Josh I have some questions to ask you about growing pumpkins and fertilizing sweet corn. I'll hold them for a couple days until you get some input on the auctions -which I have never heard of.

Jack

Ill do my best bro Jack.
josh

there are 2 in wi and a auction just for instutional buyers. one of these is in my county. They have been around for 4 years. The first year they had so much comming in they could not sell it all.
Prices flux w/ demand.
2 produce auctions are owned by the amish. When you send your stuff there you play by amish rules. We took surplus swt corn there the first year and totally got screwed b/c someone screwed up typing into the computer at the time of bidding. Also the amish don't pay their 12 kids who tend the fields and greenhouses. Which brings down their cost of production so they may be ok with not getting premium prices.

The main issue I have w/ the amish auctions is dumb ass lazy people who buy truck loads and don't get it into a cooler. Then show up at a grower only market. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH FOLKS BUYING PRODUCE AND RESELLING AT A FARM STAND

produce auctions are a great place to dump extra and get little $ for it. Keep in mind that the amish don't have walk in coolers to keep things at 40 degrees. Everything is fresh picked washed and packed into boxes and pallets hours b/f the auction This is fine. However the buyer must get the produce cool asap or loose quality.
As far as pumpkins prices go, I think NICE carving ones go for $2-4 each at a pallet at a time. A lot of agri tourism folks comming to fill what they are missing, maybe pie pumpkins maybe extra large ones?

Sweet corn is a different story. you may only get $1.5 / dz for a 5 dz bag. Then again you may get $3-4 per dz. Just depends on the day how many bugs are in the corn. We finally got a good price at the end of the seasn b/c it took a month for buyers to realize ours was bug free and the amish was buggy as hell.

also there is the number system and tagging produce. Regular sellers take turns in sale order. Since you are not a regular your stuff will be sold at the end of the day. You will be given a grower number. Then you tag your boxes with your number and a set of codes that indicate what's in your boxes / bags/ pallet. If you screw this up you are in trouble and if the actioneer can't figure out if you have 8 bu or 8 1/2 bu boxes and he has to stop and figure it out not good. Also b/f the auction starts all growers send in a master list of what is brought in so they have a cross reverence when there is a screw up. the auctioneer is not amish and they run computers on battery and run generators. But everything is controlled by the amish.

hope this helps

Josh,

See link below. Guidelines to wholesale produce auctions

Here is a link that might be useful: Produce auction

There is an auction I went to several times this summer and I enjoyed going just to watch it all.

Like wackybell, this one is Amish run. They're stuff starts coming in a few hours before the sale starts. They have there stuff in coolers in the palets(eggs,lettuces, etc..) They paid an auctioneer to come in, but paperwork, etc.. was done by both owner and a few Amish men.

It is not owned by the Amish, but they are the biggest suppliers.

I bought a few things for my market booth there, but only buy from who I know grew their own as I wanted to keep my booth local. I never bought corn, but prices were the same at ours as wackybell wrote. I didn't go in the fall, so I don't know what pumpkins went for.

I sold some extra peaches there and they did well b/c no ever had any as far as I knew.

I am not doing a market this year, but may take some extras to sell at the auction. Like I said before, it's fun to watch.

Andrea

I forgot to mention that sellers gave 17% commission. At our auction you were given a check the following week for what you sold the week before.

WAckybell, i can tell you have had a bad experience with the Amish auctions.

At my local Amish auction, the Amish do own the building and business. I have been working with them since 2006, the year they began this auction. It's outside of Rockville Indiana. Probably the closest one to Josh.

Growers have standards that they are supposed to sell by. Not 2nds unless marked. They divide the firsts and 2nds as the location at the auction. This auction does not discriminate between Amish-grown and "English"-grown. Anyone that is not Amish is called "English" by the Amish.

As a grower, you will need a number (buyers also have numbers). The numbers are handed out in order and not divided between Amish and English. There are also temporary numbers for those people that don't know if they will be a permanent buyer/grower. All other numbers are permanent for as long as the auction exist.

When a grower brings their produce into the auction for the first time, a representative will look the produce over to insure the quality is up to standard. This representative is usually Amish, but I have been asked to look at several growers stuff before the produce is sold. I am NOT Amish.

After determining that the produce is ok to sell, the produce is ready to be auctioned. At this auction, they use both pallets and carts for the produce to be displayed for auction. Watermelon bins are used for pumpkins, melons and sometimes corn.

