difficulties with citrus crop

[rhoda_bruce]

My parents have an orchard and they are aging....rather fast in the past 3 years too. So about 18 months ago, they divided the property up and gave me and my sibs what will be ours and I got the section located in the wooded part of the property, which has about 60 citrus trees. Dad has been dealing with the orchard until last summer DH and I took it over, except for the marketing, but this year Dad had an accident and is not able to do even that, so he completely gave us all responsibility.
Right now the satsumas are ready to be picked, sold, eaten, etc...So we discussed selling. The plan was to go slightly furthur north than satsumas can grow and sell on roadside. Thats not me. So before I did that, I sold to local businesses by phone and on Facebook.
This is what I have learned. Local grocery pays 18.00 a 40 LB crate for ugly satsumas so they get it for 44 cents and sell it 3.99 for 3 LB sack and make a 89 cent profit, but I understand that has to pay employees, electricity and rent on the building + hopefully come out with a profit. I can sell a 3 to 4 LB sack for 3.00, but that means harvesting, bagging, transporting and waiting on the roadside for a workday. That sounds like a job to me. And a job that I might get less per hour than the job I currently get.
So I called a produce wholesaler in Slidell, LA to explain my position to see if I can get someone to take the crop off my hands....I simply don't have the time for another job. Now my parents are unsettled. IDK, but I think I would be better off with only 10 of those trees. I can't sell the produce locally because too many people have trees, we can't possibly eat the fruit fast enough, and we don't have enough freezer space to juice them.
I am wondering how anyone can succesfully run a citrus orchard. I mean if a grocery gets them for 44 cents a LB, that means the wholeseller had to make a few cents also, so what did the farmer make??? 30 cents or so a LB??? Is that what I can expect for having trees taking up all my space for the whole year? I can understand my Dad making money. He was retired and had time to take this on as a supliment to his income, so he had a little job in this, but I am screwed.
My final thoughts.....If you can buy oranges (or any kinda produce) with roadside sellers, do it. You will save money and get things fresher and know where your food came from.

 

[ORChick]

My parents have an orchard and they are aging....rather fast in the past 3 years too. So about 18 months ago, they divided the property up and gave me and my sibs what will be ours and I got the section located in the wooded part of the property, which has about 60 citrus trees. Dad has been dealing with the orchard until last summer DH and I took it over, except for the marketing, but this year Dad had an accident and is not able to do even that, so he completely gave us all responsibility.
Right now the satsumas are ready to be picked, sold, eaten, etc...So we discussed selling. The plan was to go slightly furthur north than satsumas can grow and sell on roadside. Thats not me. So before I did that, I sold to local businesses by phone and on Facebook.
This is what I have learned. Local grocery pays 18.00 a 40 LB crate for ugly satsumas so they get it for 44 cents and sell it 3.99 for 3 LB sack and make a 89 cent profit, but I understand that has to pay employees, electricity and rent on the building + hopefully come out with a profit. I can sell a 3 to 4 LB sack for 3.00, but that means harvesting, bagging, transporting and waiting on the roadside for a workday. That sounds like a job to me. And a job that I might get less per hour than the job I currently get.
So I called a produce wholesaler in Slidell, LA to explain my position to see if I can get someone to take the crop off my hands....I simply don't have the time for another job. Now my parents are unsettled. IDK, but I think I would be better off with only 10 of those trees. I can't sell the produce locally because too many people have trees, we can't possibly eat the fruit fast enough, and we don't have enough freezer space to juice them.
I am wondering how anyone can succesfully run a citrus orchard. I mean if a grocery gets them for 44 cents a LB, that means the wholeseller had to make a few cents also, so what did the farmer make??? 30 cents or so a LB??? Is that what I can expect for having trees taking up all my space for the whole year? I can understand my Dad making money. He was retired and had time to take this on as a supliment to his income, so he had a little job in this, but I am screwed.
My final thoughts.....If you can buy oranges (or any kinda produce) with roadside sellers, do it. You will save money and get things fresher and know where your food came from.

