Welcom back my friends

Well.. Simon and Garfunkel did Bridge Over Troubled Water...

When youre weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
Im on your side. when times get rough
And friends just cant be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

When youre down and out,
When youre on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
Ill take your part.
When darkness comes
And pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Sail on silvergirl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
Im sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm cool like the other side of the pillow...

Somebody's watching me..

SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME.. WATCHING YOU.. WATCHING ME..

Anyone remember the rest of those lyrics.. well that song is sticking in my head for some reason. Seems this past week of being chased around the internet by a group of cyberstalkers has got me singing in my head alot. Anyone know any good songs?

Now.. for the next installment of what's been going on in the past 2-3 days... I'm being chased by a group that includes police officers and computer experts. I'm trying to keep all my friends out of it. But when they start talking in code like they think it's some kind of divinci code or something.. about sending viruses to my friends computers.. that's just nasty rotten stuff. I'd like everyone watching me to stand clear. And Craig.. don't do the grunt work yourself.. tell your puppet master not to send a boy to do a mans job. OK? You're just too easy to trap. NOt like the rats aren't always the frist to be seen.. but the bigger they are the easier they are to take down. You want to keep stalking me.. leave my friends out of it.

"The Master of Disaster,"
"The King of Sting,"
"The Dancing Destroyer,"
"The Count of Monte Fisto"
"The One, The Only"


Anyways.. whenever you guys need some valuable words of advice.. just look for Country Gma's words of wisdom.. she was far smarter than the whole lot of ya. http://www.idigmygarden.com/forums/group.php?groupid=18

And now the truth is starting to reveal itself. And no folks.. i'm not talking with any ghosts..

www.tughillcam.com
~
Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything.

I'll follow your words of wisdom anyday too.. just be carefull who watches what you say over there. Alot of you others too.. you have no idea how long this has been going on. It goes back years. Do your own investigation and see who's been chasing you all the time. It's easy. Just post.. then wait 5 minutes and take a screenshot of the people reading that post. So simple a 12 yo could do it.

Between the two, my life flows. - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
~
When a voice in your ear, speaks of faith, not of fear,
and tells you to go be a doer... Give heed to the voice that makes
Love your first choice, and throw protocol down the sewer. - Johnny Hart's BC 1989
~
If they were right, I'd agree- but it's them they know, not me - Cat Stevens

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

Welcome everyone... those of you who know me from different forumns.. i know i've been talking about putting my business plan up in here on my blog.

Well here's a start. Don't know how much i'll get thru today since i haven't been feeling well lately. I've been having migraine headaches for the past week and sometimes i just don't feel like getting out of bed much less getting online.

But, i did say i'd post something in here. So here's a start anyways.

Now those who don't know me from other places.. just so you'll know i'm starting up a new seed company next year. My plan is to file the paperwork for incorporation on Jan 1st. And to go along with all the other paperwork i'm working on a business plan. I've been talking bout it for months now.. and it just seems i'm not coming thru with all the advice i've been giving on the forumn you can see linked to the title here. I've actually been doing little bits here and there.. and there's still more refining i need to do before Jan 1st. But here's the rough draft.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART 1. Executive Summary
(1A) MISSION STATEMENT
(1B) VISION STATEMENT
PART 2. Company Description
(2A) HISTORY -BIO OF KEY MANAGERS
(2B) OWNERSHIP - LEGAL FORM
(2C) START UP PLAN
(2D) START UP COSTS
PART 3. Market Analysis
(3A) TARGET MARKET - SEGMENTATION
(3B) MARKET TRENDS AND FORECASTS
(3C) MARKET GROWTH
PART 4. Organization & Management
(4A) KEY MEMBERS
(4B) MANAGEMENT PLANS
(4C) PERSONEL PLANS
PART 5. Product Line - Services
(5A) WHAT WE SELL
(5B) COMPETIVE EDGE - BENEFITS/FEATURES
(5C) SOURCING
(5D) PRICING
PART 6. Marketing & Sales Management
(6A) WEBSITE SALES
(6B) CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
(6C) OTHER SALES SOURCES/CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
PART 7. Strategy/Implementation (Funding)
(7A) START UP COSTS
(7B) CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS
PART 8. Financials
(8A) PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET

Appendix
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 1: The Executive Summary

MISSION STATEMENT: TO MAKE SEEDS OF EVERY OPEN POLLINATED VEGETABLE VARIETY AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE ON THE PLANET. (I could expand this to include flowers and all other types of plants. And i could go farther and say at affordable or low cost. But, those are future missions. This one will work for now)

VISION STATEMENT: TO BE THE PREMIER SOURCE OF SEEDS TO ALL SEEDSAVERS WORLDWIDE. TO BE THE PIONEER IN MAKING ALL OPEN POLLINATED VARIETIES AVAILABLE UNIVERSALLY AT LOW COST.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR HOME GARDENERS AND FARMERS AROUND THE WORLD TO BE ABLE TO CHOOSE ANY VARIETY THEY WANT TO GROW. TO MAKE SEEDS OF EVERY OPEN POLLINATED VARIETY OF SEED AND EVERY NEW CREATION WHICH BECOMES AVAILABLE IN THE YEARS TO COME. FROM INTENTIONAL CROSSES AS WELL AS OLD HEIRLOOM VARIETIES.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO HAVE THE LARGEST SELECTION OF THESE SEEDS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND TO ALWAYS BE SEEKING OUT AND OFFERING ANY THAT WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE.
OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO GIVE PEOPLE CHOICES AND TO BRING BACK ALL OF THE GENETIC HERITAGE OF ALL VEGETABLES THAT ARE BEING DOOMED TO EXTINCTION OTHERWISE.

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: IT IS OUR PHILOSOPHY NOT TO BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE BOTTOM LINE AS WE ARE ABOUT BRINGING BACK NEGLECTED AND LOST VARIETIES INTO THE MAINSTREAM GARENENING COMMUNITY. OUR PHILOSOPHY IS TO NOT DISCOURAGE SEED SAVING AND TRADING BUT TO ENCOURAGE IT. THE PHILOSOPHY IS THAT THE PLANTS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY... ANY MEANS WE CAN BRING OLD NEGLECTED VARIETIES BACK TO LIFE WILL BE PROMOTED.

