their reach has declined, making it difficult to put that down as an expense line item.  What has been moving in and trying to take their places are a myriad of online options.   Some are specialized for a certain kind of product and others, like Facebook and Twitter, cater to those who want to get a message out there... somewhere... sort of.  

For example, we had a listing for several years with Local Harvest.  Over that period, we had a total of five contacts for a total of two CSA shares as a result of our listings there.  We have an account on Iowa MarketMaker as well.  In fact, we were one of the first farms to list (three contacts total and no sales).  We've continued to put our names out there in the Cedar Valley's Buy Fresh Buy Local and maybe get a contact or two per year from that which may or may not pan out.  Part of the issue?  People have to know to go to these places first before they can (possibly) find our farm.  The advertising venue needs to advertise...

In other words, if the Genuine Faux Farm wants to reach people, it has to find a venue that reaches people.  The problem with that?  How do you keep track of what venue is currently attracting people and then move to that venue to reach potential customers?  

Well, in some ways, we gave up on that pursuit and simply went where there were people who were already our customers so we could stay in touch with them.  The theory is certainly not all bad as it is really just a version of the word-of-mouth approach.  Keep the people who already know you and support you informed.  If you need to reach more people to increase sales, you tell the people you already  know - and hopefully it works out.  In fact, the returns are usually higher for word of mouth than any other marketing approach we have tried over the years.

This is still a difficult proposition however.  You can never be quite sure that email is getting where it is supposed to go.  And, if it does, is it being read?  Generally speaking if 1/4 of those you send an email too actually OPEN it up, you are said to be doing quite well.  Huh.  And, those are the people who said they wanted to hear from you!

The Silliness That Is Social Media Metrics

Here you go people!  If you do not maintain a page for a small business or an organization, you are going to get a glimpse into the 'tools' that Facebook provides to 'help' you grow interest in your business.  

(Quick caveat - this is not a tutorial and I am NOT going into all of the details.  We're just going to have some fun with it - ok?)

First up - the "LIKE."  Our farm page has over 700 'likes' on Facebook.  I know other comparable farms that have much more than that and others that have less.  I'll just point out one thing about a 'like.'  It can come from anyone from anywhere.  If you sell product around Tripoli, IA and have 700 likes, then that would be something if all 700 come from the Tripoli area.  According to our metrics, we have more people who 'like' us that live in Canada than those that identify as being from Tripoli.  Oops.

Now, don't get me wrong - I appreciate remaining in contact with these people in Canada.  But, if my page is intended to help my business do better and I don't sell to Ontario....

Here is what set this whole blog post rolling:

Note the "Get More Likes, Comments and Shares - This post is performing BETTER than 95% of other posts on your page...."

Facebook wants me to pay them money to help get more people to see this post because it is already doing well... ok, it is doing "better than 95% of my posts."  At the bottom you can see 94 people "reached" and 25 "engagements."  In general, a "reach" is when someone has this post scroll by on their screen.  An "engagement" is anything from clicking the "like" button to taking the link to the blog or putting in a comment.  Please note that I suspect they will count one person three times if they do all three of those things, but I haven't worked to confirm that - 'cuz it's not that important to me.

Hooray!  94 people scrolled my little post from the bottom to the top of their screen faster than a banner tied to a rocket.  Oh.. and maybe 7 to 10 of them slowed down enough to visit the blog or hit the like button... and just maybe someone even typed a comment.  Shares count as an engagement too - but the 2 shares you see on this post are mine.  I shared them to my own Facebook page and the CSA Group page.  So, I count for two of those engagements...  Yay me!

Here is a post that the post above is doing "BETTER" than.

See!  There are only 230 people reached and 63 engagements.  THAT'S less than.... uh.  no.  It's not.  Hmmm.

Ok, let's try another:

 There.  See, only 2240 people reached.  That's.... um... no.

We actually had the 'boost this post because it's doing better than 95%" on the top two posts shown in the figure above.  I am trying to figure out where the 95% of my posts are that did less well than the two most recent posts.... hmmmm.

Ok.  So, I get a little annoyed with 'squishy' numbers in the first place.  The definition given by social media sites for their metrics are a bit imprecise to begin with because they don't want to 'give away' how they measure things.  What it really means is they don't really want people like me to hold them accountable if they fail to measure something properly.  That, and, well... they want to feed their clients some numbers so they think they are getting a return of some kind for their investment in time, effort and (maybe) money.  Look at the chart below:

 Ah....  This metric is "ESTIMATED."  I wonder how accurate their estimate is?  Who knows?  They estimated a number of somethings that have a definition that can be interpreted more than one way.  But, if you put it in a chart, then it looks official.  Yes sir!  We have an official estimate of people "reached" which is sort of like an ineffective subliminal message in most cases.  Unless, of course, Facebook changes its mind on the definition of what it means to 'reach' someone.  

