FROM FIELD TO MARKET: TURNING A HUGE HARVEST INTO CASH FLOW

[@BobbyStrmiska]

Love that Psalm 96:12 on your cooler, He has truly blessed you all

[@wishwellfarms]

Indeed! Merry Christmas!

[@chrisfrench8511]

I am a market farmer and mid size CSA with members capped at 60. Your organization skills are fantastic. I specialize in heirloom Tomato`s and Peas . Not Yankee peas. I just made and agreement on a 220 acre pivot for sweet corn next year. Say a prayer for an old guy living his dream. Great video.

[@wishwellfarms]

@@chrisfrench8511 wow that’s a huge investment! Hope it all works out for you. Thank you very much, and best wishes to you. Where are you located?

[@chrisfrench8511]

@@wishwellfarms Harris county Georgia near Columbus Ga

[@wishwellfarms]

@@chrisfrench8511 I camped at FDR State Park with my wife last fall and trail ran part of the Pine Mnt. Trail

[@cinm9565]

You were mentioned on The Veggie Boys today in the comments. Watching your subscription numbers go up…congrats❤😊

[@wishwellfarms]

That’s cool! I usually try to watch them and Broyans Farm several times a week

[@stubstoo6331]

Andrew commented last week on one of Jason's videos last week gave him a thumbs up.

[@_Elijah_1979]

The jalapenos look full and ripe (jalapeno poppers) and the bell peppers as well (stuffed peppers) 😀 Awesome job Jason & crew 👍 may the Good Lord Bless the work of your hands 🙏

[@wishwellfarms]

Thank you so much!

[@MrMikelambert62]

Hello Jason, my name is Mike and I live in Alaska I started watching your channel about 2 months ago and can't get enough! I have to say you are one of the most hard working person I've seen, your farm and knowledge of most everything is impressive! Keep it up you should be very proud, looking forward to the Comercial kitchen video, maybe I can order something you can ship me?

[@wishwellfarms]

Hey Mike, thank you so much for the kind words and for watching all the way from Alaska! If you go to our website, www.wishwellfarms.com and click on the store tab it will take you to my brothers Etsy site where he sells all his stuff.

[@oby-1607]

Summer is where all the work of the year pays off. Always love your market videos as we enjoy the people of the market when they shop at our tables.

[@wishwellfarms]

Thank you! I'll try to include more market footage.

[@braddock1703]

I enjoy the farmer's market content. Thank you!

[@wishwellfarms]

Me too, I wish I had more time to go around and film all 6 of our locations on saturdays.

[@RB12790]

It would be cool to see one whole day at a big farmers market from start to finish on what you brought and what all sold

[@wishwellfarms]

I will try to. I wish I had more time to go to all 6 locations to film.

[@BiancaRus88]

Agree

[@BiancaRus88]

​@@wishwellfarmsone location would suffice

[@mrdio4625]

I like the day to day videos. Off season is best for off topic videos when you aren't swamped. During the busy season film the things you do daily , its easier than doing those things then doing a video on something else😊

[@jamesducey2685]

Just gotta say. It is amazing to old man me to even think of all the veggie thoughts you think and realize and make happen. I would swoon because the reality would make me fall over. Thankfully your vids work so it is okay to watch and enjoy. I sm still wondering when there will be an aroma cam? Of many of us onliners are really jealous. Please get your words together and convey words so we can imagine. Thank you for such wonderful sharing. And caring.

[@kristoft2962]

Nice new find for me, need to check out some of the previous videos.

[@wishwellfarms]

Thank you! Hope find the other videos interesting!

[@monadesselle6324]

I love the sound of picking bell peppers. The “pop” it makes. ASMR! Would love to see and hear more of that.

[@wishwellfarms]

will do, thanks!

[@Armando-yu8zq]

I’m from Houston, but I grew up back in Georgia. and I used to enjoy farm work. You just brought back a lot of old memories for me. You don’t happen to need another member do you? Lol. I picked all these produce that y’all are doing now from cantaloupes to green beans to watermelons.

[@obrienswindsweptfarm]

definately want to see the sugar shack. Also I like knowing the varieties of the vegetables that you grow. You mentioned a tomato variety in this video I find that stuff super helpful

[@wishwellfarms]

Glad to hear you found it helpful and looking forward to showcasing our sugar shack, and commercial kitchen

[@mattb7682]

Just recently discovered your channel. Very interesting. I've only watched 3 so far but it's been very interesting

[@wishwellfarms]

Glad to hear you have enjoyed it so far! I appreciate you checking it out!

