431 avsnitt • Längd: 55 min • Månadsvis
Insights for vegetable farmers and market gardeners who earn, or want to earn, a living growing vegetables profitably.
In each episode, I talk with a beginning or experienced farmer, diving deep into their story to find out what makes their market farm successful. I focus on in-the-field farming. Soil preparation, weed management, post-harvest processing, appropriate technology, farm tools and equipment, and growing crops.
Hosted and produced by Diego Footer’s Modern Grower Podcast Network.
The podcast Farm Small Farm Smart is created by The Modern Grower Podcast Network. The podcast and the artwork on this page are embedded on this page using the public podcast feed (RSS).
In this episode, farmer Jodi and Diego talk about choosing the right irrigation system for your farm. They talk about the pros and cons as well as the nuances of each type, and they take a closer look at a specific irrigation system, the Sumi Soaker, and why farmer Jodi has used this system for the better part of the decade.
Sumi Soaker Max Irrigation System: https://shop.moderngrower.co/products/sumi-soaker-max-irrigation-system
Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarmKwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights!
Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.
Follow Modern Grower: Instagram Instagram
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: Carrot Cashflow Farm Small Farm Smart Farm Small Farm Smart Daily The Growing Microgreens Podcast The Urban Farmer Podcast The Rookie Farmer Podcast In Search of Soil Podcast
Check out Diego's books: Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon Ready Farmer One on Amazon
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by
Seed farmer Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm shares some advice for beginners looking to save their first seeds: keep things simple to avoid overwhelm and burning out early!🌱
Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds
Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights!
Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.
Follow Modern Grower: Instagram Instagram
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: Carrot Cashflow Farm Small Farm Smart Farm Small Farm Smart Daily The Growing Microgreens Podcast The Urban Farmer Podcast The Rookie Farmer Podcast In Search of Soil Podcast
Check out Diego's books: Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon Ready Farmer One on Amazon
**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Cucumbers we get from grocery stores sometimes turn out to be bitter, and the bitterness can make it hard to eat. Why is that? Did it turn bitter because of how it was stored? Did it turn bitter because of how it was pollinated? Or was the variety already bitter to begin with?
Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop breaks down bitterness in cucumbers and dispels myths about why cucumbers turn out bitter. Farmer Jay also shares some tips on how to grow bitter-free cucumbers.
Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
In honor of its 10th anniversary, we are releasing The Urban Farmer, as it originally aired in 2015.
Subscribe to The Urban Farmer Podcast to follow Curtis Stone's journey as he transforms urban plots into profitable market gardens, grossing $85,000 on just a third of an acre. This documentary series takes you behind the scenes of a successful urban farming operation in Kelowna, BC, revealing the essential systems and strategies that make small-scale farming viable.
Learn how Curtis manages multiple plots, maintains restaurant relationships, and maximizes productivity in limited space. Whether you're planning your first market garden or looking to scale up your existing farm, this series delivers practical insights on crop selection, time management, and maintaining work-life balance in urban agriculture. Curtis shares real numbers, honest challenges, and proven solutions for making a living as an urban farmer.
In this episode, farmer Jodi and host Diego talk about the most common mistakes that new farmers make and how to avoid them to increase your chances of success in running a profitable and sustainable farm business.
Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarmKwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Many farmers' go-to solution to underperforming crops is to add more compost, but unfortunately, piling on inches upon inches of compost might actually do more harm than good. Soil Consultant Bruce Davison of Soilsmith talks about the dire consequences of applying copious amounts of compost into production beds.
Click here to learn more about Bruce Davison and Soilsmith!
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Seed farmer and author Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-Operative Farm shares his expertise on seed-saving by ranking the top 3 easiest market garden crops to start saving seed from, how to process the seeds to use the next year, and how to tell when the seeds are ready to be harvested and processed. 🌱
Check out Dan's new book: The Seed Farmer: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Selling Your Own Seeds
Click here to learn more about Dan Brisebois and his work.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Welcome to The Rookie Farmer Podcast, a brand new series on the Modern Grower Podcast Network hosted by Rookie Farmer Alec Smith! Farmer Alec kicks off the show with guest farmer Zach Richards of Levity Farms in Blairsville, Georgia. They pack a lot in this episode, from biodynamic farming for new farmers, getting started with selling produce to chefs and restaurants, unique ways to go about veggie boxes, as well lessons farmer Zach learned from moving Levity Farms thrice in eight years.
