Bringing Food to Desert Tables at Sleeping Frog Farms

Nestled in the San Pedro River Valley, just outside of Cascabel, Arizona, lies 75 acres of farmland with over a thousand chickens, a couple of goats, five WWOOFERs and Debbie, Adam, Clay, and CJ — the dynamic quartet who own and manage Sleeping Frog Farms.

Starting with a row of fava beans and a greenhouse nabbed from Craigslist for $500, Sleeping Frog Farms first broke ground four years ago on a small parcel of land–a former horse pasture–north of Tucson, Arizona. Within two years, Adam, Debbie, Clay, and CJ went from direct-marketing radishes (and not much else), to distributing produce at Tucson restaurants, offering CSA shares and selling an impressive variety of products (dates, vegetables, and eggs, to name a few) at a farmers’ market on Tucson’s north side.  They soon realized they would reach capacity on their small farm and decided to look for a larger plot of fertile land that could support increased production and an even greater variety of products. 

In May 2010 Adam, Debbie, Clay, and CJ bought the 75 acres of land outside of Cascabel. For several months they grew and harvested vegetables at both locations, making a gradual conversion to their new farm.  Since August of 2011, on this land flush with water from three domestic and two agricultural wells, Sleeping Frog Farms has been operating full-throttle. 

The rapid growth of Sleeping Frog Farms can be attributed to the collective experience and vision of the four managers. Together they bring to the table a unique set of skills and experiences, including non-profit work (Debbie), produce management (Adam), farm and irrigation know-how (CJ), and business management (Clay).  They share the same mission: to feed as many families in Southern Arizona as they can while preserving the health of the landscape by nurturing soil and animals without the use of pesticides.  As Adam put it, they would like to “close the loop,” using fewer off-the-farm inputs. In other words, they would like to create a self-sustaining production cycle. Adam explains that this can be achieved by using effective microorganisms and creating a balance with plants, animals, and insects, which negates the need for chemical applications and pesticides.  Think permaculture, or “permanent agriculture.”  As CJ put it, “If you have a healthy soil…the plants already know what to do.  It’s engrained in the enzymes in the seed—you give it good water and healthy soil, they do their thing.”

Their experience has not been without strife.  Unpredictability is inherent in farming. The daily temperature range is wide, there are many frosts and the wind corridors can be brutal. Furthermore, the four managers reinvest most of their earnings back into the farm.  While they sell produce to high-end restaurants in Tucson, Arizona, their paychecks don’t afford them the luxury of eating at those same establishments.  But these financial difficulties do not dampen or halt their progress.  They look toward the future: They hope to grow their CSA from its current membership of 105 to as many as 500 members by eventually farming 20 acres, with two-thirds in production and one-third in cover crop. They are also interested in small-scale grain production; over the next 20 years, they hope to grow enough grain to feed their own chickens, further closing the loop.

This week Sleeping Frog Farms will harvest broccoli rabe and sell multi-colored eggs to Tucson omelet aficionados at the St. Phillips Sunday Farmers’ Market.  If you live in Southern Arizona, you can support Debbie, Adam, Clay and CJ by buying their produce at the Food Conspiracy Co-Op, or by visiting their stand at the farmers’ market.  They welcome farm visits, too.  If you can’t make it out to Cascabel, check out this video (produced by Arizona Public Media) to experience, vicariously, what Sleeping Frog Farms is all about and to meet four champion growers who are investing in their land and in the future by growing good food—for both eater and land—for Southern Arizona.

A Partnership: Farmers might not choose one, but they could have one anyways.

Farmers who want to work together to make a profit might risk their personal assets if they form a general partnership. General partners are jointly and severally liable for the business debt. The problem is that a group of farmers can form a partnership without ever realizing they’ve just taken on that liability.

What’s the situation?