Facebook: "We're guessing that fifty people thought they might see something you posted somewhere, so we counted that and made a nice chart.  If you gave us some money, we'll make a nicer chart that has better numbers.  We take all major credit cards and Paypal!"

Ok.  Let's try something in the metrics package that might actually help us out - assuming they have actual numbers to share with us.  When do people look at our posts on Facebook?

Heh.  Well, that helps me a great deal you know.  Because now I can tell you that people generally see our posts at some point from 6 AM to 8:30PM during the week....  Doesn't matter which day of the week.  What?  What's wrong with you people?  Our Facebook posts are more important than sleep, don't you know that?

These two charts also are begging that I ask a couple of questions!  Fun!

1. How does Facebook measure a user's presence on their site? The top bar chart essentially says about 600+ of our 700+ "followers" are online each day.  I guess that's not too hard to figure as they track log-ins.  The bottom chart indicates that during typical North American waking hours, about 300 of our followers are logged into Facebook at any given time.

2. What I really want to know is how many of THESE people are treated to our posts on their timelines since they are "our fans."  After all, if 600 of our most loyal fans are online each and every day, you would think they should each be given the privilege to scroll our post past their faces at light speed as they exercise the thumb muscles on their tiny screens.  But, we've already noticed that our reach typically lands at 150... about 25%.  Hey, that number sounds familiar, where have I heard that before?  Oh yeah.  Email open rates....

3. You know - what if Yo-Yo Ma visits our page  - will that count as 3 visits?  I am curious!  After all, I like Yo-Yo Ma.

I Can Learn A Few Things - I Guess

For example, if you look at the Total Reach Chart or the table showing the numbers for recent posts, you will find that most posts land in a fairly common area.  Most posts we put out will scroll by on a screen between 140 and 200 times.  We'll get between 20 and 50 'engagements' which probably means an average of 10 to 25 people slow down enough to scan the picture or text and click a like and maybe visit the blog or comment.

And you know what?  I am cool with that.  Why?  Because I feel like it is a way of staying connected - even if it is not quite what social media companies want you to feel it is.  

Our post that actually did so well was a comment regarding getting chicks from the US Postal Service.  That's currently a hot topic, so people ran with it.  Did they visit our blog?   Actually, they did not.  You would think that this blog post would have more visits than any other recent blog post.  In reality, it sits at number 10 for the past 30 days - decent, but not all that spectacular. 

"Reach" and "Engagement" numbers should never be construed to also be reflected by meaningful "action" from the perspective of the farm.

Is it possible that the short little blip of text with the photo of cute turklets will actually inspire someone to meaningful action - like contacting legislators to keep our necessary postal services running?  The post did get a number of 'shares' that give me some hope.  But, it is more likely that people saw something that they already agreed with (or at least they interpreted it that way) and it was paired with a cute baby animal or two. .... Awwww cute!  LIKE! Oh heck, really cute!  SHARE! Bye.  I need to find some cute kitten videos now.

One More Takeaway
This next piece of information says more, in my opinion, about social media companies than it does what I put out there.  If I share a post that features a photo, it gets more attention than one that has a link (even if that includes a photo in the link text).  I get around that often by featuring a photo and hope interested people see the link to the blog in the text.

What does this say?  Well, social media companies don't really want you leaving their site - especially if you are being driven somewhere with a post that is not PAYING them money to promote the post.  

Imagine that.

There you have it.  A glimpse into the wild and wacky world of my mind and how it sees social media and the metrics they feed us in an effort to get us to give them money so more people can scroll our posts from the bottom to top of their screens.  Maybe we'll even get a like or two.  If only I could exchange those likes for some meaningful actions.  Then I might be cut social media a bit of slack.

But not much.

Genuine Fun Facts

Every once in a while, Tammy and I see something and say, "Hm, that might be interesting for other people to see on the blog."  Sadly, most of the time, we say this when neither of us is prepared to write it down.  As a result, there are a whole bunch of great ideas that fall out of our brains and rattle around on the floor.  So, if you see some of our ideas sitting on the edge of street somewhere, please direct them to us.

Genuine Faux Farm By the Numbers
Many of you already know that Rob likes his numbers.  Sometimes, the numbers actually interest other people as well, so we thought we would share a few that might be enjoyable.

Mr Aubergine wants to know...

