Like many sectors, the corporate machine has took control over the agriculture business.  The small farmer is finding increasing difficulty in steady month to month income, much less planning on never getting sick.  About 10 years ago, he bought crop insurance at the price of $100 per plant.  A few weeks later a freeze hit, and lost about eighty acres of cabbage.  Jim averaged that he spent about fifty hours making phone calls and his weekly visits to the USDA offices before he was cut a check for $658 from the government.  These insurance policies make sense if you have 1,000 acres and are selling peas to Del Monte.  The larger farms have accountants and lawyers working for them, and can put pressure on their companies for additional aid.  But a farmer like Jim works in the field as well as the business office.  While agricultural subsidies have risen to record levels, the prices American farmers receive for crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton and rice have fallen 40% since 1996.   Large companies dominate the market.  Cargill controls about 25% of global grain production.  Monsanto and Pioneer, control 60% of the US corn and soybean seed market.  This percentage control gives these companies power to set prices, and create relationships with government agencies, state representatives and portfolio advisors.  

When you come to our market, stop by the Hanka booth, and see how their family grows and sells sweet corn, as well as Napa Cabbage, radishes, lettuces, carrots, peppers, kale, chard, tomatoes, collards, mustards, and on rare seasonal occasions, bananas.

We would like to thank Cameron Management for the use of their parking lot and support in our market and we would not be able to reach our customer base without them.  We are also grateful for the management of 3100 Richmond, whose parking lot our customers use to park in.  Please refrain from parking at the front of 3100 Richmond, as the building is under repair after the roof collapsed during Hurricane Ike.

Urban Harvest offers gardening classes and more advanced programs related to permaculture, irrigation and basic farming techniques.  We also give support to affiliated community gardens.  Our School and Youth Program works with various Houston area elementary schools, where we build gardens, teach plant science and allow the child to eat what they grow!