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PART 2. Company Description
(2A) HISTORY -BIO OF KEY MANAGERS
My Name is David Thompson. My former experience has been 30 years of self employment thru the creation of several forms of ownership of businesses i've created. My most recent, although unpaid experience has been as a co-founder and board member of a non-profit corporation... holding various offices the highest of which was vice president for the first five years. I'm since retired after 10 years of service to the nonprofit corp and left only after they were well managed and had multi-million dollar annual operating budgets.

As of this time.. all postitions are still being recruited for. At beginning of start up i will assume the role of president and all unfilled positions until such time as those roles can be delegated amongst interested shareholders. At start up and until we have our first election all management decisions will be decided by myself. During start up phase all postitions will be filled by appointment. First annual election will take place Jun 11th of 2009 and every year thereafter.

(2B) OWNERSHIP - LEGAL FORM
To accomplish these Missions, Goals, Objectives and Philosophies we are beginning by incorporating in the state of Michigan as a Sub-chapter S corporation. We will begin as a business on Jan 1, 2009. We are still seeking and enlisting personel and shareholders from around the world. Being an S corp we are limited to 35 shareholders and intend to start with a board of directors of up to 9 members from key areas of our management.

(2C) START UP PLAN
Start up plan is to acquire adequate seed inventory thru our growers network and commercial sources, to produce a database for all the information on each variety, and to prepare a website for the purpose of selling to the public. Additional start up plans include preparing an email list of possible customers, continuing to increase our growers networks, and persuing various marketing ideas as time and resources allow.

(2D) START UP COSTS
Our start up budget is simple... we're starting with nothing and working our way up from there. When we say nothing we mean money. What we have is seeds.. we have a start up inventory of over 10,000 varieties of seeds. Should we go and sell our stock of starter seeds on the open market they would have a value of well over $100,000 retail. However since seeds are perishable.. our intention is to do seed increases on all our inventory to produce the freshest seed possible to put back into our inventory. With proper storage these seeds will have a shelf life of 3-5 years for most types of vegetables. With our network of growers we intend to increase our seed stock 10 fold every year.

Our major start up costs will be in the areas of:
Website design and development
Packaging supplies
New inventory
Labor and time for producing finshed packets
Marketing and advertizing
Accounting and bookeeping services

Other costs will be the incorporation fees, research and development(trials), and consultant costs. These costs will be provided for by my personal investment of time and money... Equity from shareholders.. and Sales.

What we have is a network of growers to help increase and resupply the corporation with fresh seed. Currently we have over 50 growers who will be doing increases the first year. Seeings we are operating on a thread budget.. our growers are encouraged to accept stock in exchange for payment... however cash purchases are there for those who select not to become part of the organization.

(MORE TO FOLLOW)
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PART 3. Market Analysis
(3A) TARGET MARKET - SEGMENTATION
OUR TARGET MARKET IS THE HOME GARDENER, FRESH MARKET GROWER, FARMERS, RESEARCHERS, EDUCATORS, SEED COMPANIES AND BREEDERS.

This pretty much includes everyone who grows any vegetable for any reason. About the only people not part of our target market will be large commercial produce suppliers who perfer to grow only hybrids. At start up and for a majority of our mission we will be catering to the researchers, breeders, and educators along with the home gardener and market gardeners who are interested in saving their own seed for future crops, trading, or reselling themselves. Other seed companies are expected to be a large portion of our customer base. These will be encouraged both as part of our mission and as a means of increasing profits.

(3B) MARKET TRENDS AND FORECASTS
The current seed market is becoming more and more interested in open pollinated and heirloom vegetable varieties. More and more heirloom seed companies are making some of what we have to offer available to the general public.

Currently there is a growing interest in people saving their own seeds from open pollinated varieties.

There is an ever increasing interest in seed trading amongst both those who save seeds and those looking to get into saving seeds.

Recently many people have been falling on harder economic times... many of these people are now seeking to produce their own food at least in some small measure by growing their own vegetable gardens for the first time.

Simoultaneosly there is an ever increasing push by large Major Corporations like Monsanto to shut out the small seed companies. To remove open pollinated varieties from the choices growers could have. And to develop new terminator type crops where no seeds at all could be saved whether hybrid or not.

We are forecasting that these trends will continue, and will grow as economic times remain uncertain. With recent food contamination scares and ever increasing food costs due to higher transportaion costs.. we predict more people than ever before will begin to grow some food crops.

We're also predicting that unless corporations like Monsanto can be curbed.. there will be an ever decreasing supply of open pollinated seeds. We predict that there will be huge struggles for many small independant seed companies to survive. Being geared to a slightly different customer we predict that we can prosper and grow where others will be failing. We predict the market will continue to grow amongst our target customers for all the reasons stated above in the current trends.

(3C) MARKET GROWTH
Market growth is expected to be exponential for the foreseeable future. Current trends are expected to escalate as the economy worsens and more people are given access to our seeds.

We are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this growth potential. No other company will have the selection or mission we have. Other organizations have either one or the other.. but neither in the magnitude that we have.. we are unique in our set up. And our objective is to take advantage of these trends which just happen to suit our purposes perfectly.

Historical records and patterns are unreliable when forecasting the future market. Since these are new trends for the most part there are no histories of how our customer base will grow. Only two other companies we know of even come close to our missions and objectives. Those would be Baker Creek which is a seed company that specializes in heirloom varieties, and Seed Savers exchange which is a non-profit that collects and encourages "selling" of open pollinated seeds amongst it's paid membership. Both have enjoyed huge success over the past ten years or so due to the increasing demand for varieties that the home gardener can grow and save their own seeds from. BC has gone from a customer base of 500 to over 30,000 in ten years... and SSE has been having some internal problems as of late, however they still have over 700 members who sell seeds thru their yearbooks and at one time had over 1000.
Our company is not like either of these two... we have the best features of both.. plus the best features we've observed from several other companies whether they sell heirlooms or not.
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PART 4. Organization & Management
(4A) KEY MEMBERS
Key members from our management team will be for the following..
Director of internet business
Director of sales and marketing
Director of research and development
Director of personnel
Executive Director

Additional elected positions for the Board of Directors shall be:
President
Vice-president
Secretary
Treasurer

Directors may at times perform multiple roles.

(4B) MANAGEMENT PLANS
Each of our teams will be intergrated and overlapping. Some personel or independant contractors will be answering to more than one director. The directors will be reporting to the BofD monthly and to the Executive director during daily operations.

