updated by Cheryl, 11/15/06

General Fund +$1000 (passed Sept 16)

Committee Budgets +$300 (added ‘late’)

Washer and Dryer +$500 (passed Sept 16)

Totals $1800

Total Old Funds $2175.41

Total Budget $3975.41

- $1,395 (WOODS expenses: $1185 tools, lumber; $210 mulch)

- $150.48 (Workday expenses)

- $590.97 (lumber, misc. supplies)

- $434.76 (compost, misc. supplies)

Total Expenditures -$2420.94

Total Budget $1554.47 ($1000 dedicated to Farm Manager/Assistant Salary)

Total Budget as of May 2007 ~ $1200

Town Meeting Giveaway +$2400 (Greenhouse)

General Fund +$1000 (Farm Manager salary)

Committee Budgets N/A

Washer and Dryer N/A

Totals $3400

Total Budget $3400

-$172 (compost/ piping for water system)

-$52.59 (tarp/straw/food for workday)

Totals -$224.59

Total Budget $2175.41

i. Design Phase

After completing our student-led permacultural design, we would like to have it evaluated by a professional permaculture designer, in order to correct any oversights and to work out details. Based on a rough estimate from Dave Jacke, a permaculture designer based in Keene, New Hampshire, a fee of approximately $350 would be required for this consultation. We therefore request the following amount for designing the farm:

Permacultural Analysis: $350

ii. Construction Phase

We have based our recommended our greenhouse design based in no small part on ease of construction. Our current design would require a team of students about three days to construct. While some construction experience and construction tools may be needed, we feel confident that we can recruit enough volunteer help from staff, faculty, alumni, and friends of the college that we do not require any paid services. Already we have received a large amount of 2x4 wood planks, donated by Mark Crowther. We therefore request the following amount for building supplies:

Greenhouse Construction: $1,650

iii. Annual Expenditures

We hope to fund all annual expenditures by selling our crops. However, because we cannot gauge what amount this will come to very precisely, we request that the Selectboard grant us sufficient funds to cover the first two years of annual expenses. This would provide a test of our plan, giving us the time to establish a system with the kitchen, assess our financial sustainability, and pursue outside grants and funding if needed.

Because organization is so crucial to ensuring the success of the project, salaries for the Farm Manager (and an optional Assistant Manager salary) are vital to ensure a job well done. The salary approximately reflects the amount of hours that Farm Manager is expected to commit, so that it is roughly equivalent to the current wage for Work-study positions. If it becomes evident that the Farm Manager position does not require an intensive workload, or that the community feels that such a position ought to be unpaid as a matter of principal, or that our annual income cannot support the current pay scale, then the Farm Manager salary is open to negotiation or negation.

Additional annual expenses include: structural greenhouse improvements and repairs and purchase of seeds and tools (the current farm shed already has a basic tool selection). Donations from the community may help reduce or negate these costs. In addition, we hope to support ‘professional development,’ or educational opportunities for the Farm Manager and the community, such as inviting local farmers to teach techniques, and offering trips to festivals and workshops. These funds, however, we think would be best requested as-needed from the appropriate committee, viz. Outing Committee, Lectures Committee, Work Day funds, etc.

Unfortunately, a gap in leadership occurs during the longer vacation periods of winter and spring break. During these periods, the Farm Manager would seek to recruit the help of local faculty, staff, and nearby farmers to ensure continuity of basic tasks. While they would solicit volunteer help first, funding should be made available to hire help if no volunteers can be found. Since the Farm Manager could ensure that all major tasks are performed right before and right after the vacations, the amount of time requested from the volunteer would be minimal. For winter and spring vacations, we anticipate approximately 1 hour of work per day, for a total of approximately 20 hours of work, plus commute time. Therefore, we should be prepared to offer in the range of $200-300 for each break. Again, this budget is more a safety precaution during the pilot phase, and will hopefully be unnecessary once we can establish a reliable network of local volunteers. We therefore request the following amounts for annual expenditures during a two-year pilot operation of the farm, allowing us the start-up period to adjust a financially self-sustainable model:

Farm Manager Salary: $2,000 / year School Vacation Substitute: $500 / year Seeds: $75 / year Tools: $250

http://cs.marlboro.edu/ courses/ campus_farm/ wiki/ Farm_committee_budget
last modified Thursday May 3 2007 9:52 am EDT