[@scottutrup1685]

Very cool video! Found you via your other YT channel of you kayaking the Mad. I'm not far from you ( just outside of Springfield) and enjoy kayaking and growing vegetables too, so im really liking this content!

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks Scott. I’ll be back on the Mad in a few weeks to finish from Spangler to Deeds, can’t wait!

[@bradmcdaniel9675]

Another great vid! Whats not to love about a family farm and teaching local kids the value of hard work!

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks!

[@RIMMedia69]

It's a battle in the field and then another battle at the market, great video!

[@wishwellfarms]

you got that righ! Thanks!

[@talldude5841]

I love farmers markets. I want to come down to one of yours this summer yet. Good show Jason. Your veggies look great.

[@billcowart589]

Man I love the sound of the peppers popping off the vine Jason. All your crops are fixing to make y’all busy as ever. The 52 degree morning sounds great also . It’s around 80 every morning in Georgia right now. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@wishwellfarms]

sweltering! Thanks!

[@CynthiaPalm-wj3hz]

Thank you Mwaaaaaaah to you 😘

[@markkallstrom5672]

I really like your trailers .

[@wishwellfarms]

they work great for us!

[@trfyeomanfarmer]

Really enjoy watching your stuff. Really curious to see your commercial kitchen and canning process, plus your farm store. Would also be interested in a video talking about how all of your family enterprises and operations are shared. Keep up the great content!

[@wishwellfarms]

yes, I plan to share all of this soon!

[@daletalkington9743]

Glad you had a good weekend of sales

[@wishwellfarms]

Thank you

[@rhondavigil795]

New here! Enjoyed the video.

[@wishwellfarms]

@@rhondavigil795 thank you!

[@KiwiGlen]

As an ex kiwi horticulturalist be great to hear your farming practices love the fact your non gmo Newzealand produce is known to be very sustainable and as spray free and or orangic as possible depending on area

[@wishwellfarms]

I talked about these things some already in prior videos, but I will try to incorporate more of it during some of our off-season videos this winter

[@hydrodude2948]

Do a drone video of the entire farm. Maybe talk about your grain side of the farm…. Also talk about how your brother is involved with the whole operation. Also the history of the farm!

[@wishwellfarms]

Hoping to share all of this soon!

[@chetreed2198]

Congratulations on a successful weekend

[@wishwellfarms]

thank you!

[@dnawormcastings]

Love your farm tours 🇳🇿❤️

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks!

[@beckyumphrey2626]

Great video. Those cantalope look amazing.

[@wishwellfarms]

They are coming on hard and fast now! Thanks!

[@unclebilloutdoors136]

The yields on your plants are amazing. I have a lot of problems growing bell peppers. I'm lucky if I get 2 or 3 peppers on a plant. On another note, I was out fishing in Lake Erie yesterday. As We were coming into port, I noticed people had the big bird shaped kites on about an 8 foot string attached to about an 8-10 foot rod. When the breeze blew those kites would soar around the pole. They used these to keep birds off of their boats. I immediately wondered if they would work in your corn fields.

[@wishwellfarms]

It probably would, but fortunately the birds have finally left. I'm not sure why our peppers are so good this year, there must be 10 on every plant!

[@billgraham5609]

I just started watching you 2 months ago and love it. I do a truck patch garden and can and put up food for the year. I've thought about expanding the garden and selling at the local market. I'd like to know your back story on how you got into the vegetable farmers market on a multi-location. I'd like to also see one or two locations where they sell from the box trucks and how much do they make?

[@wishwellfarms]

I plan to put together a video soon explaining my backstory and how I got into vegetable farming. As far as specific numbers, I did talk about this a few videos back "FARMERS MARKET BONANA, BIG MONEY HAUL". If you want any more info than that please email me at [e-mail].

[@billmonczka7197]

Video idea.. full documentary of how you got started to where you are now? I just found your channel and want to learn so much. I live in vermont where the dairy industry is dying. Something farm land can be converted to produce production saving the farms.

[@wishwellfarms]

@@billmonczka7197 yes that video will be coming in my off season or when things slow down a bit. I was a fourth generation dairy farmer until 2001 when I decided I wanted to vegetable farm instead. My wife and I will be traveling through Vermont in our RV in late Oct.

[@michellepadgett1505]

We are new produce farmers less than 5 years. We are interested in your corn varieties and how you keep the corn weed free. We plan to raise tomatoes next year and we are watching and learning.

