AgriAdvocates Farming at the Market – August 20, 2011 from richter7 on Vimeo.

Several low interest loan programs are provided for farmers, ranchers and other agribusinesses. The loans have aided the agriculture community by providing funds when conventional loans are unavailable by:

• Providing funds for projects to assist operators in conserving resources and improving efficiency of operations.
• Assisting beginning farmers to purchase farm and ranch properties.
• Aiding financially distressed operators with long term funding.

The portfolios are comprised of approximately 800 loans, and the combined assets of the programs as of June 30, 2011 totaled nearly $51 million. Loans are funded from revolving funds that grow each year from the earnings of the programs. These programs benefit Utah’s economy in numerous ways. Loss history has been minimal.

Agriculture Resource Development Loan Program (ARDL)

The largest program in the loan section with 55 percent of its assets and more than 600 loans, ARDL is administered by the division for the Utah Conservation Commission. Technical service and marketing of the program are provided by local conservation districts and the Utah Association of Conservation Districts as well as other conservation partners, both federal and state. Examples of eligible projects include animal waste management, water usage management (irrigation systems), rangeland improvement, on farm energy projects, wind erosion control and disaster mitigation and cleanup. Borrowers are charged 3 percent interest and a 4 percent administration fee, which covers marketing and project planning costs, and loans have a maximum term of 12 years.

Producers are encouraged to use these loans to help fund projects jointly with federal and state grants. They can also fund stand alone projects.

Rural Rehabilitation Loan Programs

These programs, funded by both state and federal monies comprise the rest of the loan programs. They have been funded by both state and federal monies. The various purposes of the loans are to:

• Provide assistance to producers with financial problems with various causes (including Emergency Loan Programs totaling of $10.5 million initiated during the past two years).
• Assist beginning farmers to obtain farms and ranches. This includes providing financing to facilitate the transfer of ownership of family farms and ranches from one generation to another.

These are essentially loans of last resort requiring that applicants be declined by conventional commercial lenders. They are often granted in cooperation with other lenders such as the USDA Farm Service Agency. Terms range up to a maximum of ten years with amortization of greater terms. Interest rates charged are four percent or less. These long term real estate loans have helped numerous Utah agricultural operations to remain in business. Maximum loan size is limited to $250,000.

Success Story

A good example of a recent Rural Rehab Loan which illustrates how the program can help people, help the state’s economy and help the industry is reflected in the case of Brent Bowles in the South Jordan who has operated a meat cutting business successfully for several decades. The business was originally based on the availability of locally produced cattle. Since that activity has largely disappeared from the urban area, but is common in a more rural area of central Utah, and since Mr. Bowles was considering retirement and transferring the business to his son Richard and daughter-in-law Stephanie who had been working with him for years, they arrived at a plan.

They found an ideal location where there was a demand for their services and purchased a site in Fairview for relocation. Since they already owned all of the equipment needed to operate the business, all they needed was financial assistance to construct a new facility and move the business to the new location. Richard was able to qualify for the loan and secure it with the acquired property, which also included a residence for him and Stephanie. The banks and credit unions contacted were not interested in the loan, but UDAF had the funding and the desire to help with the relocation and intergenerational transfer of the business while helping the local rural economy and providing a needed service to the community. In addition to processing beef and lamb, they also process smoked meats and game. The low cost and long term of the loan makes it affordable and helps to ensure the success of the move.

a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.

mar·ket [mahr-kit]

an open place or a covered building where buyers and sellers convene for the sale of goods; a marketplace: a farmers’ market.

Join AgriAdvocates and Mountain America Credit Union in celebration of one of Utah’s greatest assets: agriculture. Thousands of people are invited to gather at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City for the annual Farming at the Market event, on Aug. 20 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The event will bring together diverse agriculturists and representatives from organizations such as Utah Natural Meats, Wasatch Community Gardens, and Augason Farms.  Master gardeners, animal experts, and some retail representatives will also be on site to answer questions from farmers’ market visitors.