(4C) PERSONEL PLANS

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PART 5. Product Line - Services
(5A) COMPETIVE EDGE - BENEFITS/FEATURES
OUR EDGE IS THAT WE ARE UNIQUE, THAT OUR MARKET IS HUGELY UNTAPPED, AND THAT WE ARE ABLE TO ADAPT TO FILL THE NEEDS OF THIS MARKET.
THE BENEFIT OF BEING A NEW COMPANY IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO TAILOR OUR OPERATIONS AND OUR PRODUCTS TO A NEED THAT IS JUST NOW DEVELOPING ITSELF.

(5B) WHAT WE SELL
WHAT WE SELL IS FREEDOM. FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT ONE WOULD WANT TO GROW. FREEDOM TO SAVE YOUR OWN SEED IF YOU DESIRE TO. AND FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU EAT

OUR PRODUCTS ARE SEEDS, SEED GROWING SUPPLIES, SEED SAVING SUPPLIES, BOOKS AND INSTRUCIONAL MATERIALS; AND OPPORTUNITY! OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE..TO GROW.. TO SAVE; OPPORTUNITY TO FIGHT AGAINST GMO'S, OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE ENDANGERED SPECIES, AND OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE MONEY BY GROWING VEGETABLE SEEDS.

OUR COMPANY IS UNIQUE IN WHAT WE OFFER.. NO OTHER COMPANY IN THE WORLD IS SET UP TO PROVIDE ALL OF THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME.

(5C) SOURCING
SOURCING FOR PACKAGING AND PRODUCTION SUPPLIES ARE MANY... THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF LOW COST SOURCES OF SUPPLIES FOR PRODUCING OUR PACKAGING

SOURCING FOR OUR SEEDS WILL COME PRIMARILY FROM OUR NETWORK OF GROWERS. SOME SEEDS WILL BE PURCHASED IN BULK FROM WHOLESALE SOURCES SUCH AS MOUNTAIN VALLEY SEED, BUNTONS, OR NEW ENGLAND SEED COMPANY AS WELL AS ANY OTHERS WE SEE FIT.

ADDITIONAL STOCKS OF SEEDS WILL COME FROM OUR UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR CUSTOMERS. OFFERS WILL BE MADE FOR ANY/ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO SELL BACK ANY SEED INCREASES THEY MAY MAKE.. PROVIDED WE NEED THEM AND WE HAVE NO OTHER MEANS OF SECURING THOSE VARIETIES THRU OUR OWN SEED GROWER NETWORK OR COMMERCIAL SUPPLIERS.

(5D) Pricing
Whereas we've observed over years of seed trading that many of the people which will make up our customer base usually request very small amounts of seed. We beleive we should cater to this market by making small sample size packets available. Market research has also shown that most of our customer base perfers large selection to choose from. We will also be catering to that need as well.

Our pricing structure will be two fold. One will be competitive with any competition. Just slightly under the average. IE $2/pk of 20-30 seeds where the average would be $2.25. With this price structure we will produce profits in the 1000% range. Our second more affordable structure will be the lowest we intend to go at just over 100% of production costs.. IE most 20-30 sd pkts will cost mere pennies to produce, packaging being the most expensive portion of that at 5-10 cents/pkt. With 100% markup these could easily be sold for 25 cents or less range. This will be our minimal allowable sale price.

We have done market research to see where our customer base is at on their opinions about pricing. Research shows that we have a customer that perceives higher prices with higher quality. We also have those who seek lower prices with the perception that lower prices equate to better value. We intend to capture both of those types of customers by pricing our products at the high end of the scale. Seeings many of our seed varieties are extremely rare and there are no other companies even able to offer these. And seeings by the nature of our products being re-usable year after year. We intend to use the higher price structure during the peak buying season, and adjusting for buying trends by having sale price discounts and other offers as demand changes. For example during beginning of buying season offering up to 50% discounts as season progresses dropping the discounts gradually to 20% during peak demand months.. and then reverting to the higher discounts as the season wanes.. again back up to 50-60% discounts. This will be done due to the fact that our products will have expiration periods of one year after testing and we will be trying to use up all the inventory that's packaged by year end. At the end months of the expiration period we will be the closest to our minimal allowable price structure.. at the peak we will be closest to our highest price structure.

Now in order to cater to the demands of our customers seeking low count seed packages we intend to offer what we call trial size or sample size packets with as low as a half dozen seeds per pack. Larger type seeds will be in the dozen count range. Research has shown comparable products offered by a tiny number of seed companies are priced at 35 cents for such sample packets. Where as our products for the most part will be unavailable anywhere else we feel the market will support prices in the 50cent to 90 cent range, and we will offer the common varieties which we can buy in bulk from wholesalers at even less than the 35 cent range. Our biggest limitation on how low we can go is the packaging costs. It costs the same amount for packaging for sample size as it will for regular size. Whereas our seed cost will be neglegibile our bottom line cost will have to be double what our packaging cost is to make our minimal profit margin.

Regular size and bulk size packages will still be at the price structures described above. It is still our intention to label our seed counts by using the 1/2dz, dozen, gram, or ounce quantities in order to set ourselves apart from other companies who count seeds. We beleive it adds to the perceived value the customer beleives in and makes direct comparison difficult for them between our products and other companies.
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PART 6. Marketing & Sales Management
(6A) WEBSITE SALES
WEBSITE SALES WILL BE OUR ONLY SOURCE OF INCOME DURING THE START UP PERIOD OF OUR COMPANY. WE INTEND TO DO FULL SCALE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS TO SECURE THESE CUSTOMERS THRU THE INTERNET.

