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We studied 39 farms over three years to find out. Our study is the most comprehensive review of direct-market vegetable farm finances to date.

Vegetable farms that sell their produce through farmers markets, CSA programs, on-farm stores, and other direct-market channels are the foundation of local food movements everywhere. Yet there is surprisingly little information available to help answer a basic question: Can farmers make a middle-class income selling vegetables through direct-market outlets?

We launched an ongoing study in 2017 to help fill this critical gap in information and offer insights that could help vegetable farmers start and grow their businesses. Our report offers the most comprehensive review of direct-market vegetable farm businesses to date, sharing detailed financial benchmarks from 39 farms collected over three years.

Complete the form below to download our Financial Benchmarks for Direct-Market Vegetable Farms: 2021 Report. You can also read a summary of our findings here on our blog.

Complete this form to download the report

The post Financial Benchmarks for Direct-Market Vegetable Farms: 2021 Report appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Building and preserving soil health is a fundamental component of a secure food system that effectively protects ecosystems and communities. Our Soil Health Benchmark Study is designed to help farmers monitor and evaluate the nuanced soil health strengths and challenges that can exist simultaneously within their fields.

The study was developed and is administered by Pasa Sustainable Agriculture in collaboration with more than 100 vegetable, pastured livestock, and row crop farmers and partners including the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory, Future Harvest and the Million Acre Challenge, Penn State Extension, Rodale Institute, and Stroud Water Research Center.

The study, which began in 2016, is one of the largest and most diverse community soil health research projects in the nation, amassing data from a wide range of farm scales and management systems, soil types, and farmer experiences.

Download our Soil Health Benchmarks 2021 Report below for a detailed review of our study and findings to date. You can also read a summary of our findings here on our blog.

Complete this form to download the report:

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Our region continued to address other pressing issues, too: advancing the fight against climate change, promoting new business models to find their economic footing as refugees, and honing systems to make local foods accessible for all.

We offer the following report to demonstrate the value that farmers and local food organizations provide to the Northeast, and, in turn, the value that state and federal policies provide to them in helping them do their work. We also share some ideas from practitioners about how some of these policies can be
improved to support a Northeast food system that is fair, resilient, and sustainable.

This document is a collaborative effort of the following organizations: American Farmland Trust, Community Food Funders, Hartford Food System/CT Food System Alliance, The John Merck Fund, Land For Good, Maine Farmland Trust, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, and Public Health Solutions.

The post How State & Federal Programs Supported Farmers in the Northeast Through the Pandemic appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

This booklet explores how agriculture has the potential to either degrade and deplete, or protect and enrich, our shared water resources.

By understanding the connections between specific farming practices and water quality and quantity, farmers, communities, and government agencies can more effectively work together to nurture a cleaner, more abundant water supply and a healthier, more secure food system.

While the geographic focus for this booklet is Pennsylvania, the core issues discussed—water, farming, and a sustainable future—are global.

Complete this form to download the report:

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This is a complex problem, involving daunting challenges in production, marketing, and distribution. As a starting point, it’s important to understand just how much land it takes to produce pastured animals, and where some of the bottlenecks for more efficient production may lie.

In partnership with 10 diversified pastured livestock farms in Pennsylvania, we developed feed and land efficiency benchmarks for the most common meat animals. This research brief both documents those benchmarks, and uses them to consider implications for land use scenarios and the future of sustainable meat farming in our region.

Interested in benchmarking your pastured livestock farm’s land and feed efficiency? We can work with you using the methods outlined in this resource. Our worksheet for calculating benchmarks can be accessed at pasafarming.org/land-feed-benchmarks-worksheet, or contact research@pasafarming.org for more information. As more farmers contribute data using these tools, we can improve the accuracy of our benchmarks and help highlight more innovative practices that improve efficiency.

Complete this form to download the report:

The post Scaling Up Pastured Livestock Production: Benchmarks for Getting the Most Out of Feed & Land appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

Write and implement a meat-processing business plan that meets the needs of small-scale, sustainable farmers.

Meat processing operations in Pennsylvania are falling short of the needs of small-scale, sustainable farmers. Farmers can wait up to a year for a processing slot—which limits consumer access to locally produced food—and lack reliable access to high-quality, safe, and humane processing

This report helps food entrepreneurs, especially those located in population-dense areas, write and implement business plans that meet the needs of small-scale, sustainable farmers.

The report was produced in partnership by Pasa and Kitchen Table Consultants, with funding provided by Blue Yak Foundation.

The post Create a Meat Processing Facility Business Plan appeared first on Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.