In 2012, 75 percent of the nation\'s 2.1 million farms sold less than $50,000 in agricultural products, but the cost to maintain a farm continues to increase. Local farmers turn to crowdsourcing.
John Dove shows off the ginger he planted at Love Dove Farms. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
"I will sell out of these very quickly," she says. "This microgreen system will increase my revenue dramatically. It makes me feel good also because it's a loan. I'm going to give this back to all of these people who lent it to me through Kiva."(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Mary Ellen Taylor, of Endless Summer Harvest, shows off her microgreens. She purchased a second microgreen machine with her loan from Kiva Zip. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
John Dove's high tunnel extends his growing season. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
John Dove shows off one of the tomatoes in his new high tunnel. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Earlier in the year, Kiva Zip approached FRESHFARM about forming a partnership where FRESHFARM recommends and endorses responsible and innovative candidates, ideal for the Kiva Zip microfinance loans. John Dove, of Love Dove Farms, is a loan recipient. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
The multi-purpose high tunnel/greenhouse, which looks like a long and thin, tented structure, enables farmer John Dove to start planting earlier in the season, even when there's still a risk for frost. This means he can sell more produce earlier than normal at the local markets. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Tomatoes grow in John Dove's new high tunnel. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
According to the USDA's Census of Agriculture, 75 percent of the nation's 2.1 million farms sold less than $50,000 of agricultural products in 2012; 57 percent had sales less than $10,000. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
John Dove stands in front of one of his three high tunnels at his Woodbine, Maryland farm. Dove is a recent recipient of a Kiva Zip loan. He pays zero-interest on a crowd-sourced loan and gets to expand his farm's infrastructure by building another high tunnel. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Part of managing the farm is figuring out how to pay for labor, equipment and other agricultural needs. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Over the years, John Dove expanded his operation little by little. During his first year, he grew on one acre of land and sold to one farmers market. Now, he's growing on four acres, selling at four farmers markets and running a CSA program. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
On his 10-acre farm in Woodbine, Maryland, John Dove grows a little bit of everything - - tomatoes, squash, Swiss chard, potatoes and radishes, to name a few -- all without the use of chemicals, pesticides or fungicides. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
On his 10-acre farm in Woodbine, Maryland, John Dove grows a little bit of everything - - tomatoes, squash, Swiss chard, potatoes and radishes, to name a few -- all without the use of chemicals, pesticides or fungicides. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
John Dove raised enough money from friends and strangers to build a new structure that helps him increase crop production without having to drastically increase labor. He built a high tunnel with a makeshift greenhouse.(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
On his 10-acre farm in Woodbine, Maryland, John Dove grows a little bit of everything - - tomatoes, squash, Swiss chard, potatoes and radishes, to name a few -- all without the use of chemicals, pesticides or fungicides.(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
John Dove of Love Dove Farms built a high tunnel with the money he received from lenders through Kiva Zip. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WASHINGTON – Four years ago, John Dove entered into one of the most difficult career fields in the U.S.; he became a farmer.
On his 10-acre farm in Woodbine, Maryland, Dove grows a little bit of everything – – tomatoes, squash, Swiss chard, potatoes and radishes, to name a few — all without the use of chemicals, pesticides or fungicides.
“It’s just sunshine, water and a little love,” says Dove, who appropriately named his operation Love Dove Farms.
Over the years, Dove expanded his operation little by little. During his first year, he grew on one acre of land and sold to one farmers market. Now, he’s growing on four acres, selling at four farmers markets and running a CSA program.
“We’re learning as we’re going what works, what doesn’t work, the best ways to do things, the best ways to manage things,” he says.
Part of managing the farm is figuring out how to pay for labor, equipment and other agricultural needs.
“As a farmer, you need to keep investing into your company, and you need to have enough resources to be able to go ahead and do that,” says Dove, 29.
“Because if you don’t have the $2,000 to invest into [infrastructure], then you’re going to have to keep doing things more manually, which costs you more time and labor and you can’t prioritize your time elsewhere, which might make you more money.”
But having upfront cash is a hurdle for most small farmers — especially during the colder months of the year when there’s little produce to sell. According to the USDA’s Census of Agriculture, 75 percent of the nation’s 2.1 million farms sold less than $50,000 of agricultural products in 2012; 57 percent had sales less than $10,000.
And despite limited revenue, the amount of money it takes to run a farm continues to increase. Between 2007 and 2012, agricultural production costs rose 36 percent, the census reports.
In the past, Dove applied for grants and relied on his own funds to build up his farm’s infrastructure. But recently, he used a more modern technique for obtaining cash quickly; he turned to crowdsourcing.
At the encouragement of local nonprofit FRESHFARM Markets, Dove launched a campaign on Kiva Zip — a website through which lenders make small microfinance loans to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The loans are zero-interest, and the borrower pays the lenders back after a six-month grace period. Similar to other crowdsourcing sites, lenders can offer up anywhere from $5 to hundreds of dollars.
In a matter of weeks, Dove raised enough money from friends and strangers to build a new structure that helps him increase crop production without having to drastically increase labor. He built a high tunnel with a makeshift greenhouse.
“I knew I needed to invest somehow into a greenhouse to keep my plants warm; that’s the biggest thing,” says Dove, who has already started paying his lenders back.
The multi-purpose high tunnel/greenhouse, which looks like a long and thin, tented structure, enables Dove to start planting earlier in the season, even when there’s still a risk for frost. This means he can sell more produce, earlier than normal harvest times, at the local markets.
