Wally Satzewich and Gail Vandersteen
Wally Satzewich and Gail Vandersteen operate Wally’s Market Garden which is a multi-locational sub-acre urban farm. It was originally dispersed over 25 residential backyard garden plots in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, that were rented from homeowners. Over the years they have dropped and added yards, ranging in size from 500 sq. ft. to 3,000 sq. ft., with their growing area ranging from 20,00 sq. ft. to 40,000 sq. ft. Their produce is sold at The Saskatoon Farmers Market and restaurants in the city.
Wally and Gail initially started farming on an acre-sized plot outside of Saskatoon 30 years ago. Thinking that expanding acreage was critical to their success, they bought some farmland adjacent to the South Saskatchewan river 40 miles north of Saskatoon where they eventually grew vegetables on about 20 acres of irrigated land. The farmland was considered an idyllic farming site on its riverfront location. However, the crops were perpetually challenged by wind and hail, insect infestation, rodents, and deer. Fluctuating water levels inhibited irrigation during dry spells. “We still lived in the city where we had a couple of small plots to grow crops like radishes, green onion and salad mix, which were our most profitable crops. We could grow three crops a year on the same site, pick and process on-site and put the produce into our cooler so it would be fresh for the market,” Vandersteen says.
After six years farming their rural site, the couple realized there was more money to be made growing multiple crops intensively in the city, so they sold the farm and became urban growers. Growing vegetable crops in the city was less complicated than mechanized, large-scale farming. They used to have a tractor to hill potatoes and cultivate, but they discovered it’s more efficient to do things by hand. Other than a rototiller, all they need is a push-type seeder and a few hand tools.
They have recently expanded their multi-locational vegetable and flower gardens in the hamlet of Pleasantdale, Saskatchewan .
Satzewich points out that urban growing provides a more controlled environment, with fewer pests, better wind protection a longer growing season and a variety of easy to access marketing channels. “We are producing 10-15 different crops and sell thousands of bunches of radishes and green onions and thousands of bags of salad greens and carrots each season. Our volumes are low compared to conventional farming, but we sell high-quality organic products at high-end prices.”
The SPIN-Farming method is based on Satzewich’s successful experiment in downsizing and emphasizes minimal mechanization and maximum fiscal discipline and planning. “It provides a lot more control over outcomes and income,” Satzewich says. “Had I known about the feasibility of sub-acre farming when I started my farming career 30 years ago, I would never have bought large acreage in the country, and would have instead fulfilled my farming aspirations more easily and with less expense by starting in the city.” He wants people to know that non-conventional agriculturally-based entrepreneurial career paths are possible.
Roxanne Christensen
Roxanne Christensen co-founded Somerton Tanks Farm, a half-acre urban farm that served as the U.S. test bed for the SPIN-Farming method from 2003 to 2006. The farm was operated in partnership with the Philadelphia Water Department and received support from the Pennsylvania Dept. Of Agriculture, the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp., the City Commerce Department, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
In its first year the farm, located in the sixth largest city in the U.S, produced $26,000 in gross sales from 20,000 square feet of growing space. In 2006 gross sales reached $68,000. Based on these milestones, the state of Pennsylvania funded an economic feasibility study that documented the urban farm’s economics and projected its maximum income potential to be $120,000 from under an acre of growing space.
As co-author of the SPIN-Farming online learning series, Ms. Christensen says it is tailored to entrepreneurs who don’t have a farming background, and who can’t, or don’t want to, take on the traditional commitments of owning lots of land and making sizeable investment. Yields and revenue potential are measured in square feet rather than acres. The series provides a financial and management framework for having the business guide the production.
“When we help new farmers scope out a business plan, they pick an operating model and first year gross revenue target, factoring in their other work and family obligations, size of growing space, markets, climate, skills and ambition, “Christensen says. Most start by farming less than a half acre (20,000 sq.ft.). Some dramatically less than that. “The numbers we come up with have been proven out in various locales and circumstances throughout the US And Canada, and helped create SPIN-Farming s benchmarks. They are a realistic reference point for how much money farmers can make before making a big commitment.” The bottom line is that with modest investment and a land base that can range from a few thousand square feet to a few acres, farming can be a four, five or six figure business.