This has been an exciting year for the farm. Through a Phase 1 Value Added Producers Grant sponsored by the USDA Rural Development we have been able to hire a third party consultant, Kathy Altman, to do a feasibility plan for our growing operation. A complete business plan, marketing study, and technological study were brought together to determine if we had a sound plan to take our sustainable farm into the future. Though this planning step in itself is a great help for our operation, the icing on the cake is the opportunity to compete for phase 2 of this grant which we are working on writing currently. If you would like to help by writing a letter of support, please contact Jessica. The better end support we show, the better our proposal will be. I am happy to announce that the year has proven to give us great direction and invaluable feedback while showing that our plan for growth is indeed feasible. As part of this study, many of you participated in a Consumer Preference Survey. Those results follow.
- On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest priority, what food qualities are most important to you?
|
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Certified organic
|
16 % |
15 % |
25 % |
25 % |
19 % |
|
Fed only certified organic grains |
11 % |
12 % |
30 % |
23 % |
23 % |
|
Hormone / additive free
|
6 % |
0 % |
10 % |
19 % |
65 % |
|
Non GMO
|
10 % |
75 % |
8 % |
19 % |
55 % |
|
100% grassfed
|
9 % |
9 % |
21 % |
26 % |
34 % |
|
Free Range/Pastured
|
6 % |
4 % |
13 % |
22 % |
55 % |
|
Produced in a sustainable manner |
5 % |
1 % |
8 % |
23 % |
62 % |
|
Locally grown
|
5 % |
1 % |
16 % |
25 % |
52 % |
|
Price
|
6 % |
16 % |
41 % |
25 % |
12 % |
2. If you indicated above that local, pasture raised, or organically produced foods are important to you, are you able to find and buy the quality of food you want and need? Please note any comments you may have about availability:
|
Locally produced food categories |
Desire to have (yes or no) |
Difficulty finding (easy, medium, hard, or unknown) |
Comments |
|
Poultry
|
Yes – 95 % No — 5 % |
Easy — 31 % Medium – 38 $ Hard — 31 % |
|
|
Lamb
|
Yes – 58 % No – 42 % |
Easy — 29 % Medium– 32 % Hard — 39 % |
|
|
Dairy
|
Yes – 95 % No — 5 % |
Easy — 29 % Medium – 33 % Hard — 37 % |
|
|
Vegetables
|
Yes – 97 % No — 3 % |
Easy — 54 % Medium – 35 % Hard — 12 % |
|
|
Prepared health foods: salsa, kombucha, baked goods, egg noodles, broths |
Yes – 73 % No – 10 % |
Easy — 24 % Medium – 39 % Hard — 37 % |
|
|
|
Directly from a farm |
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription |
Farmers Market |
Health food store |
Cooperatives or buying clubs |
|
Do you buy from any of the following venues? (yes or no) |
59 % |
15 % |
86 % |
67 % |
24 % |
|
Are you interested in buying from any of the following venues? (yes or no) |
81 % |
57 % |
76 % |
48 % |
63 % |
4. Would you be interested in using a community kitchen to process or preserve food for yourself or for sale to others? Yes 63 %, No 30 %, Maybe, 2% No response 5%.
5. Would you be interested in knowing about educational classes on topics such as sustainable living, renewable energy technology, cooking with whole foods, nutrition and health?
Yes 91 %, No 5 % No response 4%.
6. Would food produced with renewable technologies and a smaller carbon footprint be more appealing than the same quality product produced with standard energy sources?
Yes 95 %, No 1 %, No response 4%.
7. Do you raise poultry? Yes 19 %, No 77 %, No response 4%.
Would you raise poultry if you knew you had a place to process it? Yes 35%, No 44%, No response 20%.
8. If you raise poultry or small ruminants, are you interested in using our multi-use processing facility? Yes 32 %, No 35 %, Maybe 1%, No response 32%.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
While we would appreciate having your complete contact information, (and need it to enter you in the raffle for a ham from This Old Farm), please at least include your zip code, to aid us in analyzing the survey results. Thank you!
Name:
Address:
Zip Code:
E-mail:
Phone number:
Would you like to receive our e-mail newsletters reminding you when our products are in season? Yes 63%, No 16 %, Already on list 3%, No response 18%
As always, we appreciate your feedback and support. You are what makes sustainable farming possible!