(6B) CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
OUR MAIN ATTRACTION TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS IS OUR SELECTION. OUR PRODUCT LINE THAT IS SO RARE IT CAN BE FOUND NO WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD ALL IN ONE PLACE. INITIALLY WE INTEND TO DRAW THESE CUSTOMERS TO OUR PRODUCTS BY MEANS OF REFERALS. WE INTEND TO AMASS AN EMAIL LIST OF SEVERAL THOUSAND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS BEFORE EVEN BEGINNING OPERATIONS. CURRENTLY WE HAVE OVER A THOUSAND POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS FROM EMAIL LISTS COMPILED FROM GARDENING GROUPS AND FROM FORMER CUSTOMERS WHICH THE FOUNDER HAD OPERATING AN EBAY BUSINESS. THIS LIST IS EXPECTED TO NUMBER UP TO THE TENS OF THOUSANDS BY THE TIME BUSINESS BEGINS. IT IS EXPECTED TO BE CULLED FROM NUMEROUS GARDEN FORUMN MEMBERSHIPS AND THRU OTHER MEANS. IN ADDITION TO THE EMAIL LISTS.. WORD OF MOUTH IS EXPECTED TO DRAW MANY MORE CUSTOMERS THRU MESSAGES AND MENTIONS IN VARIOUS FORUMNS AND BLOGS. AS A MEANS OF ACQUIRING AND RETAINING CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESSES OF POTENTIAL AND CURRENT CUSTOMERS WE WILL BE PUBLISHING A NEWSLETTER TO BE PUT OUT QUARTERLY AT CRITICAL PURCHASING PERIODS WHERE ANYONE CAN SUBSCRIBE TO IT. THIS FREE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER WILL BE PLACED AT VARIOUS WEBSITES, FORUMS AND BLOGS; AS WELL AS OUR OWN HOMEPAGE.

(6C) OTHER SALES SOURCES/CUSTOMER ATTRACTION
OTHER SOURCES WILL BE FROM PLACING OUR WEBSITE ADDRESS ON EVERY SEED PACKAGE, EVERY CORRESPONDENCE, EVERY ADVERTISMENT, AND BASICALLY EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.

WE INTEND TO BEGIN WITH JUST EMAILS AND WEB REFERALS... THE FREE NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTIONS, AND WORD OF MOUTH.

OTHER FUTURE MEANS WILL BE WITH POSTERS AND FLYERS WHICH CAN BE DISTRUTED AROUND FARMERS MARKETS. SEED DISPLAY RACKS WHICH WE CAN MAKE AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE SUPPLIERS AT THESE MARKETS. SEEDS WILL OF COURSE HAVE OUR WEBSITE AND CONTACT INFO ON THEM... AND WE INTEND TO MAKE THOSE FROM COMMON WELL KNOWN VARIETIES AT SUBSTANTIONALLY REDUCED COSTS IN ORDER TO GIVE INCENTIVE TO STAND OPERATORS TO DISPLAY THEM.

MAGAZINE ADS WILL BE TAKEN OUT IN MAJOR GARDENING ADS WHEN THE BUDGET PERMITS THOSE. AGAIN AS ALWAYS.. WEBSITE ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFO WILL BE IN THOSE ADS AND QUITE POSSIBLY SOME LOSS LEADER PRODUCTS JUST TO DRAW CUSTOMERS IN.

FUTURE PLANS INCLUDE PRODUCING A PRODUCT CATALOG.. FIRST IN DOWNLOADABLE PDF FORMAT, THEN IN HARDCOPY FORM.. WHICH WE WILL HAVE TO CHARGE FOR THIS CATALOG TO COVER PRINTING COSTS AT FIRST.. THEN PROVIDE YEARLY ADDENDUMS FOR FREE TO THOSE WHO DO PURCHASE THRU THEM.

FUTURE PLANS ALSO INCLUDE DEVELOPING AND MAKING AVAILABLE SEED SELLING KITS TO NON PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS. AGAIN AT OUR COST TO THE GROUPS.. AND AGAIN ALL WITH WEBSITE ADDRESS ON PACKETS AND MATERIALS.

OTHER OPTIONS ARE TO SELL EXTRA KITS ON EBAY AT A LOSS JUST TO GET THE SEED PACKETS DISTRUBUTED. LOTS OF 1000 PACKETS OR MORE. THE KEY BEING OUR CONTACT INFO WILL BE ON EVERYTHING.

FURTHER IN THE FUTURE WE INTEND TO GET INTO THE RETAIL STORES.. POSSIBLY DOLLAR STORES OR GARDENING CHAINS THRU OUR DISPLAY RACKS.
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PART 7. Strategy/Implementation (Funding)
(7A) START UP COSTS
Start up costs:
1) will be the cost of setting up and maintaining a website.
2) the cost of acquiring and searching out potential customers email addresses
3) Supplies for packaging and shipping
4) Office supplies
5) Inventory and new acquistions for trials (R&D)
6) Phone, Bank fees,
7) Employee pay
8) Independant contractor and consultant fees
9) Incorporation fees and accountant fees
10) Miscellaneous maintance fees

(7B) CASH FLOW PROJECTIONS
The expected financial outlay will be on an as needed/as used basis.
First or prior month costs
(7A1) $500 or less labor for setup, $7.95 per month thereafter... upgrade fees as needed for improvements and maintance.
(7A2) Allocating $500 for person to compile and service email lists.
(7A3) For first month sales of 1000 units.. $50 seed packets, $100 mailers.
(7A4) Printer cartridges, paper, software, postal scales.. $150
(7A5) Payments to suppliers of bulk seed & commercial purchases $1000
(7A6) None yet.. no bank fees yet either. Possibly paypal fees on per order basis
(7A7) As only employee.. $500/month reimbursed as either cash if available or stock
(7A8) None allocated first month.. see (7A5)for growers re-imbursment
(7A9) Incorporation fees $200, Same as (7A7) for my own time and labor
(7a10) Unknown at this time.

Total expected costs prior to and during first month operations $3,000

The income is expected to be slow the first month.. due to seasonality of seed buying demand and our own time needed to attract customers.

Potential customers we could attract first month would hopefully be 200. This will be accomplished by emailing potential customers, thru posting links on gardening forumns, and thru word of mouth of friends. Potential sales from 1000 emails send to potential customers would be $5,000

Expected costs for second and subsequent months
(7A1) $7.95
(7A2) $500
(7A3) $150 + $150 for additional 1000 units in case of increased demand
(7A4) $150
(7A5) $500 (expected to go down due to already having enough inventory)
(7A6) $80 paypal fee + $150 in commission fees
(7A7) $500 ($500 in stock for my services)
(7A8) $500 growers fees for supplies
(7A9) None
(7A10) Still unknown
Total costs $3,000* or less

Second month.. expected sales should increase because of the seasonality of purchases. Expected outreach to more potential customers, and expected referals.
Goal of 300 new customers and repeat customers from month one. Potential sales could be $7,500

Third and Fourth month... expected to peak for sales. Continued emailing and re-suppling to remain same. (7A3) Sufficient for up to 2000 units in sales.
Total costs remain at $3,000
Expected potential sales $10,000
Both months expecting 400 customers, new and repeat.