Farmer Chad is starting up a little vegetable operation this spring. Since he’s not yet confident in his growing skill, he’s growing veggies for his friend Nell. Nell wants to take it easy this season, so Chad is responsible for half the veggie production for Nell’s Ruddy Duck Farm CSA. Chad thinks his risk is low–nobody will visit his farm and hurt themselves, he won’t go into debt, and so forth–so he decides to form his business as a quick, easy sole proprietorship. But is that all Farmer Chad needs to think about?

Where does the law come in?

Although Farmer Chad might have made a reasonable decision for himself alone, if he is forming a partnership with Nell he could be liable for all of her business obligations as well.

Details, please:

My post a couple of weeks ago introduced how a “business entity” is the legal structure under which a business forms. The sole proprietorship is the easiest business entity to form, but it’s also the riskiest because the owner is personally liable for all the debts of the business. This post delves into a very similar entity: partnerships.

A “general partnership” is similar to a sole proprietorship owned by two or more people.  It’s easy to form a partnership: The owners file their trade name with the state so people can determine who owns the business. It also makes it relatively easy (or, I should say, less difficult) to handle income taxes since the business’s income passes straight through to the owners. The business itself doesn’t file to pay income taxes on its profit; only the owners file income taxes for the business’s profit.

It might be easy to start a general partnership, but, like the sole proprietorship, the general partnership has a dark side.  Each partner is jointly and severally liable for the debts of the business. I explained before that if a school group tours a farm and a kiddo slips on a knife that was negligently left in the field, the farm might end up paying a judgment. As another example, a farmer might take out a loan to get going in the spring. The bank can go after the farmer’s personal assets to recover the loan.

Let’s say Nell and Chad agree to start a farm together. They file as a general partnership and the farm is off and running. Then Nell decides not to make Ruddy Duck Farm’s payments anymore. Both Nell and Chad are liable for that debt, and the bank can choose whose assets they want to go after. Or it could go after both partners. If Nell only has $100 of a $500 loan, Chad might have to make up the difference. It doesn’t matter if Chad receives a smaller proportion of the profits from Ruddy Duck Farm; he is also liable. That’s the meaning of “joint and several” liability. Clearly, if a couple of farmers are considering a general partnership, they both need to think long and hard about whether they really want this kind of liability.

The tricky thing is that a couple of farmers might be jointly and severally liable even though they didn’t formally agree to do business together. It’s possible to enter into a partnership without signing an agreement or even realizing a partnership has been formed. I led with the story of Farmer Chad growing half the veggies for Farmer Nell’s Ruddy Duck CSA. Is that a partnership? Are Farmer Chad’s personal assets potentially on the line for Farmer Nell’s business debts? The answer lies in the details of their operation: Are Chad and Nell acting like they co-own a business for profit? Who makes what decisions, and where does income go? Their actions, not necessarily a formal agreement, will determine if they have a partnership. Say Chad has more money and property than Nell. If someone is trying to collect on a debt, they will try to convince the court that Chad and Nell are in a partnership so they can reach Chad’s assets.

This all sounds risky. Who wants to try and evaluate a partner’s risk exposure along with their own? Who wants to worry about whether they’ve formed a partnership and if they might be liable? Farmers have better things to do. Fortunately, forming a business entity that offers a lot more protection than sole proprietorships or general partnerships is easy. We’ll get to those soon.

Chicago’s New Rooftop Farm – The Urban Canopy

Winter at County Rail Farm

Our seed order is in. Everything from eggplant to watermelon to kale has been ordered and (mostly) received. In a great feat of concentration our 2012 Organic System Plan has been sent in to the Montana certifying entity, and the planting plan for 2012 is on the verge of completion. To cap it all, our taxes are done.

We’ve already done a lot of paperwork this winter, and January has been a fantastic month of reading and skiing. Margaret and I spend most of our time during these down months on a ginormous puzzle or with a nose in a book. We visited some friends at Puzzle Peace Farm in Bostic, North Carolina over New Year’s, and I was exhausted just thinking about year-round farming seasons and 52-week markets: We work hard in the summer, and having time off is a blessing. As the season creeps closer and closer, the farm shares begin to roll in and our pantry is relieved of more and more jars. While the dogs and goats are restless, we’re feeling relaxed.

