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new to list



We operate a small (20 acres) farm on
Whidbey Island, in Puget Sound, near Seattle, WA., while working at social
work jobs and raising two daughters.  Only about 3 acres are under
cultivation; we are more a market garden than farm.  We moved here 10 years
ago, and began with selling overflow from a large garden at the local Tilth
sponsored Farmer's Market. Now the enterprise has grown to a small business
that sells salad greens to two grocery stores,several restaurants and
caterers, operates a 29 member CSA, and sells at the weekly Farmer's
Market.  We became "certified organic" to be able to label the salad greens
organic for the stores.  Two students have received high school credit,
through home-school contracts, for work done at our farm.  Currently we are
faced with the need to maximize our income to fund our daughters' college
tuitions.  Farming is a wonderful way to spend your life, but it doesn't,
even with CSA, produce enough income for us.  We explored the idea of a
partnership, but discovered our need to control operations on this farm.
At this point we are planning on cutting back much of the farm work for a
few seasons, while working for money instead.  Not a pleasant prospect, but
temporary and necessary.  Meanwhile we can continue to learn about CSA
models.  That has been the most rewarding - financially, socially, etc.
but also the most heavy in terms of responsibility. I look forward to
sharing  our expericences with list members, and in turn learning from you.
Molly Petersons