Farmer Profiles

"Jo Asher"
Watercolor Lavender Farm, White Hall, MD

"Set a high standard for your company, your agriculture practices and your products."

Jo Asher, Watercolor Lavender Farm, discusses growing and marketing lavender.

The Farming Operation:   Jo Asher grows several varieties of lavender and lavandin (sterile hybrids) on the family's 12 acres in Hartford County, Maryland. Jo uses lavender for the craft, culinary and herbal markets and sells lavandin as cut flowers and whole plants. Jo also specializes in value-added production, turning lavender and its oils into sachets, creams and other traditional offerings.

Marketing:   Jo sells products on the farm; at flower and craft shows in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Virginia; and online at www.watercolorlavenderfarm.com. She also sells products wholesale to the Baltimore Museum of Art, Ladew Topiary Gardens, Jarretsville Pharmacy and other retailers outside the mid-Atlantic region.

Information Sources:   Jo considers her mother as one of her best resources. "The women in our family have always grown lavender, we consider it a staple." Other resources include websites from France, Southern States Cooperative, Maryland Department of Agriculture, and other farmers.

Words to Live By:   "In the term 'agribusiness', the most critical part is 'business'. If your business skills are poor, go to the Small Business Resource Center in your area for help. Advertise. Identify your target market. Maintain a focus."

Sources of Pride:   Jo says, "We are very proud of being selected for the 2001 Outstanding Acheivement Award for Small Business by Business for the Bay (part of the EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program). Farmers are very close to the land and therefore can clearly see the direct impact we have on the land and the watershed. With land management, planting procedures and stream buffer maintenance, I make an effort to prevent soil and chemical runoff into the Bay. We also take pride in offering old-fashioned, personal attention to customer orders."

Contact:   Jo Asher, Watercolor Lavender Farm, 2821 Hitchcock Rd., White Hall, MD 21161; phone 410-692-2870; email wtrclr@bellatlantic.net; or on the internet at www.watercolorlavenderfarm.com.

Profiles of rural innovation