[Homer_Prod_Auct] Homerville Advisory Comm Meeting July 6
- From: "F. W. Owen" <fwo@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: homer_prod_auct@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, graze-l@xxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 6 Jul 2006 09:55:19 -0400
Thur morn, July 6
Hi Folks,
Also sent to graze-l (see note at end).
The monthly Homerville Wholesale Produce Auction Advisory Committee meeting
was held following the auction Wed night July 5.
We inspected the new construction at the south end. It looked OK to most. We
decided to do all the remaining concrete in one pour. That's about 75 yards.
Also an smart committee member figured out how to site an auction box in the
new drive-through building. Previously we had thought that impossible as
buyers will access the platform the full width of both ends.
Most important:
We decided to mail a polite, well phrased letter to the 200 largest buyers.
Purpose is to inform them of Joe Keim's death and circumstances thereof. We
are going to ask for $20 to $100 from each for Joe's widow and the 17
children.
There was some concern that this will be seen as too pushy or impolite to make
such a great request of our buyers. The circumstances are so bleak that we
going to take that chance.
Joe Keim had zero insurance. None of the Homerville Swartzentruber Amish ever
have any insurance because of their beliefs.
As you know, he was killed in a late night traffic accident. He was returning
from selling at Jamie's Flea Market. He had started out at 4 AM that day.
He probably just fell asleep. Horses often stop at stop signs anyway but
this one did not.
Further, but related, we decided to use grower/buyer number 1000 as a sort of
"most needful cause of the month" vehicle. That number had been registered
on our books to the National Leukemia Society. Now it will be a different
"cause" every month.
We will encourage growers to tag part of their produce as grower #1000. The
money then would be sent to the family or cause currently most needing extra
help. Through July (at least) that will be the Joe Keim family.
We thought that, while selling, when we came to some #1000 tagged produce, the
auction crews could make some extra fuss over it and maybe get a little extra
money for that produce.
Lastly, we found a new email contact point for the Indian Springs Growers down
in the Katrina swath in Pine Belt Mississippi. This new contact is
responding. We may still be needed there. We think they may be OK in
themselves, but that their marketing is still disabled. We don't really
know.
Discussion on this ranged from "let's wait and see what they have to say" to
"maybe they are too shy or too proud to ever ask for help".
The most popular idea floated seems to be send two airplane tickets and invite
them up to the auction. Maybe we can convince them to start a Produce
Auction in Mississippi, or at least put them in touch with our low cost
supply sources, or start a joint "how to grow" newsletter. The Bed and
Breakfast in West Salem is usually idle so we could maybe put them there.
There was no other urgent business and due to the lateness of the hour and
very tired participants, we adjourned.
After the meeting a horse and a brand new hack was missing. We hunted for
that for a while. He was 5 miles away eating oats in his owner's oat field.
No damage to the horse, hack, or to the neighborhood. But I got to bed at a
quarter to one AM this morning after cruising the roads.
That's the second time that same horse got loose at the auction yesterday.
The first time an alert young man ran him down on foot. But it's only the
3rd loose horse at the auction in 10 years. The motor driven side had many
more than 3 fender-benders in 10 years.
I'm sending this to graze-l and to the regular Homerville auction list.
That's because some graze-l people offered to help with Indian Springs. But
the Joe Keim situation is much more bleak, urgent and timely.
--
Kindest regards,
========================
F. W. Owen
Owenlea Holsteins
9430 Spencer Road
Homerville, Ohio 44235
e-mail fwo@xxxxxxxxxx
home page http://www.bright.net/~fwo
voice & fax 330.625.2369
cell 330.635.2287
========================
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