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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2016)
March 11, 2016 CapitalPress.com 9 CSA, co-op, farmers’ market keep farm busy By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press MOUNT ANGEL, Ore. — Running a farm is a risky busi- ness. Bill and Janice Scheidler have found ways to reduce that risk. They not only diversify what they grow, they diversify how they sell it. They have a CSA, supply a food co-op and are a cornerstone at a popular farmers’ market. Community Supported Agriculture — known by the initials CSA — has become a popular way for customers to buy local, seasonal food direct- ly from the farmer. Subscribers to CSAs typically sign up and pay for their annual member- ship in the spring. This reduces a farm’s risk by offsetting the startup cost every year and making it easi- er to predict the coming year’s income. In return, subscribers receive a weekly share of the farm’s bounty throughout the growing season. Schiedler, whose farm is called GardenRipe near Mount Angel, Ore., employs a life- time of experience in extend- From PJ Great Northern, Iron Panther, M.H. EBY, Banens, Pace, and Look Diamond ing his harvest season to nearly eight months with a CSA lasting through the prime harvest sea- son and beyond. He and his wife, Janice, own and operate the family farm originally purchased by Joseph and Kathrina Schiedler in 1874. About 18 years ago, Schiedler quit his “day job” as manager of a grass seed pro- cessing plant and began farm- ing in earnest, starting the CSA soon after. Local CSA customers pick up their produce at the farm, and GardenRipe delivers to those in the Keizer and West Salem areas every week. That day comes around quickly for both producer and consumer. “The quantity of produce you receive may seem to be a tremendous amount, and it is,” Schiedler said. “If you’re not prepared to deal with excess produce or are a picky eater, a CSA might not be right for you.” Schiedler is preparing the ground, setting up this year’s infrastructure and has seeds starting in the greenhouse. The planting, growing, harvesting and weeding will continue into fall as hundreds of boxes are Brenna Wiegand/For the Capital Press Bill Schiedler picks Brussels sprouts that overwintered at Gard- enRipe Farm and CSA near Mount Angel, Ore. Schiedler and his wife, Janice, run the farm that has been in the family since 1874. illed and delivered. Schiedler has changed his business model this year, scal- ing down the number of CSA members to 32 — about a ifth the average of previous years — and has begun selling pro- duce to the Willamette Valley Co-op in Salem. GardenRipe also remains an anchor at near- by Silverton’s Saturday Farm- ers’ Market. “When you’re selling at market it takes a whole day out of farming and there are costs for employees, booth fees and a lot of supplies,” Schiedler said. “With the co-op’s bulk situation, it’s a trip to Salem and doesn’t require much be- sides a few twist ties.” In the beginning, their three kids and Bill’s mother helped work on the farm. Mom retired, the kids grew up and for many years Bill and Janice hosted interns who found the farm through ATTRA — Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas — as well as “WWOOF- ers.” World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, known com- monly as Willing Workers on Organic Farms, affords young people the opportunity to learn and live on organic farms in ex- change for half a day’s work. They still use some WWOOFers but decided to curtail the internships for the time being. “It has to do with depend- ability as far as their produc- tivity, and it can be stressful when you need to get something done,” Schiedler said. Many in- terns have never before farmed. He’s working on about 3 acres now and the ground will soon start illing with a wide variety of vegetables. Keep- ing up with so many differ- ent crops is a challenge, but Schiedler prefers it to growing a single type of crop. “I’d better enjoy doing it — I don’t think I’ll be joining the Fortune 500 anytime soon,” he said. “It is hard to make a living farming. What a lot of it boils down to is that it is like my hobby as well so I don’t have other things that I spend a lot of time or money on.” Schiedler grows several un- usual vegetables such as okra, melons and celery, but the big- gest demand is for traditional offerings: tomatoes, onions, corn and zucchini. “People make fun of zuc- chini but we sell a lot of it,” Schiedler said. The earliest crops Schiedler produces include lettuce, greens and snap peas. These keep com- ing, while broccoli, cabbage and caulilower come on. On their heels are beans, cucumbers, car- rots, corn and tomatoes. He sup- plements his boxes with local berries a couple times a season. TRUCK BEDS starting at $1,995 Trailer Sales Your All Service Dealer 541-369-2755 or 541-740-5135 or 541-953-7548 Halsey, OR View our entire inventory: diamondksales.com S16-1/#5 S16-1/#18