Check out farmer Zach and Levity Farms: https://www.instagram.com/levityfarmsga/
Check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
In this episode, farmer Jodi and host Diego discuss strategies for building a sustainable farm business. They talk about the different and occasionally difficult decisions involved in making sure a farm is financially viable such as controlling costs, scaling mindfully, and differentiating your farm's products, among other things. Hopefully, these strategies can help every farm's game plan this coming 2025 season.
Learn more about farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarmKwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
We're smack in the middle of winter, and most farmers are drafting their game plan come spring, thinking about what to grow and maybe considering new additions to their farming operation. Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop talks about one potential add-on project for market gardeners: contract growing crops for seed companies.
Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Dustin LaBat of Specklebelly Farms in Weimar, Texas shares their you-pick farming model that includes not only vegetables but also cut flowers and blackberries, which is the biggest draw. He talks about the labor, economics, and marketing strategies that go into running their farm, as well as how blackberries can be an incredibly profitable crop for market farmers. Lastly, he touches on plant sales, farm stand sales, and restaurant sales as complementary income that allows their farm to run all year round.
Check out Specklebelly Farms here!
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
So you want to grow your own cucumbers...but where do you even start?
Farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop walks us through the whole process of growing the best cucumbers, from choosing which cucumbers to grow, to how to start them, to the kind of soil to grow them in, to how to maintain your cucumber plants to keep them pumping out fruit for weeks and weeks!
Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Jay Tracy of CucumberShop.com talks about common—and not-so-common—varieties of cucumbers based on their uses.
Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
In this new series, we invite experts in the field of agriculture—plant breeders, soil specialists, seed specialists, flower experts, you name it!—and take a deep dive into specific topics related to their area of expertise.
Starting off the first episode, we have Jay Tracy of CucumberShop.com to shed light on cucumber terminologies and de-mystify common misconceptions about growing cucumbers.
Learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop here.
Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this raw and honest episode, rookie farmer Alec Smith shares the invaluable lessons he learned during his first year running Crop Culture Farm.
Aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs will gain insights into the challenges, triumphs, and surprising realities of starting a profitable farm business from scratch.
Alec dives deep into the financial realities of farming, discussing the importance of setting realistic revenue goals, navigating cash flow challenges, and adapting to market conditions. He emphasizes the crucial role that family support and personal resilience play in overcoming obstacles and maintaining motivation.
From crop planning missteps to unexpected marketing wins, Alec reveals the day-to-day struggles and breakthroughs that shaped his journey. He offers practical advice on leveraging community connections, diversifying revenue streams, and continually refining systems to optimize production and profitability.
This episode serves as a must-listen for anyone considering turning their farming dream into a full-time career. Alec's transparency and hard-earned wisdom will inspire and equip you with the mindset and strategies needed to cultivate a thriving agricultural enterprise.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
#farmstartup #farmingbusiness #marketfarming #newfarmer #agentrepreneur #farmbusiness #youngfarmer #localfood #sustainableagriculture #farmtotable #organicfarming #soilhealth #regenerativeagriculture #communitysupportedagriculture #knowyourfarmer #familyfarming #farmbusinessplanning #financialplanning #resiliencefarming
In this episode, host Diego talks to farmer Alec as he reflects on his first year running Crop Culture Farm, with emphasis on dedicating ample time for farm buildout and infrastructure before diving into full-scale production. They also talk about the value of experimentation, staying true to oneself, and not taking things too seriously when entrepreneurial challenges arise—running a business is hard enough, so give yourself some room to laugh and be flexible so you can get back up again.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Gro
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec talk about the mental struggles, challenges, and hardships of running a business. While making a living from a business can be both fulfilling and exhilarating, it can also get all-consuming and mentally exhausting, especially when financial uncertainty comes into play. Diego and Alec also talk about some practical strategies for handling anxiety and maintaining well-being, as well as the importance of having a support system in keeping mental calm.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Tony Barlow of Barlow Roots Market returns to the show to look back on their 10-year market gardening journey. He shares the practical financial mindset with which he ran Barlow Roots, as well as how they manage their finances both inside and outside the business.
Sign up to Tony's newsletter here!
Click here to learn more about Barlow Roots Market!
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego talks to farmer Alec about his reflections on the first year of his journey in entrepreneurship as a new farmer. He shares the challenges and successes he faced while balancing production, sales, and his personal life. He also talks about the key things he's discovered that makes a farm business sustainable: collaboration, adaptability, and steady progress.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec welcome guest farmer Jim Marsh of Mile View Acres in Oklahoma to talk about how his first full year of farming is going. Alec and Jim, two first-year farmers talk shop and share insights and challenges as they face the reality of running a market farm in their first year.
