This is the time of year when the greatest number of new readers come on board, so I’d like to say welcome to all of you who are reading your first issue of Growing for Market. The first thing I hope you will notice about GFM is how practical our articles are – no fluff, just good solid information that will help you make more money and have more fun on your farms. Recently I received this note from a reader who was sending in her renewal:
“The first or second issue I received, a writer suggested it was time to pot up strawberry plants to sell for spring. My daughter and I said, ‘Wow, good way to use those strawberry plants we were going to rototill under anyhow’ and we made $600. Wooo! Thanks!
“Some articles are not so relevant to us (we don’t have interns or do farmers’ markets) but every issue has interesting stuff. Your magazine has been a good investment for us. Keep up the good work!”
Wooo! We love to get letters like that because it tells us that we are helping people succeed in farming. And that’s what we are all about.
The second thing we hope you’ll notice is that all of our articles are written by market gardeners. We don’t have articles by journalists (although, as a former newspaper reporter, I have no objection to journalists); instead, we have articles by people who are really out there doing the same kind of work as our readers. George DeVault is a market farmer in Pennsylvania who sells veggies and flowers at a farmers’ market in Philadelphia and through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. He’s also the editor of the Rodale Press’ Russian-language magazine for farmers. Bryan Boeckmann sells veggies and flowers at farmers’ markets in Missouri, in addition to being a full-time firefighter. Jozie Schimke grows cut flowers, shrubs and bedding plants as well as doing garden design. She also works here in the GFM office two days a week, managing our database of subscribers and helping subscribers who call to order books. Alison and Paul Wiediger have a diversified farm in Kentucky that includes vegetables, flowers and livestock. Paul works on the farm full-time, and Alison works with technology in the public schools. Pamela and Frank Arnosky are full-time flower farmers in Blanco, Texas, and they sell at supermarkets, farmers’ markets and at their own farm market. Finally, I and my husband, Dan Nagengast, grow cut flowers for florists and a natural foods store. Dan is also director of the Kansas Rural Center, a nonprofit organization that works on sustainable agriculture and family farm issues. I obviously publish this newsletter.
For most of us, you might have noticed, farming is not our only job (though it’s probably our favorite job!) Almost 90% of American farmers have off-farm income; that’s just the way it is in agriculture these days. It’s a shame that most farmers can’t make a decent livelihood, but it doesn’t diminish the importance of farming. Whatever your scale of farming – whether it’s your entire income or just a small income stream – you will find respect and support in Growing for Market.
Let us know how we’re doing. We want GFM to be helpful to you over the course of the year, even if every single article isn’t relevant. Still, you never know where you may find a little gem of an idea – a new crop, a new marketing idea, a good supplier – that will benefit your farming operation. Personally, the minute this issue goes to the printer, I plan to start my seed order, and you can be sure I’ll include some of the new varieties the Arnoskys write about this month.
Have a wonderful winter!

Lynn Byczynski
Editor and Publisher