 MetroFarm:
Press Reviews
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"What a book! Its obvious this book was not written by someone
sitting in an ivory tower. It comes from the trenches. From the
school of hard knocks. Thank you for a superb job!"
Paul Otten, Northland Berry News
"MetroFarm provides plenty of food for thought... It addresses
just about every issue involved in planning, planting, growing,
harvesting, packaging, marketing and transporting a crop."
Nancy Barr, Watsonville Register-Pajaronian
"Focusing on marketing and business management basics... Vignettes
and diverse examples of on- and off-farm wisdom entertain and enlighten...
Case studies show how a number of successful metrofarmers possess
the vision and persistence to prosper."
Bob Hofstetter, The New Farm Magazine
"BIG BOOK! MetroFarm describes many of the agronomic, economic,
and managerial concepts required to generate substantial profits
from agricultural locales near metro areas... More than 500 pages!"
Howard W. "Bud" Kerr, Director, Office for
Small Scale Agriculture, USDA
"Olson's metrofarms enjoy competitive advantages which allow
them to 'produce more crops per unit, of higher quality and at less
cost' than can some large-scale farms."
Dr. John Wysong, Ag & Resource Economics, University
of Maryland
"There is a tremendous amount of useful information in MetroFarm.
Would we buy MetroFarm if we were thinking about becoming market
gardeners? Yes, we would!"
Greg and Pat Williams, Hortideas Magazine
"The logic behind metrofarming is inescapable. Decades of
sustained assault from policy-makers and vested interest have left
the family farm hovering near extinction, the corporate farm ascendant,
and a way of life imperiled. So the small-scale farmer must bring
exceptional resourcefulness to bear on the problem of finding a
viable niche in which to operate, an economic and ecological space
where he or she can survive and prosper. Cities are where the money
is, and city dwellers are clamoring for clean food in growing numbers.
As newfangled mystics are fond of mentioning, the word for "crisis"
in Chinese is the same as the word "opportunity." Michael
Olson's MetroFarm tells how a farmer who is willing to innovate,
experiment, and adapt to current market realities can complete the
metamorphosis of opportunity into a real going concern. Each phase
of the process is laid out with impressive thoroughness, every chapter
organized around the logic of practicality. For every necessary
task or potential problem needing solution, Olson offers a progression
of steps arranged in the correct sequence so that the desired goal
is achieved.
For instance, Chapter 9, "Preparing for Market," begins
with a section called, "Plan for Quality." "Quality
and the perception of quality are what distinguish metrofarm products
from mass-produced ones of the competition. Your crop products will
reach the peak of their quality at harvest... The first step in
preparing for market, therefore, is to plan ways to maintain the
quality of your products." That seems irrefutable, and in equally
succinct fashion Olson then discusses the elements of quality, forces
that affect quality, and how the latter are best dealt with. Then
he moves on to harvesting and takes the reader through the sequence
of events that make up a successful harvest; readable charts showing
USDA grading standards and crop storage temperatures are included
for easy reference.
Olson supplements this holistic how-to approach by throwing in
the proverbial kitchen sink, in the form of interviews with successful
metrofarmers who offer valuable anecdotal information drawn from
their experiences. Olson sticks to basic rather than highly technical
questions, eliciting answers that address the central issue of how
a living can be made on a small piece of land. Says Jeff Larkey
of Pogonip Farms, located a few blocks from downtown Santa Cruz,
California, "A green thumb is just a way of describing somebody
who knows how to think like a plant." MetroFarm gives newcomers
the means for acquiring that knowledge."
ACRES, USA
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