Fifth month sales expecting to decline due to seasonality. Bulk of tomato and indoor plant started seeds to decline... spring, summer type crops to increase.
Still expecting costs to remain at prior months, even if we end up with surplus inventory and supplies. Total $3,000
Expected sales $7,500

Sixth month... declining sales.. No more need for email expenses. (7A2) and (7A5) no longer required. Expected costs $2000 Expected Sales $5,000

Months 7-12, no appreciable sales expected. Maintenace and upgrading costs to be expected to rise. Maintaining website and other monthly expenses $600 or less. One time end of year accountant fee $1,000-$2,000

Total expected costs year one: $20,000 Total expected Income: $35,000 total profits: $15,000

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PART 8. Financials
(8A) PROJECTED BALANCE SHEET
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APPENDIX:


Ok.. that's all i can do for today. I got a brain tumor or something..my head is killing me. I know it's a mess still. I've just been cutting and pasting things out of my notepad files. I realize it's incomplete and it's gonna need alot of changes. Some things are just from getting ahead of myself and not actually having the info to put in here. Others are just cause i haven't taken the time to actually sit down and work out the details yet. But, i will come back and edit this too as i get time. Don't laugh at it yet.. i'll fix it later.

Dave

స్టిల్ లేఅర్నింగ్ హౌ థిస్ వర్క్స్.

Well everyone..

I'm still learning about blogging. I know i said i probably won't be posting lists of the seeds i have available to trade. But, i think i will now... least the smaller, easier to ship ones. Later on in this post i'll put a list of the tomato seeds i have available which i grew out in 2007.

As for what i'm up to today.. i'm still working on getting together a business plan and taking care of alot of other things i'll be needing to do to start up a new seed company next fall. Anyone who wants to hear about all that boring stuff is more than welcome to follow along as i chronicle my progress on a friend of mine's forumn; http://alanbishop.proboards60.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=youself&thread=1501&page=3#16327

Now i suppose i will post a list of something in here so that anyone who does read this blog from another friend of mine's blog wants to trade. http://www.patnsteph.net/weblog/?p=457

You can find both of their blogs on my favorites list.. but i'm still learning how to do things here on this blog so i wanted to see how the html works in messages. Bear with me!! Here's a short list of tomatoes:

HERE'S MY 2007 NOTES FOR SOME:

T002 UNNAMED CZECH REP S-DET
7 1/2 FT TALL, 3-7/CLUST, OBL/FLT,
2-4oz 3 1/2"X 1 1/2"THICK, 8-16L,
STRONG RICH TOMATO FLAVOR, HEAVY FRUITSET

T003 UNNAMED FROM MEXICO IND
PLANT 12-13' EARLY/MID 3-6/C 2 OZ+ 4-8L
THIN SKIN, PEELS W/O KNIFE. GAP BETW SDS & FLSH,
JUICY NICE FLAVOR COULD B A GOOD STUFFER BUT MAYB 2 JUICY & SOFT

T004 "184" IND, LATE SEASON
4"x3x2"THCK, BOAT SHAPED,
20+ BEEFSTEAK LOCS, GOOD FLAVOR

T005 "1419" SEMI-DET, MID SEASON
6 FT TALL, 3-5/CLUSTER, OBL/RIBBED
4"x2 1/2x2"THCK, 9-10 OZ. 16-20 LOCS,
SM-MED CORE, GOOD FLAVOR

T006 "7972" DET. M-LT SEAS. 6+ FT TALL
3-5/CLUSTER, LGT YIELDS, 3.5+" x 2.5" THCK,
5-12 BEEFSTEAK LOCULES, OBL/FLT 8oz,
NICE FLAVOR

T007 LESLEY 698 DWARF, EARLY
POTATO LF, 2F TALL, OBL/FLT 3-9/C,
2 1/2"x2x1 1/2", BEEFSTEAK TYPE
8-12 LOC, 1 1/2-2 OZ+, TINY SDS, SOLID, OK TASTE

T008 PETRILLO DET. E. 5FT
1-2/CM 3"x1 1/2-2"THCK, OBLATE, 3 oz
12 +LOCULES, STRONG FLAVOR

T009 TARGINNIE RED IND E-MID SEA
7-8 FT 5-7/C, OBL/OVAL, BRITE RED,
2"x 11/2" 2 OZ, 2-8 L,
SWEET, PEELS W/O KNIFE. AVG YIELDS

T010 MIKADO DET M-LT SEAS. POTATO LEAF 5 1/2-6 FT TALL
2-6/C OBL/FLT, 2 1/2"x1 1/2x 1 1/4", 3oz+
5-12 LOC, BEEFSTEAK TYPE, SWEET

T011 D-A-C-L-R-Y (YELLOW) DWF. POTATO LF, EARLY,
14-18" TALL OBL/FLT 2"D x 1" THCK, 2 OZ,
4-5 L, SWEET LEMONY FLAVOR.

T013 HES5300 DET. MID 3- 3 1/2'
5/CLUST, 3"Dx2"TCK, ROUNDISH, 4 oz
8-10 L, THIN SKIN, GOOD FLAVOR, SLIGHTLY MUSHY.

T014 GROSSE LISSE DET. E-MID
6 1/2' TALL, 4-6/C, 2 3/4"D ROUNDISH,
6 OZ+, 3-5 LOC THIN SKIN THICK FLSH
NICE TOMATO FLAVOR, NO DEFECTS

T015 NOSTRANNO GROSSO S/DET
E-MID SEA. 6-7 FT TALL 3-8/CLUSTER
OBL/FLT, 3+ oz., 6-9 L, 3x 2.5 x1 1/4"
SOME END SCARING/CRACKS, GOOD FLAVOR

T016 PIERRETTE SEMI-DET MID
6 FT 3/CLUST, 3 1/4"x2 3/4x2" OBL/RND, 5+ oz 17
LOCULES, NAVEL @BLSM END, PEELS EASILY W/O KNIFE

T020 BLOOD ORANGE x COUR DI BUE
DET. E-MID SEAS YELLOW 7 FT TALL
3-6/C, OBLT/FLT SHAPE, 6-8 OZ.
5"x3x2"THCK, 12-20 BEEFSTEAK LOC.
THIN SKIN, NICE "MANGO" FLAVOR