[@wishwellfarms]

All of our corn is augmented sH2's (supersweets) we don't like SE's (sugary enhanced) becaus they get overripe in the field and bland in the cooler so fast....and triple sweets/synergstics are not much better. We buy our seed from Rupp, Gowan, Stokes and sometimes Seedway. Where are you located?

[@michellepadgett1505]

We are in central Kentucky.

[@BrianMurphy-sv6ei]

What are the morning glory vines in your cantaloupe patch? Are they sweet potatoes or a 'weed'? Love the videos. Love the 'technical content' talking about stressed tomatoes in the hot greenhouse etc.

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks! They are a very invasive weed and wrap around everything making a tangled mess and really compete with the crops.

[@suave47]

Looked like a great day of sales. Do u guys do any additional types of fertilizing or just general nutrition for your veggie fields at this point. I see alot of farmers doing mid season applications of calcium nitrate for all the pepper, tomato and cucs/zucs. Also see alot of the foliar feeds which can apply the micro nutrition to thw plants once they start setting fruit. Or is there something that u guys put into the soil at the beginning of the year to add some of those micros into thw soil for when they mature. If so, a video on that would b awesome. Thx

[@wishwellfarms]

I try to put it all down preplant, but I do foliar feed weekly throughout the summer with N, P, K, Maganees, Boron and other micros. Sometimes tomatoes will benefit from cal nit fertigated into the drip. I never fertigate zukes and cukes, only tomatoes and maybe brassicas since it's a longer growing season for them. Thanks Eric.

[@marialorenavillanueva5342]

LOve ur content, new sub here.

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks so much, I appreciate the sub!

[@JohnK.11]

What variety of bell pepper is that? Those look amazing.

[@wishwellfarms]

Actually, my favorite one is a number PS0099141819 I think. We also grew one called redfish this year and in the past I’ve grown paladin and classic and a few others. I just try to get one That’s a big blocky pepper with great disease resistance/tolerance.

[@jacobpoucher]

Wow dude you get good money for that corn! Great videos latley you make it look easy, the sign of a real master of his skills.

[@wishwellfarms]

Thanks Jacob, the profit margin on corn is so slim now compared to the good old days, I made more money selling at three dollars a dozen 20 years ago then I do now selling it for nine or $10 a dozen!

[@jasonkelly7930]

Love the F-150 for one of the mobile units

[@wishwellfarms]

I usually don’t have my personal truck on the trailer. Blinkers weren’t working on my other truck that day. I love the F150, but I would prefer to have a F250 or a diesel for pulling my camper.

[@jasonkelly7930]

@@wishwellfarms The Powerstroke is hard to beat

[@Mike-yl6bs]

Nice video!!!! 👌👌👌 How long can you keep sweet corn in the cooler and it still be fresh , like can you pick on a Monday or Tuesday and it still be ok for Saturday market????

[@wishwellfarms]

No, we don't. You could, but too risky, we pick on thursday and Friday for Saturday sales. ther other days, M-W are for weekday sales. Leftover Sat corn normally gets thrown back into the field or taken to a food bank sometimes.

[@erikajegl2762]

Have been watching your channel for a while now I enjoy it very much. But I am very surprised that you so transparent about your income with your products telling us how much you make and what it cost etc. nobody else does that except for you! I also watch the veggie boys and they don’t mention anything about their income!😂

[@KarenHorowitz]

Hi, I'm fascinated by the specialty equipment and I love the videos of it operating. Wondering about waste produce. What happens to the corn that doesn't make the pick or zucchini that gets too big? Do you have any relationships with animal farms like a pig farm to have them come pick seconds for their animals? Or perhaps cut the corn for silage?

[@wishwellfarms]

we used to have a farm pick up bad produce for there exotic animals and a also a worm farm, but that was 15 years ago, now it just gets thrown in the field or mowed down. Not enough volume for silage at all, we tried that once when we dairy farmed.

[@hawkeye7435]

😊😊😊😊😊

[@daveklein2826]

Do you have a website to order your relish? Great videos

[@wishwellfarms]

www.wishwellfarms.com. It now takes you to an Etsy site for ordering, we are reworking our site for next year.

[@tucobenedicto109]

Love to sse that your crop is doing well. In the winter unless you did it already i would love to see the sugar shack. And does your brother convert dry maple back to liquid. Any syrup put in bourbon barrels, for maple bourbon syrup? Does anyone in the area or your brother make maple cotton candy?

