Americans represent 5% of the world’s population, but generate 30% of the world’s garbage. Crop planning is one way our community of customers and growers are a part of the solution.
Imagine you lived in a society where you had to grow and raise everything that fed your family. You would meticulously plan for the year ahead. Each seed would have a purpose and a mouth to feed. That is essentially what we are doing when we crop plan with our growers. We’ve projected the year ahead – how many baskets we’ll deliver and what our customers want based on feedback. This is a beautiful thing for a farmer as they can confidently put seeds in the ground with names on them. A reliable sales channel with less uncertainty translates to much less food waste.
Crop planning also preserves and supports the growing of unique varieties. Mitch, from Rise ‘N Shine, for example, is growing Lemon Cucumbers, Patty Pan Squash, and Kermit Eggplant for us this year. He’s tried growing them in the past, but could never make the costs work out because they don’t have a built-in demand like zucchini. With a little planning, we’re going to pay him up front for the specialty seeds to help divert some of the risk. Ultimately, it’s our customers who are creating this demand and stability for growing more “risky” products and simultaneously decreasing food waste.
