2001 Annual Report for FNC01-336
Culinary Herbs for Direct Marketing
Summary
Jamey and Jody Rauch of Little Hocking, Ohio received a 2001 SARE grant to develop a culinary herb business as an additional enterprise to their six generation family farm. Their farm consists of a 200 head feedlot and around 500 acres of crops which are located in both wooded areas and pastureland. The increasing costs and low commodity prices have made it difficult for the family to remain full time conventional farmers.
The goals for this project included creating a higher net income for better cash flow, to allow the smaller areas of ground on their farm to be more productive and to provide the community with fresh quality products. They began planting herbs in May of 2001, but with the help from the SARE grant they were able to buy materials and build a greenhouse that allowed them to produce year round and expand their growing space by 2520 sq/ft.
Within one year, their operation was successfully producing a variety of herbs. The greenhouse has about 6000 plants and within the year they sold about 90 pounds of basil. They deliver the herbs to regular clientele and also sell them at the River City Farmers Market in Marietta.
While the Rauchs did not see the economic results that they had hoped for, they were pleased with the environmental and social impacts that this project had brought to their farm. The use of compost for the herb garden improved the fertility of the ground and has also reduced the amount of animal wastes that need to be hauled due to the formation of the compost piles. The biggest result from the project has been the social impact that has taken place. They have had the opportunity to host several different groups and spread the importance of the fresh herb market and land preservation.
Overall they were pleased with the experience they received from the SARE grant and learned a lot about non-conventional farming. “Successful marketing is something that really needs to be focused on if your business is going to survive the first year. You need to make people aware that you exist,” expressed the Rauchs. They are excited to learn more about the herb market and increase the profits of their new enterprise.