And yet, of course, the farm is always on the mind. A year ago we were scrambling to figure out whether or not we’d be able to pull through our first season. We were applying to accept SNAP benefits, registering as an official business, and exploring the farm for the first time. This year I feel confident not only that we will pull through a season on our own, but that we can do it well. As of two weeks ago the bees were still alive and well. We’ve begun to sprout roughly 400 asparagus seeds, which will be a challenge to fit in our greenhouse before they’re transplanted in the spring. The goats are fat and happy and one is (fingers crossed) growing a couple little goats inside.

We recently had a conversation with Leslie Klein of Good Egg Farm here in Montana. She started one of the first CSAs in the country right here in the Mission Valley, and Pommes de Terre Acres–the land we lease–became a part of that project. We like to say that farms build community, but the truth is that our starting this farm was only possible because of the community already here. This month we’re remembering Jane Kile, the woman who named Pommes de Terre Acres and who cared for it for 26 years. The attention and love that has gone into the management of this land and the animals on it is inspiring, to say the least. This farm has a history of its own, and the greatest accomplishment we can hope for is to honor it in the coming years.

Thanks to all of you who have been following us during our first season. It has been a real pleasure to write for NYFC. For more information about our farm, our Farm Shares, and our farm blog, visit our website www. countyrailfarm.com.

USDA Announces Value-Added Producer Grants

Earlier this month, the USDA announced the awarding of over $40 million in grants through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program. The funds went to 298 recipients in 44 states. In announcing them, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan drew a connection between the grants and President Obama’s call for promoting American jobs and economic growth, but she would not say whether the President would be calling for mandatory funding of the program in the 2012 Farm Bill.

 

The Value-Added Producer Grant program is a key part of both the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act and the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act – bills that NYFC, in conjunction with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, is promoting. It provides matching funds for value-added producers looking to develop their businesses, a crucial way that the federal government can help small American farm-related businesses grow.

 

Recipients ranged from dairy production, such as Green Mountain Organic Creamery in North Ferrisburgh, VT, which received a working capital grant to market organic pasteurized bottled milk, butter, and ice cream, to greens production, such as Strawn, IL’s Living Water Farms, a hydroponic greens family company. States with the largest number of recipients were Wisconsin (28), Oregon (23), New York (21), California (17), and Missouri (15).

 

More information about the program and the 2012 grants can be found here.

New Campaign Urges Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods

A new campaign, Just Label It, has been launched to require that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label foods from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  An accompanying video, Labels Matter, was also just released to educate people about the risks of eating genetically modified foods and to encourage people to fight to know what’s in their food.   Produced through a collaboration between the Just Label It campaign and Food, Inc. filmmaker Robert Kenner, Labels Matter “captures the conviction that consumers have the right to know what is in their food,” said Kenner.

Many countries, including the European Union, Australia, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and China, require genetically engineered foods to be labeled, but the U.S. does not have such a law in place.  Even though the FDA requires labels to include all significant information about a product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in order to prevent consumer deception, it considers GMO products to be “substantially equivalent” to non-GMO foods, so it doesn’t require companies to label whether their foods contain GMOs.

While some genetically engineered crops are being sold as-is, more GMO foods are sold for processing, making up about 60 to 70 percent of the processed foods available in American grocery stores.  The majority of livestock that Americans consume, with the exception of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified Organic meat, has been raised on genetically modified grains.

The organizers of the Just Label It (JLI) campaign predict that more consumers will push for mandatory GMO labeling, especially as the FDA prepares to approve genetically modified salmon. One proposal that raises additional concerns is advancing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and would deregulate corn that has been genetically modified to be resistant to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, an herbicide contained in Agent Orange.

“While the pros and cons of genetically engineered foods are debated, an entire generation is growing up consuming them,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield Farm.  “Until we have no doubt that GMO crops are safe to eat, consumers should have a choice about whether we want to eat them.  GMO foods must be labeled. Consumers need to know.”

