July 7, 2000
Back to fulltime farming. It takes a
Leap of Faith

The Weinbergs (l-r)—Mark, Ameera, Kiel, and Dawna—work as a team in their family vegetable farming operation near Victoria.

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

At a time when many farmers are scaling back agricultural activities in order to take off-farm jobs, Victoria County Farm Bureau President Mark Weinberg is doing the exact opposite. This spring, Weinberg has gone from farming on the side to a full-scale vegetable farming operation involving the entire family.

“Back in January, we knew we were in for a major change,” says Weinberg, explaining that he had just been notified that his job as a seed rep was to be eliminated as part of a downsizing effort. “We’ve come full circle. We farmed full-time in Harris County until 1987, when I went to work for Warner. Then I went to part-time farming about six or seven years ago, with David Hempel here in Victoria County. We started growing squash and sweet potatoes and sold them to H-E-B. Now I’m back farming full-time again.”

Weinberg says he and his wife, Dawna, had actually been wanting to take the plunge for several years. They had done quite well farming vegetables in Harris County, until the Safeway chain pulled out of Texas, and Eagle, another customer, closed the same year. Still, they saw potential for growing and marketing vegetables and made it a matter of prayer.

“We did a lot of research on our markets, put a pencil to it, and talked to our banker. Amazingly, he said ‘Go ahead.’ We had specifically prayed that we would be back into full-time farming by the time I was 40 years old. I turned 40 in January and since May 31, I’ve been farming full time. I guess you could say it’s kind of a leap of faith,” says Weinberg.

To get started, Weinberg purchased a used harvester, a 1979 model, for $11,500. And he paid a little over $8,000 for a vibratory table, for sorting and grading peas.

Weinberg’s 15-year-old son, Kiel, and his daughter, Ameera, who is 13, are a vital part of the operation .

“Dawna and the kids are very involved, very supportive, so the battle’s half won. They are physically working right along with me. The kids sell potatoes and stuff here in the neighborhood. We all work and pick the vegetables. It’s hard, but it’s a good life. We enjoy it,” says Weinberg.

The Weinbergs have close to 24 or 25 acres of peas—cream peas, purple hulls, blackeyes. The rest is in watermelons, cantaloupes and squash. They also had cabbage and green beans earlier in the season. As dryland farmers, they have been thankful for the timely rains this year.

“I wish I had planted more cream peas and fewer blackeyes. The market is better for them. We plan to try butter beans again. You can get a good price for them, but the harvesting machine will kick butter beans out,” he notes.

Beginning around February 28, Weinberg planted peas about every 10 days to two weeks up until May 1. Then he cut off and picked through June. He will resume planting this month for the fall harvest.

“You use a row crop planter to plant peas, like you do corn. You can use round seed-corn plates, with a little trial and error,” he suggests. “Planting to harvest is about 65-70 days. We really don’t have a three-week gap. All the peas have slightly different maturity dates.

“The harvester is neat,” Weinberg continues. “You have a stream of peas. A reel brushes the peas off vines. You think it’s going slow until you get a bucket and try to keep up with it. They’re thoroughly picked once and then plowed under to make ready for the next crop. It’s a different kind of operation.”

Weinberg delivers peas and other produce to the market in Houston two or three days a week and Dallas other days.

“My goal is to streamline the operation and get it organized so I can spend less time on the tractor and more time selling. It’s coming,” the Victoria County grower vows.

Weinberg says stink bugs were bad in the first part of May, due to a mild winter. Black-eye mosaic virus, which is transmitted by aphids, is something else he scouts for.

The Victoria County FB leader says he had his eyes opened to value-added and marketing possibilities when he recently participated in Texas Farm Bureau’s agricultural leadership program, AgLead.

“In AgLead III, especially when we got to California, I saw how instead of just growing a product and taking it to the grain elevator, farmers there were trying to market it and get the maximum amount of return. That really made an impression on me. They specialized in some things, and had a whole different attitude than most people in agriculture. It made me start thinking, how can we take what we’re growing and increase its value? It’s a very big thing. Like the bagged salad. Now I’ve seen the little bags of potatoes. People will pay for convenience and if you’re in a position to offer it, you can make more money,” he says.

That’s why a pea sheller is next on Weinberg’s shopping list.

“Right now, our peas get shelled at Houston. There are 10 or 11 shellers there, and they keep them running all day long. Nobody has the time or desire to shell by hand. One day, when we get some shelling equipment, we’re going to get more into retail,” he asserts.

A sheller, which can process about 200 bushels of peas a day, costs about $3,500 used, but Weinberg believes a new, more costly one, may be a wiser investment.

“The new ones are made of stainless steel and plastic, with no wood involved. I think eventually, with FDA (Food and Drug Administration), you will have to worry about bacteria in the wood,” he explains.

The Weinbergs have their heart—and their faith —set on owning their own farm some day.

“We’re leasing everything we farm now,” he says. “ The first thing I’m going to do when I get my own land is to get some kind of water for irrigation, so we can irrigate our squash and grow peppers and other things.

“And then we want to go more into the retail end of it,” he continues. “That extra $4 bucks a bushel retail makes a lot of difference. That’s the way to go, and we’ll eventually get there.”