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Planning for Profit Comes Naturally at Harmony Hills Farmstead
Todd
and Michelle Asselin represent a new breed of farmers who purchase land and
animals for personal use only to discover the opportunity for farm-based
income. They say planning is the key to controlling the conversion of their
lifestyle choice into a manageable agricultural enterprise.
The Asselins purchased 200 acres in 2004 in Duane (pop. 160), 14 miles south
of Malone in New York’s Adirondack Park. They raise Registered Black Angus
cattle, Purebred Berkshire hogs and Cornish Crosses and laying hens. All the
animals graze and are fed no antibiotics, no growth hormones and no animal
byproducts.
“We wanted to produce our own healthy meats,” Todd says. “As our friends
became interested, we saw the opportunity for the land to sustain itself
through product sales. Foremost, however, is educating people about why our
farming practices are different. How we farm is a philosophy represented by
our name and slogan: Harmony Hills Farmstead – Promoting Healthy Lifestyles,
Producing Quality Meats.”
In 2005, the Asselins, both with full-time jobs, began working with Bernadette
Logozar, co-leader of the North Country Agricultural Alternatives project
funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute and Northern New York
Agricultural Development Program. She helped streamline efforts to develop a
business plan and market surveys.
“Todd and Michelle are information-hungry. They want to be sustainable
long-term and not go into debt, so they push the pencil on every aspect of
their business,” Logozar says.
Their packaging and pricing research included a month’s worth of calling
regional livestock producers to ask about practices, products, prices and
availability. Winter weekends were spent at supermarkets analyzing beef, pork
and poultry cuts.
On-farm notepad data on daily feed rations, time spent on chores, and harvests
is transferred to computerized spreadsheets each fall. Processing costs are
easily figured -- only one USDA-inspected butcher is within 42 miles of the
farm.
Bundling is Big
The Livestock Marketing Toolkit Logozar compiled has helped the Asselins
package their message and naturally- and humanely-raised meats for the local
audience.
“The toolkit is designed to help farmers connect with target markets by
developing unique selling points and matching marketing methods to selected
products and buyers,” Logozar says. “That is just what Todd and Michelle are
doing.”
Michelle says, ”One of the keys for us is bundling. Our survey showed product
bundlers are few and far between here. We created Boxed Beef and Packaged Pork
of different cuts and product choices to provide cost-effective, convenient
bundles for singles, couples and families. Our order forms show the
approximate number of meals and cost per plate in each bundle.”
The bundles sell for $16.99 to $85.99. They also sell whole and half beef and
pork for $2.39-$2.59/lb.; whole chickens for $2.89/lb; brown and white eggs
for $2/dozen; and, by request, soup bones, suet, tongues, tails...
The Asselin’s database lists 100-plus ”health-conscious consumers who want to
know where and how their food is produced.”
Todd says, ”We do not want to expand to the point that we would have to follow
conventional farming practices to manage. Our planning method is all about
priorities. We plug our research and ideas into a process that will not let us
lose sight of why we began farming - to produce healthy food in a humane,
environmentally-safe and sustainable way.”
With requests from 100 miles away, the Asselins are calculating delivery
costs. In three to five years, they expect to have the option for one of them
to work full-time on the farm.
For More Info on the New York Farm Viability Institute-funded North Country
Agricultural Alternatives Project:
• Bernadette Logozar, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County,
518--483-7403 (Ask about the Livestock Marketing Toolkit available for a
minimal fee)
• Molly Ames, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 315-788-8450
For More Info on Harmony Hills Farmstead products:
•
www.harmonyhillsfarmstead.com
This article first appeared in the August 2007 issue of American
Agriculturist.