I certainly appreciate all Joel Salatin has done to bring awareness of real foods to our communities. However, this seems like an indecent charge for breakfast and lunch, plus a few hours of his time in a hay wagon. They used to limit the attendance to 100, but even if that's all they still allow, 100 people x $250 each (if they register early) is $25,000 for a day, less expenses for 2 meals, but still makes a very profitable day for a farmer.
I guess I've become jaded at those who are greedy about making money off the very necessary fight to get real foods back into our system.
Celebration! At Polyface - Premium, September 7, 2013
Farmstead Breakfast, Lunch & Premium Tour with Joel Salatin
8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at Polyface Farm, Swoope, VA
Early Bird Tickets: $250 per adult ($100 per child under 10)
Experience the early morning magic of Polyface, with breakfast, lunch and an in depth 2 ½ hour hay wagon tour with America's most famous farmer.
Here's what's in store for you:
• Farmstead Breakfast with Polyface Fare
• 2½-hour Premium Hay Wagon Tour with Joel Salatin
• Farmstead Lunch with the Salatin Family, Staff and Interns
• Winetasting - Virginia and Organic Wines
• $10 Polyface Farm Store Gift Certificate
• Children's Activities
• 6 Hours of Polyface Bliss!
• Remarks from Special Guests - Sally Fallon Morell, Robb Wolf, Jenny McGruther and more!
I'd say $100 adult and $25 child then run it for a few weekends. They'd get a higher attendance and probably make more if they offered farm produce for sale too.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what he gets for his meats, or produce. I know the nearby stores that sell his eggs charge $5 a dozen.
DeleteIt's not cheap to raise chickens for eggs, but all of his are primarily pastured so they get some of their food that way. I'm sure Joel also feeds them grain, and there's the expense of moving the chicken tractors to follow the cattle every day or 2.
That certainly is pretty pricey. Even at $100/day it's pricey.
ReplyDeleteAnd my eggs are soon going to $5/doz from $4.50 because the grain is over $27/50#. Eggs should be $6/doz. but that's what certified organic gets in the stores, and we aren't, and never will be, certified. So I can't get that price.
I wouldn't mind paying $5 if I knew the grain was GMO-free. One of the men at the Farmer's Market quit raising chicks for eggs when he no longer could get non-GMO grain within 200 miles of here.
DeleteSupply and demand. If folks don't want to pay that much, they won't. Then the price will go down.
ReplyDeleteI love that folks can still make money in America in a free market. When folks don't like the product, it doesn't sell. If they do, it will sell for more.
I don't see that as greed, but as the freedom to run a business however a person sees fit...and the freedom not to buy as a person sees fit.
:D