Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Entry to the farm
Entry to the farm used to be free: the farmer's income came from the amount
of produce picked. There is now a debate in PYO circles that there should
be a picking fee. Some farmers today charge consumers to enter the picking
fields while others do not. The argument for charging is as follows:
•
The farmer now has to construct more infrastructure for legal reasons
and to appeal to the picker, these include toilets and facilities to entertain
the children.
•
Pickers have less knowledge and are more likely to damage the plants
and these costs need to be taken into consideration.
•
An entry fee deters people who are not really interested in the PYO
enterprise but instead are just looking for free entertainment and a free
meal.
•
Pickers eat produce, even though farmers try to deter this, while they are
picking and this eaten produce should be paid for.
•
Fewer people picking fewer produce means that the old 'free' model is
not viable.
What to grow for PYO
The answer to this is almost anything, the industry traditionally grew with
strawberries as a core produce, but this has evolved.
In the vegetable category we know of farmers who are allowing con-
sumers to pick lettuce, brassicas, onions, carrots and potatoes. In the fruit
sector PYO is more established and PYO is being developed for soft fruit, top
fruit and tomatoes. PYO is also being developed for cut flower and nut crops
(our own farm has a PYO chestnut orchard and daffodil farm as part of the
farm mix). As a family we go to a pick-your-own Christmas tree farm every
year, tag our tree and then cut it down just before Christmas.
In general as long as the plant is robust and safe for the consumer to
handle it can be developed as a PYO product. The only crops to avoid are
the ones where consumer safety could be a concern, for example trees where
consumers would need to climb ladders should be avoided.
Get the structure right
There are some basic rules to adhere to when planning a PYO site.
Car parking
In season a farm will get a quick rush of traffic for a short period of time. There
are a few weekends in season where you will need ample parking. Luckily
most crops mature in good weather and you can therefore convert a field to
parking. It is often best to employ some students to direct vehicles. Experience
