Eventful week. I don’t even have time to write a lit review. I’ll be putting that off until next week. Check out the exciting things that have been happening!
Until next week!
Shani A
Feb 11
Click on the link to see what I’ve been up to in E4E. This week: Promotional Plans, Feature vs Benefits, Elevator Speech, and Focus Groups/ Psychological Speedbumps
Feb 11
The above image are the results of my surveys this last week. I’ve launched two survey monkeys on FB and on the student webpage. I also administered a survey at the Downtown Olympia Farmer’s Market. Neither surveys got the feedback I wanted. The FB surveys were skewed towards the younger audience who are not my target audience. I say at the Farmers Market fro two hours and only got three surveys done. I’m going to need to do a few more to find my target market.
What the results tell me: There are a lot of people who don’t make enough money to pay for my services. Those who have land aren’t interested in what I have to offer while those who don’t have land don’t have money but are interested in edible landscaping services. Most of the younger crowd supports the service. But if the younger crowd is who I’ve sampled than I need to sample the older crowd. This is where I believe the East Side Olympia Food Coop will come into play.
Until next time~
Shani A
Feb 06
So y’all know about ReferenceUSA? It’s a scary search platform which has statistics on everyone and everything…sort of. It’s on ReferenceUSA that I’m doing a lot of my competitor and consumer research. Very interesting stuff.
Today I worked on my competitors. I wanted to know what other landscaping businesses work close by me and have a structure similar to mine.
Read more in the attached pdf. to find out what I discover~Competitorsp1
Feb 06
Hey y’all, Shani here.
Today I started a survey for my edible landscaping business. I’m doing market research and want to test some market assumptions I have. The questions are geared mainly for those in the 98506 zip code, but I welcome lots of data. So far I have had 6 responders (@ 1645). I plan to supplement the survey monkey version with some in person surveys done at the San Fran Bakery close to my place and the East Side Co-Op because I assume most of the shoppers there live in the 98506 region and are willing to spend a lot of money on food. I’m also going to survey the people going to the Olympia Downtown Farmer’s Market because they’re more my demographic. More to come~
Go here to do my survey please~!
Shani
Feb 05
Feb 05
Week in Review, Week 4
Posted in Weekly Recap
6 Comments »
Week 4 was a very scattered week for me. I’ve become accustomed to having my time at home to read instructional books and dig deep with some upper division articles. I’ve done less of that this week as I was called from the house to go to class for a bi-weekly update, explore the Timberland Library system for E4E, and then go to the E4E night class. There were other happenings which I’ll explain later, but all in all, this was not that much of a scholarly week for me.
I spent Monday organizing my week, finding articles, reading The Bio-Integrated Farm, working on the plant cards, doing my cash-flow spreadsheet homework for E4E, and talking to Brandon Best. Brandon Best runs the Best Family Farm. I connected with him during my first survey when I was asking farmers if they’d pay to have an agroforestry consultant. Since then he’s been a valuable resource during the occasions that he contacts me (and has a funny facebook page). Brandon called to tell me about a business opportunity, a lady from a restaurant in Chehalis wants wild foraged foods for her meals. She won’t ask too many questions, she would like to sample whatever he has. However, Brandon doesn’t have anything like that so he forwarded her to me. She represents a viable market and is someone I would consider as I move forward in other matters that I’ll talk about.
Tuesday was class day. I spent the morning listening to other people’s projects, I hope I suggested some useful readings. The lunch of homemade bagels and local lox was delicious. After lunch I went to meet with Richard Bernstein and Eric Lastname to talk about a farm business venture sponsored by Vets for Peace. I talk about that in detail here. I’ve been on the fence about this venture because, as Joanne from my business class says, gigs like that operate on excess. Meaning what they need is someone who is getting their bills paid, has money coming in on the regular, can spare the time without losing that money. That person is only slightly similar to me. I have the G.I Bill and will continue to have it through the summer. I could theoretically work on that farm for credit and still have my bill paid. I could also be doing my edible landscaping business for credit concurrently and gain income that way. I’m also working at the Organic Farm once a week now and I expect those hours to increase a little. As Joanne says though, if my business is suppose to make me all my money, which is what I want, it must take precedence. I can’t be sidetracked by other jobs. So, do I take the Vets for Peace position? I don’t know, but I’m starting to think…no.