Learn more about Mile View Acres here.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec list out the 7 biggest challenges that all farmers face: they hit hard at the start of any farm business and pop up throughout the rest of any farmer's career. Find out what they are in this episode of Farm Startup with Farmer Alec Smith!
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Jay Tracy of CucumberShop.com shares his interesting journey of starting a hobby, which later turned into a business of breeding and selecting the best of over 70 different varieties of cucumbers and selling cucumber seeds online.
Click here to learn more about Jay Tracy and Cucumber Shop!
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec welcome a special guest from across the sea, Rob Moores of Passion4Plants in West Yorkshire, England. An experienced farmer and entrepreneur, Rob shares a farmer-to-farmer conversation with Alec about the work that it takes to build a sustainable business for long-term success in agriculture. He shares what life looks like in the beginning and what life can look like after putting in the work.
Click here to learn more about farmer Rob and Passion4Plants.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec take a close look at farmer Alec's current farmer's market: is it a good market worth staying at? Is it a good enough market to stay in but the farm will need additional revenue streams to tack onto? Or is it a bad market that needs to be moved on from? Farmer Alec also thinks about whether or not staying part-time is a prudent choice, as well as delving into potential expansion with production and possibly including restaurant sales.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec talk about farming in the peak season: summer. They dive into the challenges that come with being a solo farmer surviving the summer season by balancing production, ensuring having enough crops to sell, expanding the product variety, and potentially tapping into additional market streams to include restaurants.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk all about tools. If you plan on starting a farm, you're probably thinking about a mountain of tools you think you need to get started, but waiting to buy every single one might be setting you back a while. Farmer Alec shares the few tools he used to get his farm up and running on a shoestring budget. Lastly, Diego and Alec touch a bit on fertility and how getting your soil fertility down can help boost production.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
In this episode, farmer Alec and host Diego are joined by a special guest: veteran market gardener Cassie Pierce of Peace of Prairie Organic Farm in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Cassie shares some of her insights on Alec's farming journey and her thoughts on some of the misconceptions she hears being passed on to younger farmers. She then unpacks the disconnect between her experience as a market gardener and the pseudo-myths she hears about small-scale farming such as the need for a high-end market, and that only growing a few select crops is the key to profitability.
Click here to check out farmer Alec and Crop Culture Farm.
Click here to learn more about farmer Cassie and Peace of Prairie Organic Farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99
Farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck of Roebuck Farms in Taranaki, New Zealand jumps on the show to discuss how they grow microgreens as part of their market garden operation. Farmer Jodi shares some interesting ways they leverage microgreens as a way to expand their product offerings, such as enhancing existing salad mixes and picking up the slack by filling in production gaps when field crops are having issues.
Learn more about Farmer Jodi and Roebuck Farm on Instagram and their website.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
Watch and listen to more on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@InSearchofSoil
Exploring the Fascinating World of Fungi with Dr. Elizabeth Koziol:
From Dumb Luck to Mycorrhizal Wisdom Elizabeth is a mycologist whose accidental journey into the world of fungi turned into a lifelong passion. She shares her experiences from her career working with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, debunking common misconceptions and explaining the intricate relationships between fungi and plants. Learn about the surprising mechanisms of fungal-plant communication, the role of fungi in agriculture, and the potential of microbial inoculants like MycoBloom. Whether you're a gardener or a researcher, this talk offers valuable insights into the unseen world beneath our feet.