T025 DE TIGANESTI SEMI-DET MID
6 FT TALL, 5-6/C, 2 1/2"D x2" RND
4 1/2oz., 8 LOCULES, OK FLAVOR

T026 MASTER CARNOSA
IND. EARLY/MID. 8FT TALL, 2-4/C,
OBLATE, 6-8 OZ+, 3"x3.5x2"THCK,
6-14 LOC END SCAR, NICE FLAVOR

T028 COCARDE DET. E-MID
2-3 FT TALL, 5-6/CLUSTER,
2"D RND. 1 1/2 -2 OZ. 3-5 LOCULES,
THIN SKIN, COOD FLAVOR

T029 LA ROCHAPEA IND. E-MID
PINK, 7 FT TALL. 1-3/CLUS, OBL/RND
4"x3 1/2x 3" 12 OZ+, 18-20 BEEFSTEAK LOCULES, SM. CORE,
GOOD TOMATOEY FLAVOR, MINOR CRACKS

Tc02 BUSH BEEFSTEAK, DET 62 DAYS
LG 8 OZ. HEAVY YIELDS
GERM 80% TEST 12/07 30+ SDS

Tc03 BRANDYWINE PINK IND 85 DY
POTATO LEAF, 7-8 FT PLANTS, GOOD FLAVOR, SM-MED CORE,
GERM: 90% TEST 11/07

Tc04 BEEFSTEAK IND. 75 DAYS
OLD FASHIONED, 2 LB, HEAVY YIELDS
GERM: 90% TEST 12/07

Tc08 ACE 55 DET. 62 DAYS
CANNING &MARKET, MED-LG, PRODUCTIVE, BRIGHT RED
GERM: 90% TEST 11/07

Tc10 YELLOW PEAR IND. 78DAYS
PEAR SHAPED, LOW ACID, FEW SEEDS
GERM: 80% TEST 12/07

Tc11 GOLDEN JUBILEE IND. 72 DAY
2-3"D, 6-7 OZ. MILD, NON-ACID,
HIGH IN VIT. C, SWEET.
GERM: 90 TEST 12/07

Tc12 DELICIOUS (VF) IND. 77 DAY
BEEFSTEAL TYPE, AVG 2-3 LBS,
SOLID, DELICIOUS FLAVOR
GERM: 90% TEST 12/07

Tc13 BURPEE BIG BOY IND. 78 DAY
LARGE SMOOTH 8-9oz. POPULAR
FUSARIUM RESIST, RICH FLAVOR
GERM: 80% TEST 12/07

Tc14 OXHEART IND. 80 DAYS
NICE YIELDS, 8-12 oz. FIRM,
HEART SHAPED, VIGOROUS, DRK PINK-RED
GERM: 80% TEST 12/07

Tc15 ARKANSAS TRAVELER IND 85
RESPECTABLE OLDIE, PiNK VIGOR
HIGH YIELDS, GLOBULAR, THCK, 6 oz
GERM: 65% TEST 12/07

Tc16 MORTGAGE LIFTER IND 83 D
ENORMOUS, 2-4 LB, LOW ACID,
HEAVY YIELDS, EXCELLENT SLICER.
GERM: 80% TEST 12/07

Tc19 RED PEAR IND. 70 DAYS
PEAR SHAPED HEIRLOOM, MED SIZE PLANTS,
LARGE YIELDS, FEW SEEDS
GERM: 91% TEST 12/07

Tc20 THESSALONIKI IND. 68 DAYS
GREEK VARIETY, 6-8 OZ. JUICY, MILD
HIGH YIELDS, CRACK RES.
GERM: 85% TEST 12/07

T031 BHSKY ZHELTY I. E/M
YELLOW 7FT TALL 2-3/C 9 OZ+
4"x2 3/4"THICK, 8-15 LOCULES
THICK MEATY CENTER, NICE FLAVOR

T032 BOUNTY DET. 3FT TALL
4-5/CLUSTER, 2+"D RND,, 2-3 oz, 5-6 LOC
OK TASTE, SLIGHTLY ACID

T036 GULF STATE MARKET DET. E/M
6-7 FT TALL, 2-3/C, 2 1/2-2 3/4"D x 2"THICK
4 OZ+ 5-7 LOCULES, THICK FLESH,
RICH TOMATOEY FLAVOR

T037 INDIANA BALTIMORE SEMI-DET
MID SEAS. 6 FT TALL, 3"x2 1/2x2" ROUND
4+ OZ, 7 LOCULES, GOOD FLAVOR

T038 JUNE PINK DET. EARLY
4-5 FT TALL, PINKISH/RED, AVG. 3"Dx 2"T
4 OZ+, 6-12 /CLUSTER, 10+LOCULES,
BEEFSTEAK, VERY SOLID, EXCELLENT FLAVOR

T039 LOUISIANNA RED DET. EARLY
4 1/2-5 FT TALL, 3-4/CLUST, 2 1/2"x2"W,
ROUNDISH, 4 OZ+, 4-7 LOCULES, NICE FLAVOR

T040 MICHIGAN STATE FORCING DET. MID.
5 FT TALL, 3-7/CLUSTER, 2 1/4"-2 1/2"D
RND, 5 OZ. RICH RED, 3-6 LOCULES,
THICK FLESH, RICH FULL TOMATOEY FLAVOR, CRACKS.

T041 PAN AMERICA SD. MID
6 1/2-7 FT TALL, 3-4/C, RND 5 oz
2 3/4x2 1/4" THCK, 3-9 LOC, CRACKS, NICE STRONG FLAVOR

T044 BLACKHAWK IND. MID-LT
7 FT TALL, 3/C, 2"Dx1 1/2" THICK
ROUNDISH, 3 oz. 6 LOCULESS, OK TASTE

T046 EARLY HYCROSS DET. MID
4 1/2-5 FT, 3-5/C, 1 1/2-1 3/4"D, RND,
ALMOST 2 OZ, 3 LOC, ACIDIC, WOULD NOT RECOMEND

T047 EARLY PROLIFIC IND. MID
8 FT TALL, 2-3/C, OBLATE, 6-7oz
3"Dx 2 1/4" THCK, BEEFSTEAK,
VERY SM. CORE, EXCELLENT FLAVOR

T048 GIANT KING IND. MID
7 FT TALL, 2-4/C, OBL/FLT 7-8oz
3 1/2"x 2 3/4" THICK, 10-25 LOCULE
BEEFSTEAK, THICK FLESH, NICE FLAVR

