Will you help me achieve my goal?

We have been hard at work planning out our farm that will revolutionize modern agriculture. Food is essential to human life. Everyone has to eat. However, in today’s society, so few people know exactly what they’re eating. Industrial style agriculture has become the norm within the trade. These Factory Farms are only concerned about producing food products bigger, faster, and cheaper. While this is a reasonable endeavor, it has been taken way too far. They mistreat their animals, produce sub-par produce that is drained of the nutrients it once possessed, and unleashes poisonous chemicals into our food system. We are here to make a difference and to take a stand against Big Agriculture. We feel a duty not only to provide people with safe, quality, nutritional food at an affordable price, but also to leave our environment better than before and treat our animals with dignity and respect.

We have done countless hours of research and testing to support all the ideas we will be implementing. Our goal is to build a farm that creates a diverse eco-system – one that doesn’t focus on a single crop or animal, but one that fabricates a beautiful puzzle that mimics the natural tendencies of each plant or animal in the wild. We are beyond organic in our methods. The USDA Organic standards are too low in our eyes. People have come to blindly trust such labels, but we seek to educate our customers about where their food comes from. We don’t conceal our practices in shame as many farmers do. We open our doors proudly and encourage people to come out and take a look.

We seek to be 100% self-sustaining. Everything we need can be provided through our farm. We will be utilizing renewable resources – solar (photovoltaic), geothermal heating, rainwater collection, etc. Louise Stitzer, our founder, actually designed a unique style of greenhouse when the company first began that we will be fully implementing now at our new farm. Our greenhouses will be dug into the earth with only the peak above ground. This allows for a more stabilized temperature within the greenhouse, since ground temperature is a constant 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes heating and cooling much quicker, easier, and more energy efficient. All these practices in synergy will not only be beneficial to our environment, but will also save us thousands of dollars per year.

By keeping our expenses low, we will be able to benefit society in a big way. We will be able to pass these savings onto our customers. Imagine it – quality, beyond organic products at a price well below grocery store organic prices! Organic will no longer be a thing the average American family considers a luxury. Quality, nutritious food will be more accessible to ordinary people living on a tight budget. Did you know that based on the USDA’s own numbers that the produce you purchase every day in the grocery store contains up to 60% less nutrients than it did just in 1950? We find this to be unacceptable. We will never settle for such inferior quality for the sake of convenience or profit.

We will positively affect the currently depressed economy by offering good jobs with wages well above minimum wage. Our current projected earnings based on extremely conservative figures, will enable us to hire approximately 100 people. These employees will consist of six salaried, full-time permanent leads to oversee the six main areas of the farm – Greenhouses, Landscaping, Animals, Crops, Orchards/Berries, and Food Production. Under each lead there will be a number of full-time hourly employees to staff each specialty. During peak seasons, we will bring on part-time seasonal help to assist with harvests, festivals, and events. We seek to build not only a company that values its employees, but one where they are part of our Farm Family.

We are also looking to partner with high schools and colleges to offer an internship program where their students can learn about beyond organic, sustainable agriculture through hands-on experience. The students will also learn about our story, our methods, and what drives us to do what we do. They will learn how we got started and how to replicate our success. We want to revitalize farming. Currently, the average age of the American farmer is 55 years old. The art of farming will die if we do not engage the next generation.

Over the next two years, we hope to garner the support needed to build our farm. We have already built this farm in our minds and on paper. We have found the land, suppliers, and even have a list of potential employees. We have managed to design a business model that will not only provide such benefits to the environment and the community, but that will also be more profitable than we could have ever dreamed possible. We are searching for angel-investors and like-minded individuals willing to donate to see this happen in their lifetime. We want to celebrate our 60th anniversary in 2013 by opening the farm that will change modern agriculture as we know it. Will you help us make this happen? Please visit us online at www.stitzersgreenhouses.com and help make a difference today!