Dr. Kozoil's research: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
Dr. Kozoil's company MycoBloom: https://www.mycobloom.com/
Subscribe and Listen to the audio version of In Search of Soil:
iTunes - http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Spotify - http://bit.ly/insearchofsoil
Enjoy the show? Drop me a line @diegofooter - / diegofooter
In this episode, farmer Alec and host Diego talk about the finances behind two ways of starting a farm: when the farm starts out as a side hustle, and when the farm starts out as the main hustle. Farmer Alec talks about where he falls on that spectrum, as well as the challenges around navigating the financial landscape of running a first-year farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Blake Cowling and Austin Collins on Scintilla Farms in San Diego, California share their microgreens journey starting on a very small scale and expanding to growing in a warehouse to service over 30 restaurant customers. They also share why they chose to sell to restaurants, how they built their solid customer base, and their strategy for curating their crop offerings based on their customers' needs. Lastly, they also talk about their future plans to expand their microgreens business to include mushrooms.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec talk about the challenges that come with growing vegetables in the heat of summer—scheduling crop succession, dealing with the difficulties of maintaining greens, and adapting to the market's changing demands.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Joe Naiman-Sessions of N Bar S Microgreens in Helena, Montana shares his microgreen growing journey, from reaching out to other microgreen growers in the area and selling to grocery stores, to broadening their product offering to include edible flowers, to their success in selling live cut microgreens at farmer's markets. Joe also shares his edible flower cultivation methods, his plans to expand to market gardening, as well as how he effectively keeps on top of bookkeeping and cashflow management.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec talk about Alec's experience selling at their local farmer's market 10 weekends in. They also break down the potential reasons for the underwhelming sales in their market, as well as Alec's strategies to adapt and reach their sales goals.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec welcome a special guest, Alec's wife, Sarah, to talk about what it's like to be part of a family that's starting a farm business. She shares her experience balancing family life and supporting the farming venture while running her own business, as well as the challenges and expectations of running a new farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Catch returning guest microgreens grower Vincent Cuneo of Agrarian Feast to share how his business has fared since it began in 2018.
Vincent details his strategy of partnering with grocers and supermarkets, which helped cushion the impact of the restaurant industry's downturn. He talks about diversifying into specialty mushrooms and underscores the importance of producing high-quality products. Key topics include inventory management, product pricing strategies, effective marketing, and maintaining strong packaging. The episode also offers practical advice for starting a microgreens business, emphasizing consistent practice, business knowledge, and market research, with a suggestion to initially test market demand on a small scale.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, farmer Alec and host Diego talk about running a farm business when something unexpected happens—maybe you get crazy weather events, maybe you get crop failure, or maybe your farmer's market shuts down on short notice. What do you do to minimize the losses in the business? Farmer Alec shares his experience pivoting from his farmer's market after they announced a cancelled weekend in less than 48 hours.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego and Farmer Alec talk about farming in transitioning seasons. Farmer Alec talks about the difference between growing his usual crops in the spring versus in the summer and the challenges that go along the changing seasons. They also touch on hypotheticals around farm expansion and using tools to improve efficiency on the farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec take a look at how his first month at the farmer's market went after it kicked off well at opening week. Farmer Alec talks about how the following weeks went, his thoughts on the fluctuating sales, and what he plans to do next should he ever need to bolster sales for the farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec dive into Alec's journey of pulling back from his full-time job at Crystal Organic Farm and transitioning into part-time work to make more time to focus on his own business. They take a look at what going part-time has allowed him to do and what he plans to do with the extra time, and they even talk about Alec bringing on additional help.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Jackie Hinchey, who has a background in agriculture, transitioned from a mom with a simple veggie garden to establishing Blue Dog Farm, known for its premium 'really fancy salad.' Initially started as a hobby, her farm grew into a successful business.
Jackie discusses growing diverse crops on a small scale, ensuring high product quality, managing the business efficiently, and adapting to challenges, including climatic conditions. They delve into pricing strategies, market targeting, and maintaining ethical and high-quality food production. The conversation concludes with reflections on life choices, the impacts of the podcast on Jackie's journey, and advice for both young and older aspiring farmers.
Blue Dog Farm: https://www.instagram.com/blue_dog_farm
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, host Diego and farmer Alec welcome Chaz Daughtry of Sweetwater Farms in Houston, Texas to the show to talk about selling to chefs, dealing with crop planning, and selling to multiple markets. Chaz also shares his experience building a value-added shelf-stable brand that works in parallel with the farm business.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec break down Farmer Alec’s second farmer’s market of the season: the difference in the crowd of marketgoers between the first and second weeks, the adjustments Farmer Alec made in his products and bundles, and the sales he made that week. They also dive into his product offering in the coming weeks, as well as other changes he’ll be making moving forward.
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec do a post-mortem of farmer Alec’s first farmer’s market of the season. They talk about the struggle of deciding how much product to harvest, as well as the unexpected amount of work that goes into last-minute prep for the market. Alec also walks us through how the market flowed, how much he sold, how much he was left with, and how he felt on the drive home after all was said and done.
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec dive into the practical side of managing life around running a farm business. They talk about the mental and physical load of running a business without spreading yourself too thin: when are tasks too big that you should say no? When should you double down on your niche to hit that market share? How do you go about managing your time effectively?
