Some farmers are born into the family business.
Others make a living elsewhere, then invest their earnings in a farm.
A few build a solid, profitable farming venture from scratch. Many people have market gardens, working their “real jobs” during the day, and growing and selling food after hours and on weekends. The farm income helps, but doesn’t support the family.

Then there is Anne Giller. Unemployed after working as an administrative assistant, her latent dream of living off of the land suddenly found the means to blossom. While filing for unemployment, she learned of an entrepreneurship program being offered.
The requirements: submit a business plan, attend business skills courses and learn to build a small business from the ground up.

With the opportunity to participate (she was among a small select group whose business plans were chosen for the program) in the business development courses and, coincidentally, an inspirational bumper crop of peppers from her garden, she found a way to realize her small farm dream.

“New Jersey was willing to let people pursue a passion. It totally makes sense,” Giller said of the program which helped her to launch her small farm dream. “Everyone says ‘when you follow your heart, the money will come.’ I was blessed with the opportunity.”

Giller had grown up in Morris County, and experienced the “family garden” as more than a hobby. It was a way of living — growing your own food — that her parents and relatives practiced. Giller absorbed their knowledge and retained an interest in gardening which would ultimately lead her to formulate her small business plan.

Living on seven acres in Rockaway Towship, Giller drew up ambitious plans to run a small farm stand, selling organically-grown produce directly to local consumers. She also incorporated an educational aspect into her plan, intending to answer customer questions and even lead small informal “tours” for those who stopped by and were interested in how she grows the food. By educating the customer, Giller was nurturing a interest that she has noticed again and again: people are hungry for a connection to the land.

“People are excited. They want to see the gardens,” Giller said.
Giller would like to continue offering tours of her small farm on an impromptu basis, but has found that the payoff- in repeat customers coming back to purchase her produce- isn’t there. She also realized that as her gardens grew, the time she had available to interact in such a manner was shrinking.

“To be open seven days a week is very difficult because you are trying to get stuff done,” Giller said.
She ultimately had to establish regular hours, but then found that the hours she set didn’t seem to work for a lot of people. She is still struggling to set hours that allow her to be out on the farm, nurturing and harvesting her produce, while offering convenience for customers.
“People are just so busy in their lives. They want the convenience of just stopping at one place,” Giller said.

While her original vision has needed some tweaking in order to keep the farm viable, Giller has responded to market demands. She has created a new vision, while still working towards her original plan.

Giller’s Degage Gardens now contains the original 40-by-40 cultivated plot, fenced using locust wood harvested onsite, along with about a half dozen more areas under cultivation. Some areas consist of raised garden beds. An 8-by-8 greenhouse added several years has now expanded to a 20-by-30 structure.

A hoophouse, added more recently, allowed for more season extension. Extensive trellising for crops like peas let Giller grow more in less space.

Her expanded production facilities have allowed her to develop what has become the primary niche of the farm-value-added products sold in area health food stores, boutique stores, spas and even at many Whole Foods Markets. The consumer market for organically-grown, environmentally friendly herbal home and beauty products, has outpaced the demand for Giller’s produce.

“I would love to be more of a produce producer, but what the consumer is telling me is that it is not as important,” Giller said. “I couldn’t do the farming if it weren’t for the value-added.”
The demand for her handmade sachets, potpourris, body wraps, eye pillows and skin products — made from her herbs — had threatened to outpace the supply this holiday season.
“I’m getting ready now for next holiday season,” Giller said. Not only is she planning the amount and types of herbs she’ll need to grow, but is also sewing the sachets which will be filled with her freshly-dried herbal mixtures next season, she explained.

Another focus Giller has developed is the wholesaling of her fresh produce and herbs directly to local health food stores and area restaurants. While the distribution involves time and travel, it has been necessary since the on-site sales of fresh produce at the farm hasn’t yet developed into a venue which can keep the farm viable.

“The day its picked is the day its delivered,” is Giller’s motto, assuring wholesale customers of a fresh-picked and not shipped, locally grown items.

“My wholesale customers are primarily health food stores, restaurants, and florists within a 25 mile radius of the farm,” Giller said. “That’s what I do now. Twenty miles round trip to the health food store, then I go around the corner to the restaurant.”
One of the biggest obstacles to wholesale produce sales has been the demand for blemish free produce, Giller said.

Organic produce is not naturally perfect cosmetically. Yet many natural foods store customers still insist on this idealized version of produce, causing difficulty for the organic farmer and re-iterating the need for consumer on-farm education, Giller said.
Giller explained that her use of all organic inputs and recyclable products and packaging has led her into an ever-expanding marketplace for those who are concerned about the environment and the impact that their consumer choices make.

All of her suppliers of the raw materials used to grow plants on the farm are certified organic. Materials used to make her value added product line include environmentally friendly cellulose pots, recycled paper, produce clamshells which can be readily recycled and fabrics made only in the USA and primarily woven from all-natural materials.

“My pet peeve is waste. My big focus in this whole business is less waste,”Giller said.
Giller also offers potted plants- herbs, flowers and vegetables — in a variety of sizes, growing over 142 varieties of plants, including heirlooms and medicinal plants.

Giller looks forward to the day when on-farm sales of fresh produce will support the farm, and her original vision of a farm stand which provides a direct, lasting connection between the consumer and the land, while also providing a viable living for the farmer, is realized.
Degage Gardens can be reached at: 973-586-4584 or via e-mail at: anne@degagegardens.com.
The Web site: www.degagegardens.com lists current product availability, information on wholesalers carrying the products and pricing.

source : www.americanfarm.com