Mad Farmers Collective is an inhalation in urban farming . play a unnerving raiment of agriculture experience , Amy Matthews , Matthew Jose and Leslie Gottschalk ( pictured above , bequeath to right hand ) are implement intensive management practice in Indianapolis to produce some of the metropolis ’s best local , unfermented fruits and vegetables . tomato , black pepper , eggplant , a wide variety of greens , root vegetables , squash , zucchini , green beans , blackberries , raspberries , strawberries and more are grown on a total of 21⁄2 acres in two locations near downtown .
An Urban Evolution
Matthews , Jose and Gottschalk did n’t start out as business partners . In fact , none of them grew up on a farm . alternatively , their career flight began with body of work in a change of land preferences where they earned their chopper as growers . From traveling the country and gaining experience in community - supported factory farm in Montana ( Matthews ) to working in Massachusetts , Oregon and New York City ( Jose ) to working in yield function on large northern Indiana farm ( Gottschalk ) , the three endeavored to win experience and build expertness .
Jose started his urban - farming speculation on eight vacant lots in Indianapolis in 2009 . The peck totaled a unmarried Accho and formed the basis of his early farming succeeder . While he was study to farm in the city and figure out the logistics of labor capacity and marketplace need , Jose was also classify out the issues of location and infinite . Eventually , he settled on leasing an acre of land he dub Big City Farms . Jose ’s other efforts were drive by swarm earnings back into the business . Utilizing the CSA model and selling at farmers markets and to arena eating place , Jose slowly produce his business concern .
In 2011 , Matthews has lease by the Concord Community Development Corp. ( which would close its doors in 2012 ) as a advisor for their urban - farm syllabus . With Matthews guidance , the organisation purchase 11⁄2 acres of acres in the south of Indianapolis ’s Monument Circle , which marks the center of downtown . Kelley Jordan Schuyle
Concord Community Development Corp. had a grant that allow funding for the leverage of an urban 11⁄2 - acre plot of land and an adjacent building . It also fund significant territory remediation , fence , a water connection , a little walk - in tank and a seed - starting greenhouse . The grant paid for zoning and an environmental assessment . Without the undisclosed assignment funding , it might have taken days for Matthew ’s farm , South Circle Farm , to reach its goal of organic growing .
Gottschalk , the last to come , began work as a part - time , and finally full - prison term , employee for South Circle Farm . She brought with her the experiences of working on expectant , rural farming operations .
Working in an urban environment was a unlike animal ; not the peaceful bucolic shot of her former farming block . Yet , she ’s found urban farming to have its own unique characteristics . It was her experience , though , that earned her an invitation to link Matthews and Jose in a line of work venture they nickname sore Farmers Collective .
Kelley Jordan Schuyle
The Business of Farming
For the three married person , the business of farming is constitutive . The collective represents an evolution of each individual sodbuster ’s professional spirit to this power point . While each had expertise in aspects of farming , they actualize that there were also other skills needed to be successful as self-governing small farms .
Success is n’t just about growing ; it is about the caliber of the land and business science sets , too . accountancy , grammatical construction , managing logistics of farm to mart , marketing , flexibility , toilsome piece of work , labor force management and trouble puzzle out are just some of what it take .
Gottschalk add that it involve a workplace ethic , ride and heat in the face of intellect - numbing , detail - oriented , fast - paced and physically demanding labor . It ’s hard piece of work on many fronts and can be a challenge to not overwork or burn out .
“ We want to be sustainable as a job and for ourselves , ” Matthews says . “ We need to make a living while offering as much fresh food as efficiently as we can . ”
They also hope to contribute to the local economy and encourage people to buy and eat on more bracing vegetables while having the farms process as a business enterprise . The stage business model includes growing tons of good food , demonstrating sound practices and thinking about their job scheme and decisions . Kelley Jordan Schuyle
For instance , all the land the collective use is leased . There are advantages and disadvantages to leasing . Purchasing urban land is expensive , and at the beginning of their respective speculation , engage slim some of the peril . Neither Matthews or Jose know if they could pull it off .
Kelley Jordan Schuyle
However , now that they ’ve worked so intemperately on the land itself as well as build the business , there are danger with leasing . The realm they ’ve invested in is n’t firmly their own . Conditions could change and the property owner could make dissimilar decisiveness about the use of their property . For South Circle Farm , this is a petty less probable as it is still owned by a nonprofit constitution . But even so , the collective is at the mercy of the landowners .
There are infrastructure risks to investing on leased country , too . “ That holds us back sometimes , ” Matthews say . Still , to meet the imaginativeness and goals of producing high - quality produce , they have invested in substructure . In 2016 , Matthews contract a crowdfunding speculation to build unheated tunnel . Their successfully fund bidding enabled the leverage and twist of three tunnels .
Since then , the troika have built two more tunnels on their own for a total of five unheated maturation tunnels . These new installations meant that the farm could arrive at the first farmers market place of spring with a expectant diverseness of greens . They were and have stay about two week ahead of schedule compare to their contender .