Farming at the Market will also provide entertaining agricultural experiences for the whole family. Carver’s Cove will be on site with their petting farm, full of goats, sheep, piglets and roosters.

Children will also have the opportunity to create a living necklace made of cotton and a wheat seed. Educators from the Utah Agriculture in the Classroom will help visitors to understand the process of growing and milling wheat into flour to make bread.

To make the experience full circle agricultural retail specialists from Utah’s Own, Caputos and Dan’s Market will be on site to sample refreshing local products.

Various prizes will be offered to visitors throughout the day, including grow kits, farmers’ market products and t-shirts for the entire family.

The Farming at the Market event hopes to entertain, gain interest in the cause and educate the public about agriculture, self-sufficiency, food production and supporting Utah’s economy.

Whether it be watching my two-year-old pick lettuce right from the plant and eat it, or being bent down on my knees for hours planting hundreds of cloves of garlic, and then coming to find that after the snow melts, the garlic is actually peeking its way into the world; these are some of the things that make me proud to be an AgriAdvocate.

Agriculture is not just a hobby, it sustains lives, and if done properly, nourishes the environment and population for years to come. From my short experience of being an urban farmer, I have found how rewarding it is to share your harvest with those around you, and how important the local growing movement is to the overall vitality and health of our communities.

Farming, however, is only one piece of the local food production puzzle. For farming to thrive and continue, the local population needs a place where people can go to understand and connect with these local food producers. And this is why, I created the Wasatch Front Farmers Market. The market is a non-profit organization dedicated to hosting farmers’ markets that bring local food producers and consumers together. And this is yet, another piece of the puzzle. Yes, there are already farmers’ markets in Utah, but ours are different. They are held on farms. People travel to zoos to see wild animals, so, why not bring people to farms to show them what a farm is truly like? Our markets sometimes have roosters stepping in front of traffic, but this is what our markets are all about. You can raise chickens. You can raise bees. You can grow your own food. You can make your own jam. You can! You can! You can! And this is why I am an AgriAdvocate!

Here’s to a truly local economy!

Maryann Alston
Director, Wasatch Front Farmers Market
www.wasatchfrontfarmersmarket.org

For several years, Liz has been growing and selling heirloom produce at the Cache Valley Gardener’s market. Her “bunches” of tomatoes, peppers, grapes and berries were among the best offered. However, in with the turn of the economy and the neighborhood rebirth of family gardens, Liz found herself seeking to make her business more sustainable AND profitable — Butchers Bunches was born, a food business focused on fabulous jams.

“I needed a steady second income, so I decided to combine my passion for good food and gardening to create a totally unique product that supported all my ideals,” Liz wrote in an email to Agriadvocates.
She used her home-grown produce to create a local sugar jam (less than 1 percent), which allows the taste buds to experience a burst of fruit flavor instead of a sugary gel.

Most of Liz’s jam creations she said are inspired by a past memory or family travel experience. “One of my father’s favorite candies when I was a young kid was these fantastic chocolate covered blueberries that we got in Europe. That’s what I tried to duplicate when I made my Blueberry Kisses jam. My Sloshed Cran Raspberry Jam reminds me of a delicious turkey sandwich that I used to eat at a small restaurant in high school called The Good Earth.”

One of the most unique parts of Liz’s Jammin’ business is the innovative names you’ll find printed on her product. Liz has been known to create a special jam for events like Earth or Independence Day; one of her jams, Back in Black, was requested specifically by organizers of the Sundance Film Festival.

Although Liz is frequently complemented about her products’ names, she does not claim all the credit. She claims her little boy Kenneth has helped her name many, as well as her product fans. Her newest product, Lime Lizurd was named with the help of her Facebook Fans.

“I love originality and uniqueness,” Liz wrote. “Everyone has had cherry preserves, but have you had “Dirty Diana, a passionately pulsed cherry blast? NOPE!”

Still, before Liz is unique and innovative, she is dedicated to local Utah agriculture, a per say agriadvocate poster child. She is committed to using Utah produce, pectin, bottles, labels and more.