Currently the most reliable ways for Americans to avoid buying GMO-containing food are to buy foods that have been certified Organic by the USDA, and to buy from local, sustainable farmers.  But the lax restrictions on genetically engineered foods in the U.S. present a risk to organic growers.  For example, wind-pollinated and bee-pollinated crops like corn and alfalfa can often cross-pollinate between GMO varieties and organic varieties.  No provision currently exists to protect organic crops from cross-pollination, but the EPA has required barriers of non-GMO-planted crops around areas with GMO crops planted.

Young farmers and those interested in sustainability are encouraged to take action to ensure that the FDA requires the labeling of genetically modified foods.  The Just Label It Campaign has undertaken a petition drive, which you can participate in here.

FoodCorps Opens Applications for 2012 School Food Change-Makers

FoodCorps, a national organization that works to address food issues in underserved communities, has called for applications for its second annual class of service members. The organization will be hiring up to one hundred people for positions in 12 states across the country. The 2012 corps will work full-time for one year in school food systems, expanding hands-on nutrition education programs, building and tending school gardens, and sourcing fresh, healthy, local food for school cafeterias.

One in four children in the US are facing hunger and one in three are struggling with obesity. The goal of this program is to address both problems by targeting the root cause: access to healthy food. According to FoodCorps Executive Director Curt Ellis, “America’s children deserve a healthy school food environment. The leaders who serve in FoodCorps are the change-makers who can make that vision a reality.”

So far, Foodcorps workers have reached over 20,000 children across the country. This year the program has added two states–Connecticut and Montana–to the ten already served by the program–Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon.

Applications for the 2012 corps are due March 25^th. You can get more information by visiting their website.

Time to Apply for the NRCS Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative

Towards the end of 2011, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service announced the opportunity for farmers to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative. February 3rd marked the end of the first application period for the application. While applications can be submitted continually, there are two more evaluations coming up this year,with deadlines on March 30, 2012 and June 1, 2012.

The Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative provides technical and financial assistance for farmers interested in extending their growing season for high-value crops. This initiative was first introduced by the USDA in 2009 as a pilot project to help increase the availability of local food. A high tunnel is the same as a hoop house: an unheated structure made of plastic stretched over a metal or plastic frame. Easy to build and maintain, high tunnels are an energy efficient way to extend the growing season by providing shelter and extra warmth for certain crops. Here in the Northwest that could mean growing greens well into the winter and tomatoes or other heat-lovers in the summer and early fall. Extending the growing season means a steadier income for farmers, which is particularly important for small-scale farms with limited resources.

While this is a great opportunity to add to your farm infrastructure and, ultimately, your bottom line, the process of becoming eligible for this EQIP initiative does take time and effort. Because this program is funded through NRCS, one major purpose is to ensure that the high tunnel construction and management is conducted in a conservation-friendly manner. For instance, since water run-off from hoop houses can cause erosion and pooling, conservation practices such as sun-as-drain installation, filter strips, and critical-area planting may be employed along with the high tunnel. Other conservation practices that may be implemented as a condition of high tunnel construction include the use of integrated pest management, nutrient management, cover cropping, or conservation crop rotations.

You can apply for the initiative through your local NRCS office. These are the folks that will determine the eligibility of your farm based on certain criteria, like complying with highly-erodible land and wetland conservation provisions. The applications are reviewed on the national level, however. If you qualify as a “historically underserved client,” which includes Beginning Farmers or Ranchers, Limited Resource Farmers, and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers,  you may receive enhanced benefits if your application is eligible for the High Tunnel Initiative or other EQIP programs.

While there are several hoops to jump through to become eligible and apply for this and other EQIP programs, it could be a worthwhile process. By working with NRCS staff to ensure that your farm is taking measures to aid conservation, you also ensure that your farm operates in a more sustainable way. And with a new hoop house! 