Kelley Jordan Schuyle
High-Quality Organic Produce
Matthews , Jose and Gottschalk are committed to organic land practices . They focalise on intensive land techniques that keep the stain in good shape while producing three to four crop from each seam . They use a no - boulder clay organisation ; they do n’t have a tractor or a rototiller , or else maintaining the soils with a nondisruptive approach . Crop rotation allows them to keep sizable and productive soil .
The intensive grow approach allow them to focus on get organic crop that are income - generating , as well as healthy , flavorsome and in high spirits - quality . At South Circle Farm , they grow tomatoes , peppers , eggplant , super acid and etymon veg . They also grow squash , courgette and edible bean . Because their spaces are relatively small-scale , they grow broccolini rather than full head of Brassica oleracea italica and miniature loot for the same space - economize reasons .
At Big City Farm , they grow potatoes and onion as well as cabbage . There is more base at South Circle including a wash station and walk - in tank , meaning that salad greens are grown closer to the source for cleaning and cooling .
All three farmers jaunt between the two land site to undertake daily task . Their effort are also supported by college interns , four to five volunteer who commit three to four hr a workweek and one part - time employee . The unmanageable nature of the employment cook it dispute to feel extra help . “ Who wants a seasonal job and one that regard such hard workplace ? ” Gottschalk asks . Kelley Jordan Schuyle
Beyond the CSA Model
At first , South Circle operated as a CSA , selling portion in the green groceries . It gave Matthews work capital while building a client base but became less profitable . The CSA model need cultivate the farm while keeping up communication with the customers and set up and backpacking produce all within the small - farm scale of measurement . It also forces the Fannie Merritt Farmer to grow a wider range of crops to meet the requests of CSA members . However , this much diversity prove to be less profitable .
“ Customers have more choices now , and a small farm ca n’t take on the demands of too many different outlets , ” Matthews order .
As this became clear , Matthews refined her strategy choose where to put her muscularity in terms of growing . She opt to surmount up South Circle Farm targeting farmers marketplace , local grocer and restaurants all with an center to greater sustainability .
Today , the Mad Farmers Collective sell produce at two summer farmers markets — on Saturday sunrise at Garfield Park Farmers Market and at the Indianapolis City Market on Wednesday mornings . During winter , they take part in the Indy Winter Farmers Market .
The Garfield Park securities industry is less than a mile from South Circle Farm and help anchor the farm in the biotic community . Every clip they go to a farmers grocery , they are essentially cater an breeding program to the community . While merchandising produce the collective members are learn others about how and where the food is turn , organic horticulture and more .
However , on a week - to - week basis , James Leonard Farmer market attendance can be unpredictable . A cold rainy Saturday dawn can leave in blue attending , get out the farm stand with too much food to channel back to cooler . blistering , steamy Indiana weather can also impact attending and purchasing . There are just too many way that farmers mart sales can be discrepant .
Another part of the sustainable scheme includes selling to local chefs and market place in Indianapolis . The penis of the collective work with six to eight chef who represent about a quarter to a third of the business they do . Some chefs get deliveries twice a workweek , while others habituate the corporate ’s products seven or eight times a year . “ This is a really important wall socket , ” Matthews says .
variegation admit sell to grocers as well . From the beginning , Pogue ’s Run Grocer was practice to South Circle because it had share time value . Wildwood Grocery Market also has a commitment to small farms and has helped with the fundraising efforts of the Mad Farmers Collective . Both company trust in small farms and love the collective ’s garden truck , Matthews say . These retail store operate well together because they start the Mad Farmers Collective to meet high and medium terms full stop while scale up its production .
Vision for the Future
Recent enlargement let in crowdfunding for grim tunnels , which have been installed in the last yr at South Circle Farm . The scummy tunnel allow for a longer growing — and marketing — season . The farmers promise adding more modest tunnels in the future
stay focus on being a business means reckon strategically about all facial expression from farming to grow practice to addressing issues such as groundhogs that are damaging to urban farm crop . As the newly reorganize Mad Farmers Collective , the three hope to keep up the archway of their growth and evolution as a business concern moving toward even more stableness . It has been a challenge to find that stability while not overworking — something that all sodbuster face up .
“ Bigger and great is n’t necessarily the finish , ” Matthews says . “ We would love to add more yield in the time to come and are unresolved to adding another site or husbandman and are even remember about sell plant . ”
Overall , the Mad Farmers Collective seeks to be financially sound as a commercial enterprise and individually . The three members have a strong desire to enhance healthy eating in Indianapolis through fresh fruit and vegetable while find balance in their own lifestyles so that the farming is n’t all ware .
Continuing to Grow
The scholarship does n’t finish with creating delicious produce . Amy Matthews , Matthew Jose and Leslie Gottschalk — aka , insane Farmers Collective ( www.southcirclefarm.com , www.bigcityfarmsindy.com ) — have been regulate by the work of other farmers and their practices . They treasure that safe farmers are taking time to write about their recitation . Here are three resource that have helped them become even more effective and vastly more productive than even a few years ago .
