Dave Hale - Hale's Apple Farm

How did you become a farmer?

I was sitting in the lifeguard chair watching the river roll on by, and decided that I wanted to contribute something to society that was positive - so I decided to feed people.

How long have you been farming?

I’ve been farming since 1978, but the farm has been passed down to different family members since 1883.

Has the farm changed over the years?

There was a time where I would farm about 90 acres in a given year, but I think it's a little closer to around 20 acres right now. It’s not that I don’t have the land, I could grow considerably more, but I can’t sell at a price that meets production costs. That’s why I’ve moved into direct marketing to make a living at this. Factory farming can pump out a million boxes a year, and if they make a dollar a box, they’re making money. I make a dollar a box… I starve to death. There’s no profit for me that way.

How have you approached direct marketing?

For the past few years, we’ve been doing sales at the ranch and have committed to doing three or so markets a week. There was a time when we were selling at 12 different markets in a week but it became a little overwhelming. I couldn’t be in two places at once and would send employees to work other markets that ran the same day, which isn’t always the best thing to do. It’s great if they’re as knowledgeable about the product as the grower, but that’s not always the case. The initiation of conversation between the consumer and the grower is important, that’s what’s great about farmers' markets.

How are your apples different from the grocery store’s?

The first thing is that all of their fruit was picked during the harvest months of August through November, so anything you’re seeing now has been in cold storage. I grow tree-ripened fruit that is picked the day before the market. If I’m going to be selling at the market on Sunday, we’re out picking on Saturday. Commercial growers don’t wait until their fruit is mature, they pick them green. They’re hard as a rock so they don’t bruise, which allows them to have a long shelf life.

What does that do for the flavor?

Commercial growers don’t market flavor, they market color. In any advertisement you’re shown images of perfectly shaped, vibrantly colored apples, but in reality that perfect specimen doesn’t exist. You can go to the store right now and bite into a beautiful Golden or a good looking Fuji and you’re going to taste refrigeration. When the fruit is picked prematurely, it hasn’t had time to develop the correct sugar-to-acid ratios that give it that good flavor.

What method of farming do you implement on your farm and why?

I farm conventionally. The differences between my farm and a commercial farm are quality and volume. They’re not selling the product, they're selling a commodity, and when you sell a commodity, the only thing you’re concerned with is the number of boxes you’re shipping out. I can’t have that mentality. I don’t produce anywhere near the same numbers as a commercial farm and I have an obligation to my customers. My focus is growing the best quality, tree-ripened fruit that I can.

What do you like about the people in Marin?

I like the energy of this community.

Why should people shop at farmers' markets?

The most obvious reason being that they can learn where their food comes from. They can meet the farmer and get a good idea about their food supply. Plus, look at all the chefs from local restaurants that come down to the markets, especially on Thursdays. They take away boxes of this stuff because they know the quality of the produce. Like those of us selling at the market, if they serve something bad at their restaurant, their customers won’t be coming back either.