Apply now for a Raising Organic Family Farms Grant/Scholarship

Raising Organic Family Farms recently announced a second round of grants and scholarships for organic farmers and agriculture students.  The application period began on January 16th and will run until March 16th.  In total, ROFF will be giving away an additional $25,000 this winter in small grants and scholarships to selected organic farmers and students.

The goal of this program is to help farmers and students overcome small financial barriers to their success.  The first round of grants this past fall went to a diverse group of farmers and sustainability advocates, from an expanding bee-keeping operation in Hawaii to a start-up vegetable operation in downtown Detroit.

Created by Lundberg Family Farms, the Raising Organic Family Farms program aids farmers engaged in, beginning, or transitioning into organic farming, as well as students interested in sustainable agriculture programs. The program is designed to provide funds for small barriers like educational funding–such as conference registrations, classes, and tuition–seed money, farm equipment, or repairs.

More about the application process and the program itself can be found on their website. 

 

Proposed farm-to-WIC program to enable greater access to fresh produce

Changes in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are allowing new partnerships between local farmers and WIC outlets.  WIC aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by distributing cash vouchers to low-income women with children to buy produce.  The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) recently conducted a survey of the buying habits and produce preferences of WIC participants in three counties in California.  The information from the study will be used to decide what kinds of produce to promote the most heavily during the development of the farm-to-WIC program.

Although the U.S. Dietary Guidelines emphasize the importance of eating fruits and vegetables to improve health, these  foods are generally under-consumed in the U.S.  Low-income households in particular face barriers to meeting these guidelines due to limited financial resources and low availability of fruits and vegetables in low-income neighborhoods.  Domestic food assistance programs can make it easier for people to buy more fruits and vegetables, but small stores in low-income neighborhoods find it difficult to provide high-quality produce at affordable prices.  Programs like farm-to-WIC benefit both local farmers and WIC participants who generally lack access to healthy foods.

In the spring of 2010, in order to determine what produce items should be included in a farm-to-WIC program, UCCE surveyed WIC participants in Tulare, Riverside, and Alameda counties to determine the level of interest the participants felt for buying local foods and the factors that guide their shopping decisions.  The questions on the survey included whether the participants had bought certain produce items in the last six months and whether they would be interested in buying them if they became available at their store. 

The survey showed that the participants were interested in buying fresh produce with higher quality and more variety.  The survey helped UCCE come up with a list of 19 produce items to include in a possible farm-to-WIC program, including cabbage, grapes, lettuce, mustard greens, and bell pepper.  UCCE also developed fact sheets about different fruits and vegetables with tips on preparing them and serving them to young children.  Stores involved in the farm-to-WIC project will distribute these handouts at the cash register in order to encourage program participants to purchase and cook with these products.

A farm stand in the town of Flowing Wells, Arizona offers another model of delivering fresh, local produce to low-income shoppers.  The farm stand is run by the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, and fruits and vegetables sold there are grown at the Food Bank’s Marana Heritage Farm and at the Food Bank’s demonstration garden.  The farm stand is attractive for low-income customers because it accepts WIC checks, food stamps, and Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program vouchers.  In addition, the Food Bank is doubling the value of food stamps by up to $20 at the stand in order to draw more low-income shoppers.

The stand sells many different kinds of produce, including bright red tomatoes, citrus fruits, apples, radishes, potatoes, kale, and spinach.  According to Sara Rickard, a farmers’ market assistant with the Food Bank, the produce sold at the farm stand is grown without pesticides, chemicals, or fertilizer, and is fresh from the gardens.  “Most of it has been picked in the last 48 hours,” said Rickard.

Helping to give low-income shoppers access to fresh, local foods will allow them to eat healthfully in a country where unhealthy foods are often cheaper and more convenient to buy.  It will also open up a new market for local, sustainable foods.  Farmers throughout the US–especially beginning farmers–should be alert to opportunities to advocate for programs like the farm-to-WIC program in their own states. Programs like this are an important way to bring local, fresh foods to those who would not otherwise be able to access such products.