© Gary Hubbell, Ranch Real Estate Broker, 2009 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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 ORGANIC VEGETABLE AND PRODUCE FARMS
This is the opportunity for organically-minded people to really get to work producing organic food. An organic farm can produce a living for several people on an intensively cultivated small acreage, depending on how well it’s managed. For example, Osage Gardens, an organic farm for sale in New Castle, Colorado, employs about a dozen “farm hands”, marketers, and shipping personnel on a 22-acre farm. This farm is intricately designed, with an ingenious system of greenhouses, solar collectors, drip irrigation, a packing and shipping room, a loading dock, and a business office. They grow organic herbs and vegetables, and they’re grossing high six figures a year. Pretty impressive yield for 22 acres, huh? Crops from small organic farms such as this include basil, oregano, mint, chives, and other herbs; and tomatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, and squash during the summer.
The benefit here is that organic produce is difficult to keep fresh when shipped long distances. A farmer who identifies a geographic region that is underserved by good organic produce will do well. In addition to the typical wholesale grocery sales, a good marketing strategy is to pursue high-end restaurants and small organic stores where people are seeking high-quality produce and willing to pay for it.
This is really where the “buy locally grown food” movement has gotten traction.
In identifying a proper location for an organic farm, several important factors must be taken into consideration: |
1. SOILS—Any extension office can give you a soils map and you can research whether the soils on the property will grow the type of produce that you want. |
2. CLIMATE AND ELEVATION—In mountain regions in particular, you’ve got to take a hard look at the growing season, and determine whether your outdoor crops will produce ample yields for you at mountain elevations. In particular, the North Fork Valley (Paonia, Hotchkiss, and Cedaredge) is one of the best areas for Colorado organic farming, and I have several properties in mind that can be used for this purpose. |
3. WATER—Irrigation water of sufficient quantity to grow intensely cultivated produce is essential. If the property does not have adequate deeded irrigation water, forget it. |
4. PROXIMITY TO MARKETS—If your farm is within a couple hours’ drive of a major ski area with discriminating clientele, a major metropolitan area, or a major transportation hub, you’re in good shape. If you’re 50 miles from nowhere and there isn’t a good restaurant within 200 miles, you’re going to have difficulty marketing organic produce. |
When thinking about organic produce, it’s helpful to be creative and think outside the box. For example, I know of a parcel of farm ground in the San Luis Valley that has two pivot circles on it, for a total of about 240 acres of irrigated farm ground. But here’s the kicker—it’s irrigated by an artesian well that produces about 500 gallons a minute of 90-degree water. Yes, you heard it right. For an organic grower seeking to build a big-time operation, this property would be ideal, because the water coming out of the ground can heat numerous greenhouses for year-round farming without ever hooking up a propane tank. Anybody ready to go big-time with an organic farm? Here’s your chance.
Click here to keep reading—Organic Beef and Natural Beef Production
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