T049 GOLDEN SPHERE DET. EARLY
4 FT TALL, 2-2 1/4"D ROUND,
2 1/2-2 3/4 OZ, 2-3 LOC, MILD FLV

T051 IMP. WASATCH BEAUTY DET
APROX 5 FT TALL, LIGHT FRUITSET,
OBLATE, 3"x2x1 3/4"THCK, 4 OZ+, 12 LOC
PEELS W/O KNIFE, GOOD FLAVOR

T052 LORAN BLOOD I. MID
7 1/2-8 FT, 2-4/C, RND/OBL, 6-8oz
4"x3x2 1/2", 10-15 LOCULES,
BEEFSTEAK, SM CORE, GOOD FLV

T053 PENN RED SEMI-D E/MID
PLANT 6', 3-4/C OBL/RND, 8 OZ+
4 1/2"x3 1/2"x3", ;6-8 LOC. SM CORE
THICK FLESH WITH GOOD FLAVOR

T055 STEMLESS PENN ORANGE I. MID
7 FT TALL, ROUND, 3"Dx 2 1/2" THICK, 4 OZ,
7 LOCULES, TANGY CITRUS FLAVOR

T056 SUNRAY SD. EARLY
6-7 FT TALL, 3-4/C, 2 3/4"x2 1/4"
4 OZ+ ORANGISH YELLOW, VERY FIRM MEAT, TANGY ORANGE ZEST

T058 BUDZION DET. MID/LT
6 FT TALL, 2-6/C, RND/OBL 4OZ
PINKISH/RED, 3-8 LOC GOOD TASTE, SOME CRACKING.

T059 BURGESS EARLY WONDER SD. E/M
6-6 1/2 FT, 3-5/C, 2-2 1/2"D RND 3 1/2-4 OZ,
5-6 LOCULES, PINKISH-RED, NICE FLAVR

T060 BURGESS LEMON I. E/M
9-10 FT TALL, 3-4/C, 3"Dx2 1/4"THK
RND/OBL, 4-6 OZ. PALE YELLOW W/ PINKISH TINGE,
3-12 LOC, JUICY CITRUSY

T066 I. MID (SAUSAGE)
1534 FROM EL SALVADOR"

T067 FILLIPINO #2 IND E/M SEAS
9+ FT TALL, LOADED, 3-5/C, 2 oz
1 3/4" RND. 2-3 LOCULES, BRILLIANT RED FLESH, SWT FLV

T068 FURUYA A-K GO D. EARLY
4 FT TALL, 7-8/C, 3"x 2"THCK, OB
4-6 OZ, 5-9 LOC, SM CORE, GOOD FLAVOR

T069 HIKARI IND EARLY (PINK)
7+FT TALL 3-5/C, 3 1/2x2 1/4x2 1/2"
ROUND, 6 OZ+, 6-8 LOC, THIN SKIN,
THICK FLESH, RICH TOMATOEY FLAVOR

T077 LINIA 15/53 TIGENESTI D. MID
4 1/2-5 FT, 2-3/CLUSTER, RND
2 1/4-2 1/2"D, 4 LOC, SOME CRACKS,
NICE TOMATOEY FLAVOR

T079 FICARAZZI IND E/M (RUFFLED)
.9-10 FT TALL, 3-12/CLUSTER, RIBBD/OBL
BOAT SHAPED, 5"x3"x1 1/2" THCK, 4-6oz.
10-18 LOC, GOOD FLAVR, SLIGHTY SOFT

T081 AMERICKE PYRAMIDNI I. M/L
6-7 FT TALL, 2-6/C, POTATO LEAF,
OBL/FLT, BOAT SHAPED, 7 OZ+ 3-5"x3"x2"THCK.
17-26 LOCULES THIN SKIN, SM CORE, NICE FLAVOR BEEFSTK

T092 CALAPLATA IND. E/M SEA
7-9 FT TALL 2-3/CLUSTER, OBLATE
4"x3 1/2"x 2 1/4"THCK, 11 OZ+, SOME CRACKS, 10-20 LOC,
BEEFSTEAK, MED CORE, NICE FLAVOR

T107 IMP. PEPPER DET. MID
4-4 1/2' TALL, 2"Dx1 3/4"THCK, GLOBULAR SHAPE, 2 OZ+ 3 LOC
GOOD FLAVOR, PINK

T108 INDIAN RIVER SEMI-D EARLY/MID
5-7' T 2-3/C 3"D RND
7-8 OZ 5-7 LOC.
THICK FLESH SOLID CENTER, EXCELLENT FLAVOR NO CORE

T111 LOUSIANNA ALL SEASON IND, E/M SEASON,
6-7 FT TALL, 3=7/CLUSTER, OBL/RND, 3"x2 1/2x2"THCK,
4-6 OZ, 6-10 LOCULES, PINKISH, JUICY, NICE FLAVOR

T113 MARMAN'S WORLDS EARLIEST
DETERMINATE, EARLY, 3-4 FT TALL, 4-5/CL
OBL/FLT SHAPE, 2 1/4x2x1 1/2" 2 OZ+
OK FLAVOR, SLIGHTLY SWEET

T115 NECTARINE IND. E/M
6-7 FT TALL, 3-6/C, OBL/RND. 6oz
3 1/4x2 1/4x2" 7-8LOC, SLIGHT CRACKING,
NICE TOMATOEY FLAVOR

T116 RIO GRANDE DET. E/M
PLANT APROX. 5-5 1/2 FT TALL, 2-5/C,
OBL/RND, 5"x3x2 1/2", 8+ oz, SOME CRACKING/END SCARS,
10+ BEEFSTEAK LOCULES, SM CORE, GREAT FLAVOR

T117 TOMANGO (STUFFER) IND. MID SEAS.
9-10 FT TALL, 3-4/C, LG.BELL PEPPER SHAPE
BEAUTIFUL YELLOWISH ORANGE COLOR,
4"x3x3", 2-6 LOBES, HOLLOW STUFFER TYPE
DRY FLESH, MILD FLAVOR

T118 TRIP-L-CROP CLIMBING IND. MID
10 FT+ TALL, 3-4/C, POTATO LEAF, OBLATE,
3 1/2"x2 1/2", 7+ OZ, 12+LOCULES,
BEEFSTEAK, THICK FLESH, EXCELLENT FLAVOR

T119 WILT MASTER DET. MID
4 1/2 -5 FT TALL, 2-5/C, NEARLY ROUND, 4 OZ+,
CRACKS, NICE FLAVOR, NOT ACIDIC & NOT SWEET.