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Jill Duncan introduces her small-scale urban farm, Loving Roots Urban Farm, located in Ferguson, Missouri. Operating on just an eighth of an acre, Jill discusses the practices she uses, such as no-till farming and focusing on high-value, quick-growing crops like salad mixes and cherry tomatoes.
Despite the limited space, she makes a living wage and shares insights into her methods for efficiency, problem-solving, and building a strong relationship-based customer base.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Farmer Alec is days away from his first farmers market, and he and Diego talk about the steps he’s taking to make sure he’s ready for it—from gauging how much product he should bring to market, to setting up his market booth, to managing the logistics of selling produce without cold storage, to final adjustments on his pricing strategy. He also shares his thoughts, expectations, and hopes for this coming first farmers market run.
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.moderngrower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about what Farmer Alec is doing to prepare for Crop Culture Farm’s first farmers market of the season—from sending in applications to visualizing and laying out the displays to thinking about signages and slogans to put up on their stand. Afterward, Alec and Diego have an interesting discussion about Farmer Alec’s insights on just how important the quality of seed plays on production in a market farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about one business lesson Alec learned from his previous entrepreneurial endeavor: the importance of knowing your operating costs and your margins and staying true to the price you need to charge to keep the business running. Farmer Alec also shares an account of how he learned that lesson, as well as some interesting strategies he employs to determine a good price to charge for his produce.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec step away from the field and dive into the business aspect of running a farm, zeroing in on admin work like bookkeeping, expense tracking, tax management, and even software tools. They also touch on crop planning, sales outlets, and leveraging personal connections for sales. Lastly, Diego and Alec explore the viability of aggregating products from other producers in the area to expand the business.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec delve into the winding journey of entrepreneurship. They touch on the excitement around starting a new business and the burnout that comes with crunching the startup phase. They also talk about Alec’s thoughts on the mental load of entrepreneurship, his hopes and expectations for the coming growing season, and his strategy for making adjustments on his farm in the future.
Want to Venmo Farmer Alec so he could take a month off to work on his farm?
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about balancing personal life and farm life, all while managing time and navigating a path toward full-time farming. They touch on potentials and hypotheticals for hiring out labor on the farm, whether or not to stay a part-time farm, as well as financial goals to be able to make the leap into full-time farming. Lastly, Diego and Alec delve into the motivation behind starting a farm as well as the personal fulfillment that comes from starting a business.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about equipment challenges and crops. Farmer Alec first shares his experience dealing with wash-pack constraints while preparing a wholesale order. Afterward, Diego and Alec into selecting which crops to grow, which crops Alec is excited for and crops that did interestingly well at the market. Alec also talks about his experience growing different crops so far, as well as varieties he hopes will do well this farming season.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec delve into the thought process behind choosing a farm business model, going beyond and touching on market fit, other additional sales avenues, and pricing. Farmer Alec also talks about selling produce to a wholesaler for the first time, as well as his experience selling at his first farmers market of the season.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego talks to farmer Alec Smith about the budgeting aspect of building out a farm business. They go over time management when it comes to administrative tasks, budgeting for equipment and infrastructure, as well as the challenges of spending and investing wisely while operating within a limited budget.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego talks to farmer Alec Smith about how he planned the layout of his farm and built out his beds. Alec describes the initial state of the farm, including its flat terrain, low organic matter, and issues with weeds. Afterward, they go over the process of evaluating and adapting the property for market garden production, as well as the decisions Alec made on bed sizing, pathways, and layout, all while accommodating physical constraints.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec look back a year ago and compare Alec’s initial expectations of starting a farm versus the reality of actually starting a farm. Alec talks about the ups and downs of setting up a farm business, the successes and challenges, and the strategic decisions he had to make along the way. Alec also shares his future plans for the farm, the hurdles he anticipates, as well as his insights on how to approach farming as a business in order to farm full-time on his farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about the process Alec went through to find suitable land to set up his farm. They go through factors worth considering before choosing where to farm such as accessibility to water and power, the cost of the property, proximity to the market and the home, soil condition, existing infrastructure, and even the relationship with the landowner. Alec shares his personal experiences and the lessons he learned while looking for a good property to farm on, as well as getting his farm started.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, podcast host Diego interviews Alec Smith from Crop Culture Farm, a farmer starting his farm. Alec shares his experiences and challenges in balancing his farm startup with working part-time at another farm, the steps taken to set up his farm, improvements made over time, and their plans and expectations for their farm business. He also dives into the compromise between perfection and practicality in farm setup, constraints, and challenges such as time and resource management, recent achievements, and positive feedback that motivate and validate Alec's efforts.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Megan Neubauer from Pure Land Farm joins me to discuss her revolutionary you-pick farming model. The model is extremely profitable and gives her a lot of extra time each year to do things off the farm. Megan goes through her strategies for sales, marketing, and crop planning. You can learn more in Megan's book: Pick-Your-Own-Farming
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Paul Dysinger, co-founder of Seedtime, joins me to talk about his journey to build the best farm and garden software ever. He shares lessons that have helped him manage time, prioritize tasks, and balance work and life.