“There is not one thing that I use in my product that I cannot source in Utah … I don’t just ‘make’ my jam in this state, or live in this state to make jam,” she said. “That philosophy to me is bogus. Why would I support [a big box store] and purchase fruit from them to make jam, when Utah has hundreds of farmers (large and small) that grow some of the most beautiful product in the United States?”

Liz seeks to help all the local farmers she can. “I have seen farmers leaving markets with trucks full of apricots, apples, berries, you name it. It will rot. What a waste. Yet I buy that produce (and much more) and turn it into another product. I help the farmers stay self-sufficient and keep the dollar at home” Liz said.

Innovation. Locality. Sufficiency. If you’re interested in trying Liz Butcher’s fabulous product, look for her at various farmers’ markets across the state, or visit her website or her facebook fan page.

Do:

1. Be Different: Before you plant next season, go to market, go to several, and identify what crops others are growing and grow something different: Edamame or Okra or Garlic! People love fresh greens as well.

 

2. Be Proud of Your Product: One thing you need to remember is that you are taking a VALUABLE commodity to market.

 

3. Tell People About Your Product and Its Many Uses: Add a personal twist. Give away recipes, canning ideas, etc. Tell your personal story, for example how you planted tomatoes with your five-year-old. People love that!

Don’t:

1. Undercut Yourself and Others: Do NOT sell yourself and other people at the market short by undercutting when you price your produce.

 

2. Have Poor Product Display: Do NOT just toss your produce on a table and hope that people will stop and buy it because it is there. Make it appealing and beautiful.

All of us at one time or another has been frustrated by the presence of nature’s wildlife, even our guest writers who call themselves “Master Gardeners.” Consider some of these tips you may use to keep those wild creatures and your produce safe.

1. Cayenne Pepper: If you have those creatures that love to nibble on your flowers or produce, take a bit of cayenne pepper and sprinkle it directly on your plants. One bite, and those creatures are sure to back off (unless they have an usual taste for spice)

 

2. Bird netting: A nylon mesh placed over crops like berries, peas, salad greens, etc to keep birds from eating the goodies. It seems to work well and generally harmless for birds.

 

3. Bird scare tape: The silver or silver and red cellophane strips either hang from tree limbs or are tied to stakes and suspended horizontally above row crops. People have been creative and used old CDs as well, which seems to have the same effect.

 

4. Terror-eyes balloons. As advertised in Johnny’s Seeds catalogue. Although our experts have not used them, one thought they looked cool. Here’s the web link to a photo and description.

 

5. Fencing/cages around young trees. Wrap your young fruit trees with a wire mesh fencing material that is pretty flexible so it can easily be used to circle small trees. This keeps deer, etc, for feasting on the young, tender bark.

 

6. Deer repellant spray: There are various brands and configurations. The nastier they smell to me the better they seem to work to keep the deer away from trees, row crops and vines/bushes.

 

7. Raise your beds to keep the snails and slugs out:  You can also use milk jugs around squash and cucumber plants to keep snails out. First, cut the bottom out of gallon milk jugs, and then cut away the narrow jug neck. The tops are then cut into a serrated pattern and placed around your plants.

The future of agriculture in Utah was again the topic of discussion by the Governor’s Agriculture Sustainability Task Force. The task force came together after this year’s legislative session to explore ways and take action to keep agriculture sustainable in our state.

The following is a summary of topics that board members believe deserve top priority:

• The Utah sheep industry is on life support with particular problems with immigrant labor needs and predator control. Over the past 80 years Utah’s sheep population shrunk from 2.5 million to less than 300,000 today.
• Working with the federal government for better land management practices. States and counties can provide a much higher level of direction for the management of lands in their area through agreements with multi-agency leadership, with local coordination (CRMP) processing that follows. A better working relationship with the BLM and US Forest Service is needed to avoid problems with litigation.
• Wildlife issues –Some science suggests disease transmission from domestic sheep to Big Horn Sheep has caused agencies to establish large buffer zones around Big Horn Populations, further reducing domestic sheep numbers. Federal land managers have little say in big game stocking rates, thus putting pressure on livestock numbers that they can control. More consideration should be focused on management. The ratio of grazers to browsers has been significantly altered causing landscape-level changes.
• Using science to under pin our position on grazing benefits and enlisting the broad support of the public sector to speak up and support our grazing efforts. Outreach program that promotes/advertises the benefits of grazing for all Utahns is needed.
• Wildland issues were addressed well with multi-state interaction. Consider other federal issues that need the same level of influence. What other federal policies could be improved by working with partners from other states to address over-reaching oversight from the federal government. A full court press with federal agencies on agriculture issues.
• Coordinated Resource Management Planning (CRMP) – State has planning resource in the state toolkit http://www.planning.utah.gov/crmp.htm. Also the NRCS has developed and can help guide CRMP efforts.

Action was not taken on these topics as time expired for the meeting. Task force member agreed to resume where they left off and consider identifying specifics for their next meeting.

Agriculture may soon get some serious attention and support from Utah’s legislative officials and key agricultural producers as the newly formed Agriculture Sustainability Task Force will meet for the first time this month.

The task force…as its name implies…will work to make or change laws that will help agriculture remain sustainable well into the future. Its goals are to make farming more profitable, help farmers and ranchers continue caring for the land and animals, protect farmland, increase food security, and most importantly educate Utahns about the important link between the farm and our food system.

This is an excellent time for the task force to come together, since the current lull in development activities is giving us the time to consider our future policies with respect to growth and farmland protection.

Who’s on the task force? The Governor’s Office, in the form of co-chair, Lt. Governor Greg Bell. The other co-chair is Utah’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Leonard Blackham. There is also a long list of agriculture supporters such as: Senators Lyle Hillyard, Ralph Okerlunk and David Hinkins; Representative Jack Draxler, Mel Brown, and John Mathis; Utah Board of Realtors, David Mansell; Utah Quality Growth Commission, Flint Richards; State Grazing Board, Jay Tanner; Davis County Conservation District member, Tyson Roberts; and Randy Parker, President of Utah Farm Bureau Federation as well as representatives from various state conservation districts, farmers, ranchers and others.

The group of agricultural leaders will be examining each sector of agriculture along with the urban interface of farming entities on the urban fringe. Issues including profitability, transferability, critical mass, at-risk farming sectors, conflicts associated with the growth of Utah populations, and farming incentives will be considered.

The task force will meet each month excluding August to deliberate. A report will then be presented during the November Interim hearings at the state capitol.

From backyard market-gardens to much larger operations, many Utah farmers and ranchers have turned to direct marketing of their products to stay in business and be more profitable.

This trend started several years ago with a resurgence of roadside and on-farm produce stands, and the beginning of farmers markets. Now there are farmers markets in most communities along the Wasatch Front and many other areas of the state, including at least three new markets this year. Lee Knight of Knight Family Honey in Utah County earns enough money to support his farm and his family’s basic needs from just the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers Market.

The number of farm stands continues to grow and should grow even more as Salt Lake City considers allowing “on-farm” selling. In Salt Lake City most of the registered farm businesses are backyards and rented empty lots. So you may soon see some sort of a farm stand at a house in a neighborhood near you.

The hottest direct farm marketing trend right now is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Consumers pay the farmer directly in advance for a weekly share of produce and other food available during the growing season. Some farms are even starting to offer year round CSA programs.

Jeremy East of East Farms in Davis County has remarked publicly that he might not still be in business without his CSA program, which now has about 600 members. Other established CSAs like the one offered by Bell Organics in Draper have grown considerably this year. One of the reasons CSAs have been so successful in recent years is the marketing efforts of USDA employee Jeff Williams and the Great Salt Lake Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D).

However, funding for the non-profit RC&Ds was cut in the federal budget agreed upon in late April. The local councils, which are supported financially and technically by USDA have had to stop operations including promoting the CSA Utah program.

The closure won’t impact farm CSA offerings this year because it came toward the end of the CSA marketing season. But many smaller farms and those who are new to the CSA program may have a difficult time marketing their CSAs in the future without RC&D support.