No Job for Old Agents

1. No Job for Old Agents 2008 Fruit and Vegetable Update Call it Agent! Do I raise fruits or vegetables?

2. How do you choose when you do not know what you might lose? Don’t bet the farm on it.

3. If you are lucky they call first. • I just bought 15 acres and want to make a living farming. • I saw on the Martha Stewart show that you could make a lot of money raising -----. • Someone gave me a greenhouse and I want to ----. While You were out Hank Kimble called: Message: Urgent He has a client who wants it all now. Please call ASAP. PH# Beechwood 4-5789

4. Jones’ Laws of Horticulture In horticulture your mistakes are not forgiven. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you try to save money it will cost you even more. As labor needs increase so does the chance of failure.

5. Jones’ Laws of Horticulture The higher the production costs the greater the risks. The longer the time to the “break even” point, the more things that will go wrong. A 1 in a 100 year drought occurs every five years. Product will be damaged or destroyed in direct proportion to its value.

6. Ten Things Every Agent Should Know About Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production

7. Ten Things Every Agent Should Know About Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production

8. Ten Things Every Agent Should Know About Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Production

9. Comparative Produce Pricing Resources KY Produce Auction Report – weekly http://www.uky.edu/Ag/HortBiz/ KY Farmers Market Report – weekly price highlights from 3-5 markets for major products http://www.uky.edu/Ag/HortBiz/ Terminal Markets http://marketnews.usda.gov/portal/fv Wholesale Market Trends http://www.thepacker.com/MarketTrends/MarketTrends-Home.asp

10. Useful Information Sources http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops/ http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/commercialB.html http://attra.ncat.org/ http://aede.osu.edu/Programs/FarmManagement/ http://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/

11. Commercial Fruit Site Selection

12. Commercial Vegetable Site Selection

13. Fruit and Vegetable Crops can be classified as to Risk and Returns.

14. Low Risks – High Returns Sweet Potatoes Quicksand 2005 Beauregard – 486 cwt 1 bu = 45 lb 486 cwt – 1080 bu $12.00/bu $12,960/A

15. Sweet Potato Production 25 acres produced commercially in state Recommended cultivars Quicksand Yield 2006 Beauregard (do) 716 bu. Covington (do) 419 bu. Jewell (o) ---- Excell (mo) ---- O’Henry (w) 595 bu Niche Markets for white and purple cultivars 1bu. = 50 lb.

16. Sweet Potatoes Quicksand 2005 Beauregard – 486 cwt 1 bu = 45 lb 486 cwt – 1080 bu $12.00/bu $12,960/A Quicksand 2006 Beaugard – 358 cwt 795 bu $6.00 bu $4,773/A

17. Low Risks-High Returns Kentucky Heritage Beans Pole beans – hand picked Farmers markets, retail Half-runner beans Farmers markets Local wholesale with picker

18. Bean Production

19. Moderate Risk- Moderate Returns: Farmers Market Vegetable Mix Retail sales at Farmers Markets Sweet corn Tomatoes Beans Peppers Cabbage $8,000/A

20. Moderate Risk – High Returns:Ornamental Mix Retail Market and Displays Pumpkins Cushaw Gourds Fodder shock Straw bale

21. 2006 Large Pumpkin Yield

22. Gourds African Kettle Seeds for this gourd are very expensive up to $1.50 for 4. They are a hot item and can be sold for around 10 to 15 dollars a piece when grown. A good use for these are baskets.

23. Gourd Art

24. High Risks – Low Returns: Staked Tomatoes Wholesale Staked: red, yellow, paste Specialty: cherry, heirloom Retail Specialty: heirloom, grape, cherry Standard: red, yellow

25. Moderate Risks- High Returns:Low Cost Season Extenders Hoop Houses High tunnels Row Covers Water bags

26. High Risks – High Returns:Non Edible Ornamentals Cut flowers: fresh & dried Farmers’ Markets Retail florists Cut stems and berries Farmers’ Markets Retail florists

27. Retail sales Metropolitan Areas $5,000-$12,000/A returns Large upfront investment $5,000-$7,000/A 5 to 7 year to break even Tree fruit: apples, Asian pears, peaches, pears High Risks – High Returns: U-Pick Tree Fruit

28. High Risks – High Returns Small Fruit Production Great Income Potential: 3-5 yr payback $3,000-16,000/A potential Wholesale: Regional & local Retail: Roadside, Farmers Market Small fruit potential blueberry blackberry raspberry black, red grapes

29. Top Five Blueberry Cultivars from Quicksand, 2005

30. Top Five Blueberry Cultivars from Laurel Fork, 2005

31. Cumulative blueberry yield for Quicksand and Laurel Fork, 2000-2005. *These cultivars are 1 year younger than the other cultivars in the trial. Cultivars in red are varieties which are shared in the top ten from each location.

32. Cumulative blueberry yield for Quicksand and Laurel Fork, 2000-2005. *These cultivars are 1 year younger than the other cultivars in the trial. Cultivars in red are varieties which are shared in the top ten from each location.

33. Fertilizer Conversion Rates from per Acre to Amounts for Small Areas

34. Fertilizer Conversion Rates from per Acre to Ounces per 10 Feet of Row at Three Different Row Spacings.

35. Fertilizer Conversion Rates from per Acre to Ounces per Plant at Three Different Spacings.

36. Coverage Estimates for Perlite, Peat, Topsoil, and Straw

37. Plant Spacing Guide for Field or Orchard

38. Weights and Processed Yields of Fruit and Vegetables in Retail Containers http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C780-w.htm