Learn more about Seedtime [Affiliate link]
Shop all of our farm tools and equipment: https://shop.moderngrower.co/
(0:00) Thanksgiving food talk. Is the food better the next day? Top 5 sides. Pumpkin pie is gross.
(0:31:56) Farmer Mark DeRespinis describes how he has built a very successful no-till farm raising high-quality vegetables and selling them to restaurants in the Boulder, CO area.
(2:05:35) Drunk Ideas - The Michelin Star guide for produce.
Mark's farm: https://www.instagram.com/esoterraculinary/
Check out our Black Friday Sale: https://shop.moderngrower.co/
(0:00) Be careful who you take an opinion from.
(0:24:00) Farmer Ian Jerolmack talks about how they are crushing it on their farm and will do $500k in sales.
(1:27:15) Listener Q&A - Cut expenses or grow revenue?
(1:39:47) Drunk Ideas - The Auto Warner
Check out my new book, Sell Everything You Grow - only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
There is no point in growing a crop if you can't sell it at a profit. Ray discusses cashing in on your hard work in Episode 10 of The Lettuce Grower Series. Ray will share some tips to market lettuce successfully and how they have increased sales and prices based on these techniques.
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder. Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co.
You've done all the work to grow a great lettuce crop. How do you get it from the field to the customer in the best condition possible? Episode 9 in The Lettuce Grower Series is a dive harvesting and packing. Ray will review strategies to get the most from your harvest and packing tips to help maximize sales. Don't do all the work growing the crop and falter at the end with a poor harvest and pack process.
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder. Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co.
Like most crops, lettuce has pests and diseases that target it. Episode 8 in The Lettuce Grower Series shares his experience dealing with these issues. He goes over the most common pests and diseases while giving various solutions to help prevent and remedy problems.
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Protect your valuable crop from insects with Kwik Hoops.
Most growers struggle to grow lettuce in the heat of summer. In Episode 7 of The Lettuce Grower Series, Ray shares his advice for growing great greens in the summer. Ray share keys such as water, covering the crop, and timing.
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Protect your valuable crop from the summer heat with Kwik Hoops.
Episode 6 in The Lettuce Grower Series goes deep into the details of transplanting and direct seeding. When is it advantageous to direct seed? When should you transplant? Ray will discuss why they use landscape fabric on their farm and the savings it gives them. We also consider when saving time and labor using the Paperpot Transplanter makes sense.
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Grow a great lettuce crop with the Jang Seeder, Paperpot Transplanter, and Kwik Klik seeder.
Find tools for direct seeding, transplanting, and the nursery at paperpot.co.
Episode 5 in The Lettuce Grower Series explores the different options for watering lettuce crops - drip, overhead, and mister irrigation. What are the pros and cons of each type? When is one more beneficial than another? How much water does lettuce need?
Diego Footer hosts this 10-part series from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops.
Episode 4 in The Lettuce Grower Series is a dive into protected growing. What are the benefits, and why you should consider growing under cover. Ray discusses the various ways to protect your lettuce crop from the elements and the advantages of doing it.
This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer, from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here.
Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
Episode 3 in The Lettuce Grower Series focuses on the importance of potting soil. The key to having a great lettuce crop is getting the seedlings off to a great start in the nursery. Ray will discuss what he looks for in the perfect potting soil and how you can get your seedlings off to a fantastic start.
This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer, from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here.
Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
Episode 2 in The Lettuce Grower Series focuses on selecting the correct lettuce variety to grow. Ray will give you some guidelines on what to consider when choosing the appropriate lettuce variety for your climate and the time of the year.
This 10-part series is hosted by Diego Footer from @paperpotco, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Get Ray's book, The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. You can learn more about the course here.
Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
This is the first of ten episodes in The Lettuce Grower Series. Diego Footer, from @paperpotco, hosts the series, and the presenter is farmer Ray Tyler from @rosecreekfarms.
Episode 1 is all about why market farmers should grow lettuce. Ray will explain how lettuce can contribute significant cash flow to your farm. It's a valuable crop that can be grown year-round in most of the US. Most customers like it, making it an easy sell. The hard part is mastering how to grow it consistently. In this series, Ray will get into details to help you do that.
The series follows Ray's book The Farmers Guide to Growing Organic Lettuce. You can get the book here.
Ray also has an online course dedicated to growing lettuce. Learn more about the course here.
Get tools to help you grow lettuce at Paperpotco.
This week, Diego talks about crop rotation: what it is, why consider implementing it, and some effective strategies to implement it on your market garden.
You can also read the article using the link below:
https://moderngrower.co/principles-of-crop-rotation-for-the-market-garden
If you'd like to receive these helpful farming articles every week, you can subscribe to our newsletter using the link below:
https://modern-grower.ck.page/posts
This week, farmer Seth Davis writes about how Steadfast Farm simplifies their day-to-day farm operations by implementing standardization.
You can also read the article using the link below:
https://paperpot.co/standardizing-systems-at-steadfast-farm/
If you'd like to receive these helpful farming articles every week, you can subscribe to our newsletter using the link below:
https://modern-grower.ck.page/posts
In Episode 10 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about selling to restaurants: the pros, the cons, and how to keep restaurant customers happy.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
Tony Barlow of Barlow Roots Market joins me to talk about balancing an off-farm job, homeschool and running a successful farm on the side.
If you are interested in following Tony and learning more about the things we spoke about today he has just started a new channel called Homestead Money. He is looking forward to sharing more on homesteading, market gardening and finance. Specifically, he hopes to help homestead dreamers purchase their homestead, and current homesteaders manage their finances wisely. You can join his email list here: http://eepurl.com/ijcC61.
Or follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/homesteadmoney/
Want to learn more? My new book Ready Farmer One - The Farmers' Guide to Create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store is finally out!!! Get it on Amazon.
In Episode 9 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm shares his approach to selling to retail stores, as well as their unique arrangement of managing dedicated refrigerators for his produce in each store.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In Episode 8 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses the process they go through in their wash and pack, their delivery system, as well as some wash and pack efficiency tips.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
Farmer and consultant Ellen Polishuk joins Diego to discuss running a successful farm business. Ellen has over 30 years of experience growing vegetables and cut flowers in the Washington, DC area.
Learn more about Ellen:
https://www.planttoprofit.com/
https://www.instagram.com/planttoprofit_farmerellen
Want to learn more? My new book Ready Farmer One - The Farmers' Guide to Create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store is finally out!!! Get it on Amazon.
In Episode 7 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses the different equipment they use in their wash and pack station.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In Episode 6 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses considerations for setting up your wash pack building.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In Episode 5 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about market gardening and how viable it is as a career.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In Episode 4 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about how to form beds on new farm land.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In episode 3 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about the importance of farm standardization.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In episode 2 of The Profitable Mini-Farm farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses what to think about when selecting a farm site.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In episode 1 of our new show - The Profitable Mini-Farm - farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about farm business - what his context is and how that's shaped his farm.
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
In this preview episode of our new show - The Profitable Mini-Farm - farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses where John Jeavon's biointensive gardening and market farming come together. Check out the first episode of the new show next week.
Jodi Roebuck, a world-renowned contemporary market gardener, uses traditional + sustainable practices to be at the forefront of the profitable, small-scale local food movement.
Having clocked into his third decade in the field of championing local, sustainable food production, Jodi's work is based alongside the work of peers Curtis Stone (The Urban Farmer) and Jean-Martin Fortier (The Market Gardener).
His commitment to Regenerative Agriculture has cemented long-term relationships with many of the world's leading sustainable food production figures, shaping the direction of Roebuck Farm and influencing growers around the globe
Learn more about Jodi:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Get high-quality farm tools in Australia and New Zealand at https://www.activevista.com.au/
When doing an initial layout design for your farm, how do you think about what goes where? What teacher-turned-farmer Chad Gard of Hole in the Woods Farm took into account during their initial planning phase were field blocks and crop rotation. Now, their field blocks are rotated in a 12-year cycle, intentionally switching out different crop families to promote diversity in their soils.
