Vegetable Auction Barn?

[big rockpile]

Ok the Mennonites have contracts selling Produce to Wal Mart.This year the was stuck with alot that was unacceptable for WalMart.

They just sold from Home or at the numerous Produce Stands in the area.Well we noticed a New Building going up seems they are going to start a Produce Auction Barn.

I'm wondering if it actuality this is going to raise cost and be cutting each other Throats as far as the Regular Stands??

big rockpile

[StephanieH]

We go to one here (it is Amish) and I have noticed mostly non-amish bidding. Several were places that were going to resell. They bid stuff up crazy high, too.

[Calfkeeper]

Where is it going up; near any of the other stores out in that area? Like, on a main artery through there?

If they all close their regular stands and sell at the Auction Barn, wouldn't that mean more money for them in the long run?

[uncle Will in In.]

The auction barn in northern Indiana sells three days per week. The produse is broght in in large quanities. Nearly all of it goes to super markets and retail fruit and produce markets. They sell more in one day than a roadside stand could sell in a whole season. Most of the melons and such comes in on skids with cardboard sides like you see melons in the super markets. They have several thousand melons at each sale during their season. The also sell potted plants, gourds, squash. mums. apples peaches and any thing like that.
The bulk of the stuff brought in is raised by the Amish, and Menonites who are the most common natives within several miles of there. You can see them hauling their stuff in on hay rack wagons pulled by a team and unloaded with a fork truck.
It is mostly a wholesale market. It don't really compete with the roadside stands. It does make it possible for the small farmers to raise and sell large quanities of good paying crops.

[Qhorseman]

I live near Lake of the Ozarks, the Mennoites are doing a booming business in produce, both the auction house and roadside stands, I heard one rumor of a family doing over $100,000 a year on their roadside stand. One old Mennonite I do business with was telling me he was doing $1500 a day at the Farmers Market

[MO_cows]

Here is a link to a recent article in the Rural Missouri publication about Missouri produce auctions:
http://www.ruralmissouri.org/10pages...ceAuction.html

[olivehill]

We have an Old Order Mennonite run produce auction here and prices are LOW. I personally don't know why they bother continuing it. Can't be making enough to make it worth growing 'em if you ask me. *shrug*

[Stephen in SOKY]

The State of Kentucky sponsors several permanent auctions. The ones I've attended are all Amish/Mennonite run & I'd estimate 80% of the poduce is Amish/Mennonite produced. Here's the website with several years of market reports by product & date of sale: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/NewCrops/auctions.html

[Trixie]

I wonder if there is anything like that in Texas.

[tallpines]

duplicate post

[tallpines]

We have one 8 miles from us owned by a Mennonite coop.

They do very well----sell only in LARGE quanity.
3 days a week from April to October.

In the spring of the year many green house owners/managers come here to by stock for their own greenhouses/stores.

Also-----many vendors from Farmer's Markets buy in volume here----------and then take the product to larger cities where it is sold at Farmer's Markets.

Yes---that's right!
Much of the stock at Farmer's Markets is NOT raised by the vendor.
Rather, it is purchased in large volume by the vendor, at a Produce Auction site.

Sometimes I will go together with friends and buy a pallet, ot several bushels of an item and then we divide it up.

Locally raised products (within 100 miles) are always sold first.
Items shipped in from longer distances (like peaches and such) always sell last.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by Calfkeeper

Where is it going up; near any of the other stores out in that area? Like, on a main artery through there?

If they all close their regular stands and sell at the Auction Barn, wouldn't that mean more money for them in the long run?

Yea its right on the Main Highway.

Originally Posted by tallpines

We have one 8 miles from us owned by a Mennonite coop.

They do very well----sell only in LARGE quanity.
3 days a week from April to October.

In the spring of the year many green house owners/managers come here to by stock for their own greenhouses/stores.

Also-----many vendors from Farmer's Markets buy in volume here----------and then take the product to larger cities where it is sold at Farmer's Markets.

Yes---that's right!
Much of the stock at Farmer's Markets is NOT raised by the vendor.
Rather, it is purchased in large volume by the vendor, at a Produce Auction site.

Sometimes I will go together with friends and buy a pallet, ot several bushels of an item and then we divide it up.

Locally raised products (within 100 miles) are always sold first.
Items shipped in from longer distances (like peaches and such) always sell last.

Me and my wife considered buying in bulk and hauling the Produce out of the area.

I've seen them go from one business to another.Talked to one the other day was selling Free Range Eggs,he got a bunch of Pullets that would Lay he lost $5,000 real fast he is making Trusses now.There was a bunch of Sawmills around the only ones going now is cutting Cedar and RR Ties.

big rockpile

[Joshie]

A friend of mine gets produce from livestock/produce auction and gets them very, very cheaply. Wish we had them here.

[deb]

The local Old Order Amish community built their own produce auction building last year. They held auctions there 3 days a week during the growing season and it was very successful. It was mostly big lots and the buyers were either wholesalers, or buyers for stores, hospitals and restaurants. It didn't affect the local produce price at all.


deb
in wi