[@wishwellfarms]

He makes about 6 flavors of syrup and bourbon is one of his best sellers. We have a vid on the sugar shack from 2-3 years ago but it's time to update it. and he used to make maple cotton candy too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3XYlIuegc-kfc0si=7Fj1Wbee1_oDlDYO

[@tucobenedicto109]

@@wishwellfarms cool

[@stevekeller9492]

Looks like you got a good thing going!! I know your moving a lot of produce now at your various markets, but I was wondering how you manage the remaining produce that returns home to the cooler? How long or how many times is it reloaded and offered for sale again before you consider its shelf life over?

[@wishwellfarms]

Zucchini and cucumbers will last till mid week and maybe beans, but corn gets thrown out normally....sometimes a Friday pick that did not get taken out of the trucks might be ok for Monday, but not most of the time, we prefer to pick fresh on Monday.

[@jasontucker3990]

Out of all the small amount of items that come back from the markets, how long do you keep them around in your cooler, and how much do you have to get rid of each week?

[@wishwellfarms]

great question, I should do a video about this. cucumber and zucchini will hold just fine for about a week but are always sold or thrown out before the next weekend. Corn is picked every other day so any corn brought home from saturday markets is not sold the following week, even though it still tastes good, it just can't compare to fresh picked. Green beans will hold for few days the following week until we pick again...we pick them every tuesday. Some weeks we throw out a fair amount but normally it's not too much...I've done this so long I almost know exactly what each market needs. It's easy to want to try and sell the older produce and just discount it but that reputation is not want we want. I could talk about this for an hour so I better do a vid on it.

[@jasontucker3990]

@@wishwellfarms the initial intent of the message was to make a suggestion for a video about what you resell or how much you throw out. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I know you are busy!

[@rosesmith6208]

i have some questions, what is profit margins? how much overhead do you have? how do you know how to price your produce? how much produce do you lose due to pests, over watering, etc do you have yearly? and did you plant those morning glories in a garden and it spread? i used to have them in my yard but after a few years they vanished on their own. how much do you give to the colonel? and are you planning on any hiking or camping with the colonel? and did you grow up farming or pick it up when you became an adult

[@wishwellfarms]

Wow, this is a loaded comment. I could write a book answering all these questions but here’s the short of it. Profit margins are decent, especially since I have no business or personal debts. My only expenses are my input cost to grow my produce and labor and fuel. I did not plant the morning glory they are an invasive weed that I can’t get rid of. I don’t hang out with colonel anymore. We are both too busy and I have no plans of any trips with him in the near future. I have numerous backpacking trips planned for this fall and winter going solo. The Colonel has nothing to do with my operation. He owns his own business. I am a fourth generation farmer who dairy and grain farmed until I was 28 when we sold the dairy and I went into vegetable production full-time.

[@rosesmith6208]

@@wishwellfarms awesome, generational farmer, cool.

[@richardfrank9317]

I asked the veggies boys if they watch your videos, they responded with, "all the time".

[@wishwellfarms]

That’s awesome to hear, I’m planning to make a farm visit there in late October!

[@wishwellfarms]

I enjoy watching their channel as well as Broyans farm

[@richardfrank9317]

@@wishwellfarms I watch them too!

[@rjaquaponics9266]

non-GMO corn for the win!!!

[@wishwellfarms]

Yes!

[@IsmailElahouel-love]

"I am from Algeria, and ever since I became a follower of this channel, whenever a new video is released, I save it to my 'Watch Later' list. Then, I watch all the videos on KZbin, and right before bed, I watch the video to ensure I have a good night."

[@wishwellfarms]

Those are some very kind words, I appreciate you very much!

[@Forsgren530]

Is your salsa and jams bottled or do you sell them as fresh? If they are bottled, where do you get them bottled?

[@wishwellfarms]

@@Forsgren530 the salsa is fresh but the relish is cooked/bottled in our certified commercial kitchen in our old dairy milk house. Video coming later in August or early September.

[@SpearHead1011]

Do you know who you went through to get those GA melons? My family have a produce farm in South GA

[@wishwellfarms]

To be honest with you, I have no idea where they came from, we use a Wholesale buyer up near Cleveland, Ohio that brings in melons from all over the place so I wouldn’t be surprised if we got them from 10 or 15 different farms throughout southern Indiana and Georgia during the summer.

[@AZJH8374]

Can you introduce your wife & kids? I'd love to see your home as well. Is your dad retired?

