Urgent Update: SWFSFN Announcement: Bulk Order Opportunity for Organic Sweet Potato Slips and Seed Potato

Hello again, SWFSFN members and supporters. This is a very important update about the offer described in the email below.

Specifically, we have been notified by one of the NC sources, i.e., New Sprout Organic Farm, that unfortunately the organic seed potato is no longer available for purchase at this time. They sincerely regret having to send you this information. At the same time they want to let everyone know that they are committed to offer organic seed potato to a future bulk order from our SWFSFN in January 2015. If anyone wants to contact this NC source, email Andrew Rose at andrewr@newsproutfarms.com. If you have forwarded the email below to a fellow farmer not already on the SWFSFN email list, please, send them this update.

Therefore, the opportunity for this bulk order of certified organic starts is now limited to only sweet potato slips. However, there are still the 2 NC sources described below for your consideration. Remember that the deadline for you to decide to participate in this opportunity remains at Sunday, June 15th ! Please, follow the instructions below on meeting this deadline . . .

Thanks,
Robert

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Robert Kluson
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2014 2:22 PM
To: Robert Kluson
Cc: Beckford, Roy; Halman, Robert; mbhenry@ufl.edu<mailto:mbhenry@ufl.edu>; (szcrmchz@ufl.edu<mailto:szcrmchz@ufl.edu>); 'Morse, Jane'; Mitchell, Ralph; Blumenthal, Mitch
Subject: SWFSFN Announcement: Bulk Order Opportunity for Organic Sweet Potato Slips and Seed Potato
Importance: High

Hello, members and supporters of the SW FL Small Farmers Network (SWFSFN). It's our pleasure to announce to you a special opportunity in collaboration with Global Organics of Sarasota, FL (see http://www.globalorganics.ws/). Specifically, this collaboration is providing bulk ordering and shipping service to you to meet your needs in purchasing organic sweet potato slips and/or seed potato for your small farm operation. As you know, these items are available to purchase online but the shipping costs for large orders of them can be prohibitive for commercial producers due to the weight of such orders. Global Organics is offering to use their commercial trucks traveling to NC to significantly reduce the shipping costs for you to purchase these items from 2 NC sources.

Here are the details of this opportunity:

1) NC sources of organic sweet potato slips and seed potato:

a) New Sprout Organic Farm – for product list and prices see their webpage at http://www.newsproutfarms.com/

b) Jones Family Farms – for product list and prices see their webpage at http://www.jonesfarmsnc.com/index.html

2) Notes on these 2 NC sources:

a) Currently New Sprout Organic Farm is offering their entire line of seed potato at a 50% price reduction (supplies are limited). While it's too hot to plant potato now in FL, the folks at New Sprout Organic Farm recommend storing them at 45oF for a successful fall and/or spring planting. Sweet potato slips, on the other hand, can be planted now for a summer crop.

b) Jones Family Farms prices for sweet potato slips are much lower than New Sprout Organic Farm. However, New Sprout Organic Farm offers a wider selection of organic sweet potato slips. At the same time, you will be able to also place an order for non-organic sweet potato slips from Jones Family Farms if you want to take advantage of their price advantage and you do not absolutely need organic sweet potato slips (Note: for certified organic producers, check with your certifier if you are able to do so).

3) Process for you to follow to take advantage of this opportunity:

a) Visit and review the webpages of the 2 NC sources now because this offer is time sensitive.

b) If you decide that you want to place an order with one or both of these NC sources, send an email to rkluson@scgov.net of your intent and the volume of the order from each NC source by Sunday, June 15,, 2014. On the subject line of this email write "SWFSFN Bulk Order Response".

c) On Monday, June 16th, we will let you know the shipping costs of your order via the Global Organics trucks. We will also give you a pickup date for your order at the NC source(s) of your choice by a Global Organics truck.

d) Then you will place your own separate order with the NC source(s) of your choice. You will tell them that your order will be picked up by a Global Truck at the specific date that was provided you.

e) Global Organic trucks will pickup and deliver all the separate orders to their facility in Sarasota, FL. Your order will be labeled with your name and farm information.

f) You will be given a date and time to come to pickup your order at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County office after the Global Organics truck has arrived. There is no storage capacity at this location so you will absolutely need to pickup at the designated date/time.


We certainly hope that this opportunity will assist some of our SWFSFN farmers in diversifying their operations with organic sweet potato and potato for their markets. Providing the SWFSFN the capacity for collective action to reduce production costs, e.g., this bulk order offer, continues to be an important goal and service. Feel free to forward this email to a fellow farmer who may want to join this SWFSFN opportunity. If they are not familiar with SWFSFN, please, also recommend to them to visit our website (see https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SW_FL_Small_Farms/info) for networking purposes.

Thanks,

Robert A. Kluson, Ph.D.
Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent III UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County Community Services Business Center
6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241
rkluson@scgov.net<mailto:rkluson@scgov.net>
(941) 861-9849 (ofc); (941-232-3090 (c)

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/robertkenn121273.html>" - Robert Kennedy<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/robertkenn121273.html>

<image001.png>