Our auction usually start at 10 am sharp. You will need to go the office and get the buyers paperwork. This paperwork is very important to be filled out correctly, because this will tell the office who you are and what you have brought to the auction to sell. Before 10 you will need to have your produce in place along with a index card stating what you are selling and in what quantity and what size boxes the items are in. Our auction prefers certain sized boxes for certain things. After you place the card on the cart, be sure that the card matches what is on the buyers paperwork. Most people wait to fill out the buyer's paperwok until they place the index card on the cart.

When the auctioneer, our's is Amish, goes to auction your items off, a another representative of the auction will read YOUR card, then the auctioneer starts auctioning. When someone 'wins' the auction you will have found out how much it sold for. This will be the amount that you will receive minus 10%. Our auction charges the same amount for Amish or English growers. You will receive a check from the auction the following on Tuesday (if you are at the auction) or it will be mailed to you either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Just like a farmers market or any other business, you will need to 'earn' the respect of the buyers. If the buyers think you have good stuff, and the supply does not outweigh the demand, you will receive a decent price. This auction is a total auction, otherwise if you place it for sale, it WILL BE SOLD for whatever the auctioneer can get out of it.

I have bought from a few growers that I won't buy from again, but for the most part I have had good experiences.

As to the refrigeration comment. It is up to the buyer to take care of what they buy. It is not up to the grower to make sure that the produce stays fresh and good AFTER it is purchased.

Most of the Amish that I know DO HAVE coolers of some sort at their homes. Not exactly like what we "english" expect, but they do have the capability of cooling and keeping produce IF they desire. There again, almost ALL of the produce brought into the auction is picked either the morning of the auction or the day before at the most.

Regarding prices, over the past year, corn has went from 75 cents per dozen to over $4.00 per dozen. It ALL depended upon the amount of corn available, what size lots the grower placed the corn in, and the demand (otherwise the number of buyers). I have seen Jack o Lantern type of Pumpkins go from $1.00 each to $10.00 each. Of course, this also depends upon quantity, quality of produce and demand.

Josh, if you would like to visit the auction when it opens, I will be glad to meet you there and introduce you to the management and a few growers. The auction will not open until April sometime.

Marla I would love to meet you and have you introduce me to the important people, my wife and I and you and your husband could have lunch, email me and Ill call ya.

Were does one get the proper boxes. And what type of box, I always packaged my corn in those wire and slat crates, is that acceptable?

Thanks for the site eric, Ill look at it.
josh

Josh,

Heartland Produce Auction

1871 E 200 S
Monroe, IN 46772
Market Reports
About...
Calender
260.692.6900 auction office
Manager: Jason King
260/223-2312 home (no Sunday calls, please)

Clearspring Produce Auction
2050 S. 300 W.
LaGrange, IN 46761
Phone: 219-463-4131
Directions: 2 miles south of LaGrange on State Road 9, then east 3 miles on CR 200 South.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays (beginning April 25).

Rockville Produce Auction

3300 N. 400 E.
Rockville, IN 47872
Auction phone: 765-569-6840
Manager: JACOB HERSCHBERGER 765-569-3206
Market Report

Wayne County Produce Auction

Wayne County Produce Auction
8025 Carlos Road, Williamsburg, IN

Order buyer - Brian Denlinger 937/313-3378
Order buyer fax - 937/833-0973

The auction is open to large and small growers within a 125-mile radius of Williamsburg. Growers outside the 125-mile radius may consign produce, but it will not be sold as "local" produce, Denlinger said.

The auction is open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Oct. 19. The only exceptions are Oct. 3 and 10. The auction opens at 1 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

More information is available by calling Denlinger at (937) 313-3378 or Samuel S. Miller Sr., auction manager, at (765) 847-5003.

Wakarusa Produce Auction

65147 County Rd 15
Goshen, IN 46526-9253
574/862-2740

The info for Rockville is correct, but don't expect anyone be there at this time. I will need to find out when the auction starts, which is usually in April sometime. I have seen ClearSpring, but it is in the northerm part of IN. Way too far to make it practical for your drive. You do have a truck or large van to transport to the auction, right?

You can get the boxes/bags thru the auction, if you wish. I have found that this is the easiest and cheapest way unless you need a LARGE quantity, like truckload.

