Welcome to Part 1 of our annual update! In this post, I share a review of last year plus what’s new with business and admin. Read on for information on how we have increased wages and improved labor on the farm, professional development, grants and funding, and a review of our really successful “Buy A Bushel” donation campaign. Over the next two weeks, I will post updates on Production and Conservation.

Labor: on the up and up!

Michelle has been spending more time in the office, reviewing 2023 financial data, planning the 2024 season, and working on these annual updates!

One thing we are really proud of from the last few years is our advancement of wages and employee benefits. Every time we invest in our people, we get back what we put in. Last year, we wrote about the H2A program and how, while expensive, it has already helped us so much with so many issues, from employee retention to the seasonal nature of our business. This year as our guys had their second season, we reaped everything we sowed with them! Everything in the spring got off to such a great start with them already knowing the ropes. We've been able to add to their knowledge with tractor training and specialized labor tasks like fencing and irrigation. All our guys are returning again this season and I'm so grateful to have a committed core seasonal crew to rely on.

In addition to our four visiting workers, we lucked out with three brand new full-time crew last season who turned out to be amazing! Add these three to our existing management and administration team and we have a real group of professionals here! Moving away from the "apprenticeship" model means less time training from scratch and less mistakes. We can afford to pay these folks better and we are proud to be offering a starting hourly wage for local FT field workers of around $17 per hour. We've also expanded benefits like winter hours, paid time off and overtime and of course, the veggie factor is always in effect.

The most exciting thing about our current employee situation is that we have a 100% return rate amongst our full-time staff! Wow-ee! We've never had a winter so devoid of hiring and I'm not mad about it! Getting our labor situation in a better place was a #1 priority for Nat and I as we took over the farm and I'm proud of what we have achieved.

We hope to keep the employee-retention train rolling and to do that, we have to continue to push for all the things these folks need. Besides wages, benefits and a safe and welcoming work environment, they also need opportunities for learning and personal growth. We've been on the lookout for training and learning opportunities for everyone on the team. Here are just a few of the trainings we've been doing lately:

Ranching for Profit -- Michelle and Nat

Winter Forage Conference -- Nat and Tracy

Becoming the Employer of Choice - Michelle

Digital Marketing - Amanda

Better Process Control School - MacKenzie

All About the Money

Wage increases, expanded benefits, professional development... it all costs money! Bellair is a large and growing "small" business! It is time to tighten up and make sure we can continue to deliver on these promises we have made to our staff. Michelle and Amanda have been working hard to analyze past financial figures and plan for the future. Up until now, we have utilized a bookkeeper to manage quickbooks and this year Michelle is taking the leap to take over the books. Though it feels a little intimidating, it's time to make time for this important task. We hope that we will have our finger closer to the pulse of the business. We plan on splitting out the books across all our sectors of production so we can see what's doing well and what needs help. Data is one of the most powerful tools in the farmer's toolbox and it's time we started acting like it!

Michelle also spent some time applying for a significant source of USDA grant funding related to the H2A program. If we are able to secure this funding, we will have a buffer year to get our income up enough to cover the costs of significant wage increases.

As always, we at Bellair will do our best to keep prices down. We will NEVER gouge you on eggs or anything else. We strive for transparency in all aspects of our farming and pricing is no different. We're still evaluating at the moment and aren't sure if any prices will rise this season. Even if they do, we feel so good about how we stack up against pretty much any competitor -- even the grocery store. Inflation seems to be affecting the global supply chain more than it is our little local farm but it is still there. As always, we'll be up front and no-nonsense when it comes to making and communicating about those decisions. We HAVE locked in 2024 Veggie CSA pricing with no rise over last year, so rest easy knowing you're in for another year of high quality affordable veggies!

Buy A Bushel Continues!

One of the major successes of 2023 was our Buy-a-Bushel Campaign! Through this program, we donated thousands of pounds of veggies and hundreds of dozens of eggs! Essentially all of these items were captured from a waste stream due to overproduction. This program was win-win-win! Paid work harvesting for our employees, costs covered for our business, and food in the hands of grateful people. Each of the organizations we worked with remarked on how wonderful it is to have food of the caliber that we were providing. This year, we plan on continuing the Buy a Bushel program in two ways: we will have a weekly donation program so that these orgs can expect a little something every week. We will sell these like we do our regular CSA shares except that they will be donated instead of routed to the buyer. Then, we will still continue our one-off campaigns if and when we have large overstocks on seasonal produce. For both campaigns, we will be charging below-wholesale rates. Just enough to cover our costs. We will take care of everything, including delivery to the organizations who will take care of the distribution. This is a great way for folks to support our farm at the same time as these folks in need. We are super grateful for your participation in this program and want you to know that it really does make a difference!