But can I really know where it comes from? This is actually why I do not buy from roadside sellers. Sure, some of them are probably like you, but I keep having the thought that these are stolen oranges (or whatever) that can't be sold any other way. Granted, I may be way off in this perception, but ... And I bet I'm not the only one thinking this. And talking to the sellers - well, if you were an orange thief would you admit it?
Is there anyway that you could sell at a farmers' market? If you can drive above the *satsuma line* to stand by the side of the road, perhaps you could also find a market on a day that works with your schedule.
Good luck. And thanks for this post; I shall re-consider my stand on roadside sellers now.

 

[~gd]

Well I have never been in Florida, Do you really think people make a living by stealing fruit and selling by the Road? Yet Farmer's Markets are safe? I have a relative in Western NY that runs a road side market on the corner of her property. Her Place is not large enough to supply even small Supermarkets. Once people saw what she was doing with her own produce, minding the store, answering questions etc. They approached her to handle some of their produce, either on shares or asking her to buy their produce for sale in her stand. These were mostly what we call minor crops. They may ship truckloads of apples/day to be turned into applesauce or juice and only have a few trees that produce apples for eating out of hand. The same for all kinds of fruit, they don't want to run a pick your own operation because of the liability. She isn't geting rich on the operation but what she gets comes in handy. People really do want to know where their food is comming from and will even pay a bit more for produce that is fresh and locally grown. Heck the last I heard she was selling apple pies made by a woman that is well known for her pies (and taking a limited amount of orders for the holidays).

 

[FarmerChick]

wow you kind of got caught....with something you don't know how to handle or want to handle(?)....AND DO YOU REALLY WANT to handle these trees??

it may not be what you want. It is your land now. If you truly don't want the hassle of this fruit, then keep a few for personal use and get rid of them. And make that land into something you now want.


but now, I would crate and sell to one person. I am not the roadside type. That is alot of work for not much truly. Time is the killer on that one tho.

I would unload it all to one vendor and be done with it fast (providing you are finding it not what you want to handle)


good luck

 

[rhoda_bruce]

The nearest place we can go to be @ a market, wouldn't be feasible and we never set up our own, but one day that might be a possibility. Collectively speaking my family members are all into various SS projects and could possibly have enough to warrant a stand on the property. Its to decide who will put their life on hold and run it.
Dad has a paper he keeps on him with all kinds of regulation and this big old # to allow him to sell produce. We aren't in FL, but our climate is similar.....LA. We can grow the things FL does.
I'm turned off for the time being. We have a hard freeze every 10 years or so and I'm not hoping for it, but know we due for one and whatever happens, happens. All I want is to protect 2 of each type of tree and leave the rest to God's mercy. If He takes them, I will plant other things that my family can consume. If not, IDK.
We have had small problems with theft, but when u have enough to do a commercial job, one thief can't wipe u out. If I was a thief, I'd just eat what I stole and not chance selling it, because that is work and if I wanna work, I'd just get a job. Still, I guess there are stupid thieves. I try to think that most people are basically good though.

 

[ORChick]

I wasn't talking about a stand on the property; that would be something else entirely, and I would buy from such a place without qualm (and have done). I was talking of the trucks on the side of the road, nowhere near the originating farm. And yes, there are major produce thieves; check out avocados in California. There are organized operations that can clear an orchard in a night. Now, whether these people sell on the side of a road is another matter. Like I said, it is just my feeling, and nothing that I know for fact.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I do believe you. It would have to be an organized team effort to wipe out my families orchard. Crime is on the rise everywhere, I think. My area has been hit. For the most part, we have been spared. My parents have multi cams spread about, and there are certain reasons that my brother and I are not usually bothered. That day may come though.
Still disgusted. Sold 20bucks in satsumas today and only had it cuz of a Facebook order. I'm not worried about it, just hate waste. For the most part, I still consider it my parent's project. I was just told I can have it to sell, but I don't think they realize that it is a real job, which I don't have time for. I do appreciate it though. I think I'm gonna drink a lotta juice and barter with it, just like I do with eggs.

 

[ORChick]

Marmalade?

 

[Niele da Kine]

How did your parents sell the fruit before you took over? Was that method not working? Can you do a "U Pick" on the weekends? Advertise via Craig's List or something?