Corn is usually bagged in green mesh bags with 5 doz/bag. I have seen people put loose ears of corn into watermelon bins. I DON'T recommend that practice. If you package the corn in the bins, there are usually several dozen in the bin, and most people don't want to buy 50-100 dozen at a time. The price per dozen is cheaper for the buyer that way, but not good for the grower. Plus there have been a very few cases of 'not so good' ears at the bottom of the bin that could not be seen, so it's buyer beware.

Yes, I am one of the English that try to help the newcomers at the auction. It's amazing to me that some people are afraid to talk to the Amish. I married a man with German background (a couple of generations) so I can understand almost all of them.

I realize that some people have been mistreated by the Amish, but no more than anyone else. My Amish friends state it like this "We are just like you English, there is always a few bad ones along with all of the good ones."

There are lots of Amish Menonite folks here , some are neighbors and some I call friend, and even go to church with them time to time, good ole Annabaptist, a bit on the stuffy side, and tradition. Nothing wrong with that though. There younger children are well behaved, but once they turn em loose at 16, some are like an old hound thats been tied up to long.

I understand em ok, when they speak english LOL. I joke with some of my neighbors, saying, what are you saying about me now. At first they were so polite, oh were sorry, we are not talking bad about you, but now they know that Im not always very serious and I like to laugh about life and they laugh with me. I love being invited to dinner at thier homes, no instant stuff there on Sundays, though they do keep Twinkies. LOL I seen em
Josh

Yes, the kids that come to the auction sure do love those Mountain Dews and chips. I don't understand the PA Dutch, but some of these have enough accent to make their English alittle harder to understand. Tho, I have more problems with the Mexican dialect.

I think we will have a 'good ole time' when we all get to the auction.

BTW, in April expect to find lots of plants, both flowers and veggies. Some of the best veggie plants that I've got came from there.

not that I am trying to back track here. Buy yes we did have some bad experinces with the produce auctions. The first year they were clueless on what they were doing. Since then things have improved. Yet it is nothing like you all have discribed in IN.

That first year I walked up to a make shift farm stand to see what the prices were. I could not stand the stench of the rotting broccli, tomatoes, califlower, beets etc. The produce buyers were wondering why the produce was going bad? They had no idea that the had to cool the stuff!!
This situation was common all over the county.

By saying that you play by Amish rules I am refering to what I tell my 5 yr old son "you get what you get and you don't mind a bit". As a non regualr seller, I don't take the time to squable with their system.

Kristi

I live just 1/2 hour drive from the largest Amish community in the US. We have an auction much like the one Myfamily discribed. It is a very well run auction and there are several large grocery chains that load one or two simi loads per auction. The Amish have learned how to wash, package and present their produce so it can be sold by the buyer directly from the auction. All of the boxes bags, etc,. are uniform and purchased from the auction. The auction is a great outlet for the Amish produce farmers and I enjoy getting the fresh produce, as well. I would say that most everything is either picked the morning of the auction or the day before. And yes, the Amish do have coolers. They have been cutting ice from the lakes and ponds the last couple of weeks to store in their ice houses, the ice will last until they cut more next winter. Josh, I suggest that you visit the auction and check it out.
If you ever get to Mt. Hope Ohio check out Yoders Produce Auction just west of Mt. Hope.
Here's a partial list of the items sold in 2009 and the average prices. Includes flowers.
Hanging baskets 30,105 HB sold Avg. Price= 8.09
Strawberries 2,849 flats Avg. price= 23.98
Red Rasp 126 falts Avg. price=33.66
Black rasp 893 flats Avg price= 29.18
pumpkins 128,371 Avg. price= 1.83
pie punpkins 154,383 Avg. price= 0.40
cabbage 139,743 Avg. price= 0.53
water melon 91,971 Avg. price 1.47
cantelope 222,290 Avg. price 0.82
Sweet corn (sold in 5 dozen/bag) 16,176 Avg. price 8.61

This will give you an idea of the volume and average prices. They will start auctioning in Feb. or March selling plant plugs. Hope that this helps.

Luke

I so far like the idea, this may be the outlet Ive needed for some expansion.
Thanks
What quantity should a person lean towards so as not to oversupply the market, I could add a couple more acres no problem, I currently grow 8 acres and my current outlet claims about 80 % of that, my wife takes half of whats left to the farmers market.

Marla what quantities do they have for boxes and at what price?