I finished Tuesday up by readings a few more chapters of The Bio-Integrated Farm and meeting with that week’s study buddy, Stephanie Lastname. She’s working on garden spaces for unfortunate kids living in Lakewood. As per the E4E class syllabus the students are required to meet with a different study buddy weekly and discuss homework happenings and whatnot. Stephanie helped clear things up for me regarding the Owner’s Draw and how that’s supposed to work.
Wednesday I went to the Timberland Library in downtown Olympia for four hours. More info on that excursion can be found here. I blogged for a little bit, finished The Bio-Integrated Farm, and did my E4E homework to turn in.
Thursday I blogged for a bit, read some articles, chit-chatted with Joanne over email, and then went to the E4E evening class. More information on that class can be found in the link above.
Friday I worked on some homework for the next E4E class, namely the survey. Joanne said that the surveys could be administered multiple ways, but the best way was anonymously because people feel weird when they’re asked about money. She suggested surveymonkey, facebook, and printed questionnaires people could fill out and deposit into a bin. I think I’m going to do all of the above in this coming week with the in-person surveys happening at the East Side Food Co-Op and the Oly Downtown Farmer’s Market. I read some articles on friday as well and blogged for a minute.
I didn’t do anything Saturday as I was moving between rooms in the house and didn’t get the time. Sunday I worked on my week in review (this paper) and my Upper Division Literature Review.
Catch me next week, same time same place.
Feb 03
Hyperlink –> E4ESynopsisw2w4
Feb 02
I met with Rick Bernstien on Tuesday at a farm location on Biscay Rd. He put me on contact with the landowner Eric who runs Vets for Peace (VFP) from said location. VFP is a VA funded, granted funded organization. They proposed that I manage the five acre property as a small annual CSA and moderately sized agroforestry operation. The location was decent overall- it has great, lush soil, heavy biomass content, lots of bird actions, and had already been used as a homestead. However the trees are very tall and will block out a lot of the lighting throughout most of the year. I foresee 8-10 hours of sunlight during the summer equinox. However, thanks to the model agroforestry offers, that’s not too big of a deal.
Payment would look like the GI Bill paying for the next two quarters with this farm as my internship/field work with grants funding me after the summer quarter. I will be doing my landscaping business in conjunction to make up whatever the farm doesn’t pay me.
More is still to be discussed- much, much more. However, I want a demonstration site for my agroforestry endeavors and this could be it. It will work as farming therapy for returning vets. I am very excited to follow this through.
Here are a few pictures. Notice the sun angle in the winter, the lush biomass from the grass, the big walnut tree in the middle of the growing field, and the trees of the surrounding woods.
South View 1
West View 1
North View 1
South West View 1
South View 1
East View 1
South View 3
Feb 02
The IPM Spreadsheet
Posted in Others
4 Comments »
Hey y’all. I promised to share the spreadsheet I made a few years ago. Well- here it is. It’s pretty basic, it looks more impressive than it is. Some, most of the information probably isn’t important, like the out of date seed prices. I made this spreadsheet for Dave’s SOS, it’s specifically geared to designing hedgerows for the Organic Farm. Cherry pick the information you want. Most of the spreadsheets show which plants attract which beneficials which attack which pests. When using it, work your way backwards. Ask yourself:
- What are my important crops?
- Are there pests attacking my crops?
- If yes, is the damage past the economic threshhold?
- If yes, what pests do I have?
- When are my pests a problem?
- Which beneficial eats those pests?
- Is the beneficial active when the pest is active?
- If yes, what plant does the beneficial like?
- Is that plant active when the beneficial is active?
- If yes, where can I most effectively put the plant?
- Where can I get those seeds.
There ya are. Good luck with it~ Let me know if y’all want to add to it and I’ll invite y’all to view the living spreadsheet.
Till next time.
Shani A