break up - your - own ( PYO)/ u - plectrum farms have been around since the days of sharecropping . late education and outcome have contribute to an gain in popularity for both Farmer looking to begin PYO farm and clients wait to beak .
As cognizance of pesticide - infused crops grows , people are searching out ways to eat sporting . As the boho movement turn , so does a deal interest in connect to the Earth . And as the avocation farm / homesteading era continues stronger than ever ( thanks in no small part to COVID ’s lasting impact ) people are looking for way to make money off of their land .
For these reasonableness and more , it ’s a peachy metre for hobby farmers to view jump a PYU operation .
A Study in Success
Megan Nebauer and her dad , Jack Nebauer , are the owners atPure Land Farmsin McKinney , Texas . The pair shared with us some successful strategy they ’ve put in pattern to make their operation profitable twelvemonth round , despite only being candid three to four month out of the year .
Megan , in fact , plans to merge her experiences , best tips and strategies into a book for the PYO food market available fall 2023 .
Pure Land Farms began operate on 28 estate in 2012 , relying heavily on sell their products at farmers grocery . Megan ( a scientist ) and Jack ( an engineer ) take on farming as an escape from their corporate line with the destination of grow great food and educating their community on local regenerative agriculture .
They quick learned that following the farmers market fashion model would take a very farseeing time to meet their pecuniary goal . atmospheric condition , pick timing and client loyalty are all factors that make farmers market place finicky . Switching gear , they moved to a u - pick model and chop-chop turn a profit three to four times the amount they were throw at farmers markets .
Read more : Blackberries & raspberries are popular and easy to grow !
Good Reasons to U-Pick
Megan believes this diligence is much more successful because it is more adaptable , piquant and sought after by the public . “ People love u - pick farm . If they are just looking for clean yield and vegetables , they ’ll go to Whole Foods . multitude come because they want to know the sodbuster and see where their food come in from , ” explain Megan .
As for adaptability , if it rain Megan can quickly open more spots for more pick opportunity on the next dry daylight . At a husbandman market , people do n’t hang in rain and you are stick with a warhead of nibble and quick yield and vegetables that wo n’t make it another week . All lucre is too easily lost .
Farmers markets also require the labor of picking and traveling . Time is money , and when clients both travel to the farm and pick their own products , two major job get pass , providing more opportunity for profits .
Grow Great Food
When involve where the first dollar sign should get invest on a PYO farm , Megan immediately reply , “ Grow great food . No marketing tactics or gimmick will weigh if the solid food is not nifty quality . ”
At Pure Land you wo n’t see elaborate base on balls - in coolers , buildings or hay ride . They are first and first a farm , and the simplicity of that is appealing to their guest . The checkout table is a piece of cake tabular array , the bathroom are portable and the staff is just Megan , Jack and a couple of cashiers .
Keeping the overhead first is not just a scheme for a higher earnings . It ’s also a scheme for selling .
Read more : Farm stands help the community and the farmer .
Connection Is Key
carry surveys and stimulate conversations are two very real ways Megan stays connected with her node . Being in touch with their desires and needs keeps her focussed and intentional about what gets planted , what Clarence Shepard Day Jr. work for pick and how she can best serve them . Being present and meeting visitors are also way she can proceed to educate picker on the what / how / why of the craw they pick .
The No . 1 reason those surveyed come to the farm is because they can meet the farmer and learn about their food . These are qualities that continually rank above even the organic method acting she practices , the low price of her mathematical product and her location .
Technology Tactics
Megan also relies heavy on her software programme . Through trial and erroneous belief , she has dialed in her technology . Her checkout software system is so comprehensive she can determine the straight ft monetary value of each crop she maturate , thus giving her data reflective of what she should grow more and less of .
She also use a reservation program online for participant to pre - buy their modified picking spot . Through this software program she can open as many spots as she wants each 24-hour interval . If the weather changes , she can chop-chop correct . Participants can handle all reservations without ever have to communicate with a staff member of Pure Land Farms .
For every crop they grow , there is a blog article loaded on their site of what it is ; how to pick it , clean it and fix it ; and a QR code advertised on each quarrel . And of course she utilizes societal media every day April through July — vertex u - pick season .
Another hefty way she connects with clients and educates the public is through April subject head trip . When the farm is not yet open , schools and biotic community group can book a field of operations trip to the farm ( $ 12 per soul ) for a hitch and lesson on season , glitch life cycle and growing intellectual nourishment . They all leave with a potted seedling to begin their own grow journeys .
Return trips double the value of this offering . “ nigh every single kid on a field trip-up revisits the farm when it opens for pick . ” Megan explain .
complete Land Farms grows blackberries , onions , peppers , garlic , squash , sunflowers , love apple , cucumbers , beets and melons , and is open mid - May through July .
If you are looking for helpful strategy for starting your own PYO Farm , good luck ! Education Department in this area is hard to explore , as Megan learned at first hand . She is presently work out with a write company to complete her book focused on business strategies for this diligence . you may ask to see the Koran available in the Fall of 2023 .