[@wishwellfarms]

All of my kids have been in the videos from time to time, but unfortunately, you will probably never see my wife as she has no interest in being on the camera or on KZbin. I will try to make a point of introducing my kids on camera in a future video

[@simplegreen6596]

Two questions: 1) I HATE green bell peppers. they taste like dirt to me. but i LOVE red/yellow/orange bell peppers. I grow a bunch as well. When you pick bell peppers, i only see you pick green. Is that because A) not much of a market for ripe bells B) you get better faster yields if you pick green and let the plant produce more peppers? 2) Can you talk to the fiances side of you, your brother and father? I see you kind of help out on your brothers side time to time, and he kind of helps out on your side picking and supplying produce. How does that practically break down in terms of how you spend your time? If he's doing syrup in the winter/spring does he get those proceeds or does that get split across the family. And how do you prioritize your time if thats the case. How do you justify helping him with say... salsa when you have to manage the produce side... or if you dont help with salsa, and you sell it for him, do you get a percentage or even an equal cut? And then in the off season do you shut down and get rest or does the work continue just not on the produce side but on your brother/fathers side? If so what are you doing then?

[@daveklein2826]

Your number 2 question is none of your business and from my point of view very out of line

[@wishwellfarms]

We love to pick red bell peppers but they are not turning yet, probably not till mid August...we have so many plants, we only pick about half the patch and let the other half turn red. Red peppers are in high demand, three times more than green. This would take a long time to answer properly but here is the short of it: I get a cut of the items my brother produces, syrup, garlic, relish, salsa, for selling it through my markets. I don't help him one bit on these items cause I don't have the time nor do I ever intend to. My mom and dad are sole owners of the grain operation and I own all my produce operation but rent the ground from my folks. My brother runs the grain operation for them, planting and harvesting because my dad is too old to do it. It will all be handed down to me and my two brothers upon there passing. In November and December I rest, travel and play and eat haha. I am an avid long distance backpacker, kayak camper and ultra runner who also has competed in speed record challenges on trails called FKT's, or fastest known times. I hold three records on the 350 mile Sheltowee Trace in Kentucky and Tennessee. This year I plan to travel the country with my wife in our RV to visit other farms to film for my channnel. I try to avoid the farm as much as possible for a few months because of how demanding it is for 8-9 months of the year.

[@richardlay1492]

There a big 100 acres farm here Texas that was a tree nursery close has 30 green house 10000 square build office and had it only water pond and 45 area that bed for plants and it all water lines what your take on me buying and start a vegetable farm ?

[@wishwellfarms]

Oh my goodness, I just cringe at the fact of the thought of trying to start something on that big of an operation, first off I have no idea about anything in Texas, but I do know the insects can be terrible as well as the heat and humidity and that is a totally different ballgame than what I’m dealing with here in Ohio. Secondly, I don’t know your farming background or experience whatsoever so it makes this question really hard to answer. I’m happy to give you some of my thoughts, but I need to know your background first in farming.

[@ryanfiesta1135]

more market video, i am from indonesia, we dont have farmer market, and we farm differently here, so yeah

[@KMyer]

It's like treasure hunting.

[@wishwellfarms]

Indeed

[@brennenpowaski3290]

Not to be negative, but dealing with cash. How do you control employee theft?

[@wishwellfarms]

We try to vet our hirees by only hiring good kids that we know or have a good reputation...most came from our local Christian school this year that were friends of my daughter. I'm sure it happens from time to time. Having multiple kids working together at at market makes it harder for them to steal without being seen by the other employees too.

[@wild_insomnia]

Commercial kitchen is a must see. And don't bother about contents, you film what you do,that's how it goes.

[@wishwellfarms]

I get to it hopefully in August sometime 😁

[@lesliekirkland4603]

How many acres do you grain farm

[@wishwellfarms]

1,300 acres

[@hackn3y199]

imagine only growing soy and corn 😂😂

[@wishwellfarms]

Life would definitely be a lot more simpler that’s for sure

[@sharihoffman5440]

Is your wife involved in the farm?

[@wishwellfarms]

She is. When we were first married she actually helped plant, harvest and sell our produce. Now she mainly takes care of payroll, bills and deposits. But her biggest contribution on the farmstead is the beautification of our property, she is a master at lanscaping our home and keeping everything neat and tidy and it keeps her very busy. Maybe I'll film what she's done around our home sometime.

[@Bullweenkle]

I thought all sweet corn was non GMO. Isn't it mainly dent corn and soybeans that are modified? Speaking of modified, broccoli didn't exist 125 years ago. It's completely man-made through genetic modification.

[@wishwellfarms]

Most sweetcorn is non-GMO but there are about a half dozen varieties out there now that have the traits bred into them with BT for ear worms and also resistant to glyphosate Liberty and 2-4,D.