 120,297 - the number of eggs our laying hens have produced from 2012 to 2017.  No, it's not the same group of laying hens every year.  We have a great post about the ladies that answers a number of questions about how we raise the birds.  Now is a good time to point you to the Poultry Slam post from 2015.

36,827 - the number of cucumbers harvested on our farm since 2006.  Yep, that's about 3000 a year.  All that time picking cucumbers and wondering when the cucumber frog is going to startle the farmer...
 

164 and 11.1 - the number of songs a typical GFF month's music play list contains and the number of hours that playlist would normally take to play in its entirety.  Last year's Harvest Festival play list was only 134 songs, so I guess I fell short on that one, but the days were getting shorter, so 8.8 hours was usually pretty good.

250, 350, 400, 500, 600, 800 - the number of dollars it takes to sign up for one of our CSA share programs.  There are many options that may fit you and your family.  Luckily enough for you, we have openings and are now taking reservations!  Prices on the website are current, even if the farmer missed changing the year date on the web.

Genuine Faux Farm, A History

There WERE Foxes on the Genuine Faux Farm

Take a look at the larger crack in that foundation.

 In 2007/2008, after the old hog building came down, a vixen decided we had the perfect place to raise a few kits.  We were able to get a few pictures and were also able to contact photographer, Kip Ladage.  Kip came out and got some great pictures (one of which is signed and hanging on our kitchen wall).  Once he had captured his photos, we went about our normal business of farming.  This was too much for Mama and she moved the kits away soon after.  Frankly, if they would have entered a contract of not killing all of our chickens, we'd have been happy to have them stay.  But, having us as their neighbors was just a bit too close for comfort from their perspective.

 That Old Barn Was Good for Something

 Those who have been to the farm over the last five or so years, but not prior, have not seen the old barn with a roof and siding.  While was still largely intact it was the perfect nesting space for barn swallows.  There were always two major hatchings of chicks and once they fledged we'd get to see the grand line-up on the electric lines.  Sadly, with fewer nesting spots, we don't get to see this any more.

The Year the Cucumbers Would NOT Grow

Just... pitiful

The farm is full of lessons of humility.  One of our earliest such lessons came in 2008 when we had a year where one of the 'easiest' crops to grow simply wouldn't.  The following year was a bit better, but 2010 was the year of the cucumber.


You Did What When?!?

Young Horticulturalist?
Would you like your plants to get big and healthy this year?  Diligently prune off the flowers just as Tammy did in her family's garden.  Just remember that you won't get any fruit if you take off ALL the flowers.  But, then again, if that's the goal you want....

Deliveries by GFF Started Earlier Than You Think
Officially, the Genuine Faux Farm started operations in 2005.  But, the very first deliveries were made years earlier - even before Rob and Tammy met.  The produce came from the 'garden' Grandpa Faux maintained and he was happy to have a high school baseball player available to run the gauntlet that were essentially 'drive-by vegetablings.'

2017 Crop Report

We have done this for a couple of years running and a few people have said they liked it.  So, here it is!  The annual crop status versus crop goals post.  We will continue to update this post as the harvest season continues for as long as we pay enough attention to do it.  I suppose you could say it will get updated as long as we enjoy doing it. After all, you can see the last update for 2016 was November 4 and there were still some crops coming in (but not too much).


All numbers with * are subject to change as the season continues. Updated 10/9/17


Green Beans
   goal -500 pounds                                                 
   2017: 377.2 pounds *                                             2016: 499.8 pounds
Broccoli
   goal - 500 pounds                                                   
   2017: 764.2 pounds *                                               2016: 210.6 pounds
and yes, this is a record for those of you who might be curious after our Things Farm Records Are Made Of post.
Cucumber
   goal - 3000 fruit                                                       
   2017: 1672 fruit                                                         2016: 3023 fruit 
Garlic
   goal - 3000 head                                                     
   2016: 2926 head                                                        2016: 3176 head
Bell and Sweet Peppers
   goal - 3000 fruit                                                     
   2017: 1162 fruit *                                                       2016: 3749 fruit
Zucchini
   goal - 800 fruit                                                     
   2017: 1099 fruit                                                         2016: 868 fruit
Lettuce
   goal -  500 pounds                                                 
   2017 -  339.9 pounds *                                            2016 -  868.6 pounds
Melon
   goal - 350 fruit                                                      
   2017 - 137 fruit                                                      2016 - 541 fruit
Onion
   goal - 2500 bulbs                                                 
   2017 - 1381 bulbs *                                                 2016 - 3205 bulbs 
Winter Squash
   goal - 600 fruit                                                  
   2017 - 991 fruit   *                                                  2016 - 938 fruit
Snow Peas
   goal - 150 pounds                                             
   2017 - 126.9 pounds                                             2016 - 134.8 pounds
Potatoes
   goal - 1500 pounds                                             
   2017 - 1095.2 pounds                                           2016 - 1597.4 pounds
Carrot
   goal - 300 pounds                                              
   2017 - 302.9 pounds *                                           2016 - 122.0 pounds
Kale
   goal - 350 pounds                                             
   2017 - 355.0 pounds    *                                       2016 - 245.8 pounds   
Pok Choi
   goal - 250 pounds                                              
   2017 - 265.9 pounds    *                                      2016 - 268.0 pounds
Snack Tomato
   goal - 2000 fruit                                               
   2017 - 2479 fruit    *                                            2016 - 2207 fruit
Beet
   goal - 150 pounds 
   2017 - 165.7 pounds *
Cabbage
   goal - 200 pounds
   2017 - 434 pounds
Cauliflower
   goal - 150 pounds
   2017 - 201.6 pounds
Eggplant
   goal - 800 fruit
   2017 - 881 fruit  *
Kohlrabi
   goal - 750 head
   2017 - 527 head  *
Tomato (slicer or larger)
   goal - 2000 pounds
   2017 - 1827.5 pounds *
Cherry Tomato
   goal - 2000 fruit
   2017 - 3539 fruit *
Turnip
   goal - 600 root
   2017 - 983 root *

