Ten Years of Farmer Bailey
Anniversary Farmer Feature: Winters Farm Floral
By Felicia D'Ambrosio
Dani Winters of Winters Farm Florals "grew up barefoot and windblown on our 110-acre farm on the Eastern Shore, where our nearest neighbors were a half mile away and our idea of fun was playing “wilderness” in the fields and woods for hours at a time," she writes.
Dani's dad is a first-generation farmer who built their Maryland farm from the ground up. Though Dani grew up steeped in the hard work and magic of growing, she didn't start her flower farm until after exploring her passions in the wider world. "Happiness really can be found in your own backyard, and after twelve years away, I returned home, she writes.
From 2019, Dani worked alongside her father on their family farm, absorbing his deep knowledge of no-till farming and focus on soil health. By 2022, she had committed to flower growing full-time, and found a farm of her own to cultivate in Salisbury, MD.
Seven years in, Dani has nourished a thriving business, supported by Farmer Bailey plugs. Read on for Dani's insight into how her business has evolved over time, the advantages of starting many crops from plugs, and her best advice to new flower farmers.
When did you begin buying plants from Farmer Bailey?
I think I bought Lisianthus way back in 2019, when I first began farming. I was able to grow most things, but I knew from Farmer Bailey's videos that Lisianthus starts were difficult and time consuming to grow. I started buying perennials and bare roots as soon as possible, knowing that it would help decrease the physical labor that the annuals take yearly.
What flowers did you start with, and have you pivoted?
I started getting varieties that I could not find easily through Ball, and as Farmer Bailey has grown and customer service has really excelled, I buy nearly all plugs possible from Farmer Bailey!
How has Farmer Bailey supported your business? What are the advantages of plugs?
Farmer Bailey offers varieties that are hard to find as well as quantities that fit small-to-medium flower farms. They are super responsive to emails and inquiries and are constantly searching to bring new and better varieties to US flower growers.
Which plants have most successful, and why? What do you consider your area of expertise, or greatest area of growth?
Generally, I consider our overwintered greenhouse and high tunnel crops to be the most successful. I have put a lot of time into winter growing and they are not only the most highly coveted crops, but they are also some of the highest quality due to growing them in cooler weather and for a longer season to establish root growth. I consider winter growing both our area of expertise and also greatest area of growth :)
What are your challenges?
Our challenges are ever-changing temperatures and increased temperature swings. As greenhouse growers, we deal with anywhere from sub-freezing temperatures to 90 degrees, sometimes in the same day if it is a sunny, unseasonably warm spell in winter. I am always looking for flower varieties that do well in a large range of temperature swings.
What is your best advice for new flower farmers? What would you have wanted to know in your first year of flower farming?
My best advice for new flower farmers is to spend a few years learning the ropes. Growing specialty crops has one of the steepest learning curves, and many of us jump the gun on selling a crop that we have not yet figured out how to grow. We often can hurt ourselves by overpromising and becoming too optimistic in a field where Mother Nature always, always wins.
How many years have you been flower farming?
I am currently in my 7th season.
What is your typical business model? Has this changed over the years?
We are about 80% wholesale to florists, 7-8% farmers markets, and 12-13% weddings and events. We have not changed a whole lot over the years - we started out wholesaling to florists and that is still the bread and butter of our business. We did not start off doing weddings until about year 5, so that is a newer endeavor for us.
How do you spend your non-farming time? What brings you great joy?
What non-farming time? :)
Tell us about yourself!
My dad is a first-generation farmer, and so I grew up on a farm. While I spent many years trying to find my pathway in other careers, I ultimately had it in my blood to be working land. What brings me just as much joy as the never-ending challenges of growing is the never-ending challenge of making our business as profitable as possible in a field that proves very hard to make a viable living.
Is there anything else you'd like to say that we did not ask?
What a nice surprise to receive that email that I was nominated for a feature! Thank you for keeping your eye on quality and customer service in a world that is constantly moving away from those two things!
Such fantastic photos! And an inspiring story. It’s clear that Dani is doing exactly what she’s meant to do.
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Farmer Bailey Inc. replied:
Thanks for your comment, Thomas! We are inspired by Dani’s commitment to her dream! ~Felicia