Josh, I don't think that overproduction would be a problem.
The best prices are for the farmers that get the earliest produce to the market. I think that there are steering committees that include the suppliers and the auction to organize the upcoming year. You may want to check into that to see if you can get involved.
As far as the prices for the boxes, I think that they usually sell to the farmers at cost. It depends on what produce you are selling. Corn usually goes 5 dozen to the bag, green netting type. They have everything from berry pints and flats to huge boxes on skids for watermelon, pumpkins, cantelope,etc,. Peck baskets, 1/2 bushel, bushel and so on.
I have bought some in the past, but don't remember the amount. One thing about the auction is that you can always sell what you grow, as long as it is quality. If the produce isn't 1st quality then you just state that it is 2nds. Usually, but not always, organics brings a higher price. Auctions are interesting, fun and unpredictable. One advantage to selling is that you can often find a good deal on something that you want to buy. Like a truck load of turnips. I bought nice turnips last year for .50 per bushel.

Luke

I used to sell through produce auctions but unless you are willing to devote 5 acres or more for each crop they are not going to be profitable in the long run. You will be competing with growers in many states and Canada for price. We have a few Amish auctions near by in PA. that are open to outsiders. I leave them alone. The Amish operate on a different economic level then we do. They are better suited to taking losses then we are and are less able to access distant markets. One bright spot in auctions I found is in marketing hay, straw and ear corn over winter. Its a good way to keep a little cash flowing bolster the spirits and trade BS with other farmers.
But if your just a small grower with a few acres or less then you should stick with retail urban farm markets and roadside selling, that is where the best money is... Bob

Josh, At Rockville you can buy boxes from 1 up to the quantity that they have available. If you need more, they will order in another shipment. I believe the case quantity is barely enough to cover the costs.

As far as joining the steering committee, this one auction's board is totally Amish, I think.

If you want to add acres, don't add just 1 product. Each year is different. If something sells high in one year, then the next year alot of people try to grow that item. If prices on a certain item is low, then nobody grows it and that brings the price up.

Our Amish community came to Indiana from PA. Alot of the produce going into NYC is from the PA community, along with others. Some of the fellows have been growing produce their entire life, and they are not young.

josh, you got mail from myfamilysfarm

chkd my mail

Well I just might plow up 20 acres this year, and givem all a run for the money, LOL
I cant wait for spring, finaly got my hoophouse, we settled for a 42 x 192 instead of the 35 x 96, figure if Im going to do it, might as well go all the way, jrslicks pics did get me to day dreaming though with those gorgeous tomatoe plants. Just a few more weeks.
josh

Hey Josh, Go for it.

Luke

Josh, if you plant some tomatoes in that hoophouse, you'll be one of the first at the auction. Last year those early tomatoes were going for over $2/lb at the AUCTION and there wasn't enough.

$2 per pound, a person could make some money at that. Now as soon as I show up with some, so will everyone else and theyll be 50 cents a pound :0) LOL

What else could one grow for the early market that would be profitable, I want to divide the hoophouse into 3 or 4 sections so as to rotate the crops some, so as I can give each section growing tomatoes at least 3 years rest, from tomatoes. Dont like growing the same crop on the same spot every year.

Ive already decided That this next fall Im going to put up a second hoophouse, this one a friend and I are going to custom build, taking the idea from jrslick, my friend is sawing the lumber for me, we are going to build it 55 feet by 210 feet, a quarter acre. This will give me more room for a better rotation and a wider variety of crops.

Josh

There will be alot of plants until Memorial Day, so don't try them for that auction. Maybe for your farmers market.

If you can get some Zucchini going for early season, it will sell well, just sort carefully. Last year, only 1-2 weeks did the zukes drop to less than $5/1/2 bu box. Most weeks were $10-15/1/2 bu. Forget the yellow squash, it doesn't sell well.

Potatoes are a big seller, and I know you can plant them in a greenhouse. I have a friend try it to find out.

Also early green beans will sell well, if you want to grow them early in the greenhouse, plus you don't need bees for them.

Almost anything that you can get in early would get you a premium price, since you will have production at least 1-2 weeks headway, and that's with outside planting.

I'm not sure what all you could plant in a greenhouse and succeed. Others would know more about that. I can suggest which might sell at Rockville, since I know more about that auction.

The Amish greenouse tomatoes usually don't come in until June at the earliest.