Experiential Learning Document: Nicholas Willis
Moving to Pennsylvania was a leap for me. Though my family has vacationed across the nation, I have only lived in the Midwest. Working on a grain and livestock farm through high school and part of college, the shift to Steve Groff’s vegetable farm was dramatic. The per-acre level of time and management has me baffled, but the per acre returns has me amazed. I’m used to wheat, where one acre may gross $150 in a good year, where an acre of fresh market tomatoes can yield far more profit than that in one day.
I probably learned more about marketing and management than I did about agronomy or horticulture in this internship. Growing plants, for the most part, is like following a cookbook recipe. Good farmers, like their chef counterparts, perfect their art. The importance of marketing is too often overlooked.
The amount of time spent marketing is probably more important than the time spent planting, killing weeds or doing books. Steve is lucky to have a stable priced market into the Philadelphia area, being able to capitalize on his quality produce and his location in Lancaster Co., PA.
Moving to Lancaster County gave me good insights into the lives of the Amish who live there. I was able to visit with one neighboring family often. The trip to the Leola produce auction showed the diversity showed Lancaster County Anabaptists, ranging from the very cosmopolitan, to Mennonites with steel wheels on their tractors to the classical Amish buggies, all selling their produce to the highest bidder.
The Amish neighbors operated a roadside stand on a fairly low trafficked road. I feel this kind of farm, basically a market garden with value added crops such as breads and jams, is probably the best way for a young person to become involved in agriculture. It combines the retail price of farmers’ markets while allowing for daily sales, preventing waste of perishable produce.
The location of the farm afforded me many opportunities to see places in the East I have never been to before. Gettysburg, Valley Forge, New York City and Philadelphia were all conveniently located (note; Denver, Dallas, St. Louis and Chicago are all about eight hours from my home). I enjoyed being able to travel, but I also miss the open landscapes and solitude my hometown has.
I enjoyed the summer experience. The crew I worked with kept the days fun and generally lighthearted. Steve was always interested in talking about the wherefores and whys of his farming operation. Steve’s late mother, Marion, always opened her house to Ed and myself.