T120 TOMBOY DET EARLY-MID
5' TALL 3-4/C 6+"Dx3.5x2.25" OBL
12 OZ+ BEEFSTEAK FEW SEEDS
MILD SLIGHTLY SWEET HVY YL

T125 SPARTANBURG CLIMBING IND. E/M SEAS.
7+ FT TALL, POTATO LF.
OBL/FLT, 12 OZ+, 6"x3" THCK, LT FRTSET
12-20 LOC, BEEFSTEAK,
EXCELLENT FLAVOR

T127 GOLDEN DAWN DET. EARLY 5 FT TALL, 4-6/C,
NEARLY ROUND 2"D, 1 1/2-2 1/2oz. 2-4 LOCULES,
ORANGISH YELLOW, VERY SWEET

T128 TRUCKERS FAVORITE IND. E/M SEAS,
7+ FT TALL, 3 PER CLUSTER, OBLATE, 7OZ+ 6-10 L
3 1/2-4"Dx 3" THICK FLESH, NICE FLAVOR

T135 FRENKI SEMI-D. E/MID
6-7 FT TALL, 3-5/C, LGT FRUITSET,
OBL/FLT (FOLDED) SHAPE, 6"x4x2",
11 OZ+, 10-20 LOCULES, THICK FLESH, NICE FLAVOR.

T136 JABUCAR SO MALI REBRA SD. MID
5 FT TALL, 4-9/CLUSTER, OBLATE/FLT,
6-9 oz. 4 1/4"x3x2"THCK, 10-20 LOCULES,
SOME END SCARRING, GOOD FLAVOR

T144 CRVEN IND. EARLY-MID
7+ FT TALL, 3-5/CLUST, OBLATE/FLT,
3 3/4"x3 1/2x3" THCK, 9 OZ+, 12-14 LOCS,
SM. CORE, THICK FLESH, WITH NICE FLAVOR

T145 RINON IND. MID SEAS
9-10' T 2-5/C, 5 OZ 3"x2x2" OBL
ALMOST RUFFLED 5-9LOCS
GOOD FLAVOR

T153 MANDARINA IND 8-10' T
EARLY RL 3-5/C OB/FLT SQUARISH GAP
2-3oz NICE FLAVOR.. GOOD STUFFER!

Anyways.. there's a few of the tomatoes.. I hope it's not too much of a mess.. any problems figuring it out just let me know. You can find more things i might have to trade if you check out my seed trials for 2009. http://alanbishop.proboards60.com/index.cgi?board=strange&action=display&thread=1518&page=1

And that's about it for today.. i'll try and get back and post more later.

Dave

My first Blog..

Welcome everyone to my very first blog. First of all i'm new at this so bear with me. It might take me a little while to get the hang of this.

I suppose i should start out by telling you about myself. My internet nickname is American_gardener. You can find me all over the web talking about seeds, trading seeds, or just discussing growing different vegetables. I'm a 50 year old male.. living in Michigan, and i've been growing vegetables ever since i could walk. I'm also a seedsaver, I've been collecting, growing, saving and trading seeds for over seven years now.. and i hope to be starting up a new kind of seed company next fall(2009)to make my collection available to everyone worldwide. Over the past 7 or so years, i've collected thousands of varieties of vegetable seeds. I've been trading seeds from scores of countries for about 3 years now.. hence the title of this blog; Worldwide Seed trader. I've gathered more varieties than i could ever possibly growout in ten lifetimes. My gardening area is small, it's aproximately one acre right now and i can never grow everything i want to... so i'm always looking for help.

Over the past few years i've been conducting trials on the various types of vegetable seeds i've collected by sending small samples out to voulenteers who grow them and report back to me what they think about them.. along with descriptions. It's been mostly tomatoes since i have over 2000 varieties of those.. but i also conduct trials on everything else. This year i'm doing my trials at a friends forumn http://alanbishop.proboards60.com/index.cgi . It's an excellent site, with alot of experienced growers and plant breeders and if you're interested in that type of stuff you're more than welcome to come and take part in any trials i have going on at the time. You can get more details from the threads or just contact me once there.

Other than that i don't really know what to say right now. I'm always looking for new trades, i'm always looking for help with trials, and i'm always looking for people to help with seed increases.

I'm always searching for vegetable varieties that are not in general circulation (non-commercial varieties, ethnic varieties, and especially those that have stories or family histories associated with the seed). It's a mission of mine to make all the open pollinated vegetable varieties available to everyone.

If you have seed that you are saving that has been passed down through your family, or you know someone who is saving heirloom seed? I'm especially interested in rescuing and preserving these varieties. I'm also interested in stories or family histories associated with family heirloom seed. Any stories about the origin of varieties, how they were used, and qualities such as disease resistance, earliness, and storage quality.

Please contact me if you would like to provide seed for this project. Send any information you can, especially the variety name (if it has a name), describe its origin, growth habit, special qualities and family history as best you can. And if the seed is not already in my seed bank, i'll send you instructions on how to send me the seed. I may ask you some questions about how you would like the seed (and any stories associated with the seed) to be handled. After the seed has been received, I will preserve the seed in my seed bank, and grow out a small portion for increase and further documentation of the variety. A portion of the seed may eventually be made available to other seed banks, traders, or offered for sale.

Also another interest of mine is old seed catalogs. If anyone has any old seed catalogs that you would like to offer in exchange for seeds or even for sale.. i'd be interested in hearing about them.
I'm looking especially for seed catalogs dated prior to 1940, primarily those with detailed variety descriptions (and photographs). I have a number of varieties in my seed bank that have a name, but no description other than that provided by seed growouts. Old seed catalogs are very useful for providing this documentation and verification for those.

If you have any pre-1940 seed catalogs that you would like to sell, barter, loan, or donate please contact me.

I don't anticipate i'll be posting any lists of the varieties i have to trade in here. It would just take up so much space. I may, but for now just contact me if you want to know what i have available.

OK.. i guess that'll do it for my first post. Anyone want to comment about how dumb this sounds or anything to do with my business plans for the new seed company, or trading, or growing, or my trials, etc... Contact me anytime.

Dave