This doesn't show all of the crops we grow, but we have added a number of them to the list this year.  I didn't quite feel like taking the time to put in 2016 numbers for some of the new ones - but that could change if I get a wild hair to do it.

The Good


We've already talked about the broccoli in our blog this year.  And then, we talked about it again in a post that also included discussion about our snack tomato crops.  It's just natural for a person to want to discuss something that is going well.

This has clearly been a good year for brassicae family crops on our farm.  The cabbage led the way by setting a farm record for most weight of produced, marketable heads and this was followed by the broccoli showing us enough side shoot love that we broke that record as well.  The cauliflower has followed suit, but it looks like we won't quite break the 200 pound mark. 

We feel like we can attribute some of this outstanding production to our own efforts and choices, but we also have to admit that it was probably just a darned good year for this sort of crop on our farm.  The cool August helped a fair amount.

The Good Enough
Most of our crops fall into the "good enough" category this year, which is perfectly fine with us.  In general, the quality has been very good to exceptional with the yield being reasonable, but not exceptional. 

The green beans are a good example.  The taste has been fantastic and the amount of green beans has been enough to keep our farm share CSA customers happy.  But, we don't have much extra beyond that this year.  Some of it is due to an issue with the wet weather in late July and some has to do with the time intensive nature of green bean harvest.  Because we lost the summer crop in Eden, we are stuck with a heavier load in the Fall - when we have less help to harvest.  Such is life.

In fact most of our crops are producing 'enough,' which is a nice thing to be able to say.  But, we would be lying if we didn't have our disappointments.

And the Ugly

Our biggest disappointment has got to be the field melons this season.  We really believed that we had the system figured out with these.  And, frankly, we still do.  However, they ran into the buzz saw that is field E1.  E1 has a history of making us feel like idiots and it did not fail in doing that this season as well.  We still got melons from the high tunnels, but it sure wasn't the bonanza we had dancing in our heads at the beginning of the year.  For those who are curious, we are permanently retiring E1 from annual vegetable production now.  We've "moved it" out of production and put cover crops and poultry on it to rehab it in the past.  But, there just is some bad karma going on there - so we're going to do something very different there starting this Fall.

Other disappointments have tended to be warm weather crops this season.  The cucumbers were less than they usually are and the field peppers have really had a tough time of it.  But, in each case, there is the potential for redemption even at this late date.  The third succession of cucumbers (a gamble) is actually starting to produce.  If we can keep the temps above 40 degrees F, we should get a nice little bump in that yield.  Similarly, the field peppers have fruit that are approaching readiness.  It won't be what we hoped for, but it will be better than what we've had thus far!

And Crops with Potential
It is still very early to report on all of our crops.  Three-quarters of the potatoes are still in the ground (which is not abnormal for us) and the winter squash is just now approaching readiness (also not abnormal).  Both have the potential to be reasonable crops, though we do not expect super high yields.  The 75% of the onions are still in the field after a late start and are approaching readiness as well.  We don't think they will be super big, but the taste thus far has been extremely good and the numbers should be fine.  There is plenty of season remaining for kale, spinach, lettuce, turnips, choi and other cool season crops.  In fact, it is often surprising how much comes in during the month of October.

Feel free to check in on this post every so often and see how we progress with our harvest.  And, if you have questions, feel free to post them!