Not sure what you’re getting at - per my OP: “Add in the fact that the farm is owned by two couples, both of whom have one member working outside the farm in a profession that brings in at minimum, six-figures,”
These are mainstream professions - think doctor, banker, whatever comes up for you when you think of a well-paying profession. Sorry to be vague, but I don’t want to totally give out the identities of the people involved. I’m just saying that when you see that someone is, for example, a neurologist, it’s a pretty good bet that they’re pulling in some decent money.
The farmers I know are passionate about what they do, feel strongly about the quality of the food they provide, and try to do so at as low a cost as possible. Can we say the same about a used car dealership owner?
To have adequate insurance, that cost would have had to be added on to the cost of the product they sell. Should they have done that? In hindsight, yes. But what is done is done, and it’s not unreasonable to see if they can recoup the cost from those who care about what they do.
I also don’t think the farm should be subsidized by their well-earning spouses. I really don’t see the logic there.
Businesses like farms, bookstores, etc., should ideally be selling enough to cover their expenses plus. If they aren’t, yet they have some intangible value to the community, I don’t have a problem with them trying to turn that into a revenue stream.
Take local bookstores as an example. It’s no question that they have higher overhead percentage than, say, Amazon. At the same time, fewer people appreciate their existence, but many still really value having them there. Why shouldn’t they come up with fundraising ideas, so that those who want them to continue can help support them?
Who, besides the farmers themselves, cares more about the farm than their spouses? And if they aren’t contributing in a substantial way, why should anyone else?
I’ll let Athena speak to this, but I’m betting Hippy Dippy Farm isn’t the only local farm of any note, given that she lives in Michigan’s largely rural Upper Peninsula. (At least, that’s what I’m assuming her given location means.) And unless their produce is head and shoulders above the rest, what is it to the community if they go under?
I’d argue it would be a net gain, because the farmers who are actually doing this for a living would have one less rival at the local farmers’ markets, and would be able to sell more of their own stuff locally. And those are the ones I’d consider helping out if their underinsured barn went up in flames.
I don’t know how it works in the US, but in the UK at least, there’s a very good reason why places don’t just ‘turn non-profit’.
In order to obtain charitable status, you have to demonstrate an actual charitable goal- not really all that hard, community value counts- but you also then have to appoint a board of trustees who then get ultimate control over the company, and hand the business to them. So, the owner can’t stay the owner- they have two options, stay on as a manager, in a position where the board can override them or even fire them, or stand for the board, members of which, by law, cannot draw a wage from the company.
My parents set up a small zoo when I was a kid, and they finally bit the bullet and turned charity last year- they split the difference on it, so my Dad’s on the board (as am I), and my Mum’s the manager. My Dad’s about retirement age now, so they can about afford the cut in income, but after over 20 years of work, and the investment of most of their life savings, it was just too much to hand it all over to an independent agency with the power to sever all their ties to the place. Even with the tax breaks, I can see why they didn’t do it 'til now.
They did regularly run fundraisers for before it because a charity, incidently, for things like ‘help us get animal X a bigger enclosure or a mate.’ I don’t remember ever getting any complaints about that from visitors.
I looked up a farm that is, at the very least, in a similar circumstance to the OP. They appear to be fairly active in the local foodie/sustainable agriculture community. They seem to have a strong presence at farmer’s markets, local stores, and among community members that enjoy their products.
For some people, sustainable agriculture is “their thing,” and they want other people who have dedicated a part of their lives to this to succeed. Farmer’s markets, for example, don’t work if you just have one stand. Farmer’s market vendors want a big, diverse, vibrant group of vendors that will attract lots of people and keep the whole thing going. Stores and restaurants focusing on local foods have an incentive for their sources to stay in business. And of course, people who purchase their products directly (the farm I looked at offers a CSA box, which is something a lot of people really value) often want to continue to buy that product.
You may think “hippy dippy” farms are silly extravagances, but some people are really in to them and do see the farmers as someone they would like to support and help through hard times.
I agree. There’s some businesses that are fairly unique though maybe not hugely profitable, and there would be a hole that might not be adequately filled again if they went out of business. If the AMC multiplex theater at the local mall was in danger of closing, I wouldn’t be too upset. There are plenty of other big movie theaters in the area to go see the blockbusters at, and it’s fairly likely another theater would open up to take the place of the theater that closed. But if the 3 screen arthouse theater was in danger of closing, I would definitely chip in a few bucks to keep it open. It shows movies not shown at other theaters, and has unique midnight movies, and it’s in an old historical building. If it did close down, it’s possible another theater would take it’s place, but it’s not guaranteed.
Also, it would depend on why the business needed money. If it was because of poor management, then I wouldn’t contribute. But if it was because of general economic slowdown or because of a one-time disaster, then I would consider donating.
I don’t blame anyone who would rather not contribute to business fundraisers, but I can understand why other people would want to.