Wanna trade?
(Page 2 of 3)
February/March 1992
By Don Green
An acre of produce and a half-acre of fruit can provide a family with enough
left over to barter for the other necessities.
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The money provided for the party by the chamber of commerce was only enough to cover the meat and drinks. Since my main commodity in the barter was publicity, I contacted a friend who owned a local restaurant and asked his chef to cook the three sucklings over a hurriedly dug pit, in return for a sign on the skewer promoting his restaurant. Next I called a tent-rental company and offered the same in return for a large open tent. Then I called a square-dance group and band and offered them free food and publicity for their services. On a roll and struck with inspiration, I did the same for a skydiving club, and even got some extra unbartered excitement when one of them landed wrong and broke his leg. (For three times the excitement and publicity, I was hoping the other two would come in for a crash landing; they weren't in the mood. Later, the crippled skydiver returned to the party, cast and all.)
A local beer distributor (and longtime friend) was cajoled into buying some fireworks—simply for the privilege of setting them off. Never underestimate a friend's weird sense of adventure. Finally, I convinced a local hotel owner to send several barmaids to help serve (which contributed considerably to the epidemic of eyestrain among the guests).
In return for all this bartering effort on my part, the farm received much publicity from the party—including the cover story for one magazine and a television spot.
Bartering has even cut my labor costs for the farm in half. By offering a combined package of a $2 an hour plus all the produce and fruit their families can use, my teenage crew of help is always more than I can usually use at one time. One man—a former worker of mine—comes out during harvest season and spends the whole day helping in return for melons for his family. One lady canned my entire winter supply of fruits and vegetables in return for the amount she needed for her family.
My 50 acres of woods have been a virtual gold mine for bartering now that wood is in great demand for woodstoves, furnaces, and fireplaces, which help cut down on rising heating bills. I've traded wood for everything imaginable, even some of my doctor fees. My hog-raising next-door neighbor traded me another half a hog for permission to cut wood in my lot. Having more than enough pork for my taste, I bartered the extra half with a dairy farmer for half a cow for my freezer. I've traded garden produce and melons for eggs and milk.