Learn more about Hole in the Woods Farm.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
While 30-inch beds are the standard for market gardening, it may or may not be the best bed width to implement depending on the farm’s context.
In this episode of Farm Small Farm Smart, farmer Dean Buttacavoli of Cabbage Throw Farm shares his experience throwing pathways out the window and converting their entire plot into farmland with 15-inch row spacing.
Learn more about Cabbage Throw Farm.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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Grower Chris Thoreau is guest hosting for Diego. Chris talks to longtime entrepreneur Pierre Marlow of Alberta, Canada to share his experience discovering microgreens and starting a microgreens business as a retirement plan.
Seedleaf - Microgreen Crop Planning software: https://seedleaf.co/
Chris Thoreau's website: https://urbanmicro.ca/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Grower Chris Thoreau is guest hosting for Diego. Chris talks to grower Michael Quinn about his experience starting a microgreens business in Northern Ireland, the regional differences that can come with a startup business, and how a startup can be intentional with creating social impact right from the get-go.
Learn more about Michael and Mourne Microgreens.
Seedleaf - Microgreen Crop Planning software: https://seedleaf.co/
Chris Thoreau's website: https://urbanmicro.ca/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Grower Chris Thoreau is guest hosting for Diego. Chris talks with Lily Evans of Short Roots Urban Farm in Kenosha, Wisconsin to share her experience of how she started her microgreens business by bootstrapping.
Learn more about Lily /https://www.instagram.com/shortrootsurbanfarm/
Seedleaf - Microgreen Crop Planning software: https://seedleaf.co/
Chris Thoreau's website: https://urbanmicro.ca/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Grower Chris Thoreau is guest hosting for Diego. Chris talks with Jacob Goldfarb of Goldfarm Canada to talk about how he grew his microgreens business from 20 trays a week to 120 trays a week, as well as the challenges he faced with growing his farming operation. Learn more about Jacob https://www.instagram.com/goldfarm_canada/
Seedleaf - Microgreen Crop Planning software: https://seedleaf.co/
Chris Thoreau's website: https://urbanmicro.ca/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Like many farmers I know, I’ve always struggled with setting prices. I want to charge a “fair” price for my customers, and I want to make sure those prices will allow me to continue farming. My thinking on pricing has evolved quite a bit over the last decade as I’ve been exposed to more useful concepts from the business world, and those concepts have proven to be useful tools when considering how to price my produce.
Read the article:
https://growingformarket.com/articles/tools-help-you-put-the-right-price-your-products
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 19 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks equipment, general tips, when to harvest, how to harvest lettuce, baby greens, root crops (carrots, beets, etc.) and bunching crops, packaging, selling, invoicing and delivering.
Download course guides: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 18 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks the importance of an efficient wash pack station, plumbing, water source, setup, and workflow refrigeration.
Download course guides: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 17 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks the benefits of composting and how to do it. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
By Franklin Egan, PASA
This is the second article in a series on soil health challenges and innovations revealed through case studies that are part of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s ongoing Soil Health Benchmark Study, a citizen-science project begun in Pennsylvania in 2016. Read the first installment on the GFM or PASA website.
In 2013, Cameron and Audrey Pedersen relocated Bending Bridge Farm to twelve acres of land they purchased near Chambersburg, PA. Given their new land had been in continuous conventional corn production for decades, the soil was in dire shape. The first spring working that ground they could not even get a chisel plow to break the surface because the soil was so compacted and crusted.
Cameron and Audrey knew they needed to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to regenerate the health of their soil, and they wanted this plan to adhere to organic methods. As part of their strategy, they have been practicing a diverse crop rotation that includes long windows for over-winter and summer cover crops. Because of this, Cameron and Audrey keep their land in living cover for 248 days of the year—making Bending Bridge a leader in cover cropping among the other 23 vegetable farms participating in PASA’s Soil Health Benchmark Study.
Read the article:
https://growingformarket.com/articles/20181101
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 16 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about general principles and mindsets regarding weed management. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 15 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about his personal strategies to overcome pests on his farm, as well as some general principles and mindsets on pest management.. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Although no-till production has been widely adopted by row crop farmers, reports of poor weed control and delayed spring planting may have deterred many organic vegetable growers from using this soil-conserving practice. We have found that ridge-tillage is an alternative that solves both of these problems by allowing for cultivation and providing a warm, residue-free seed bed.
Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/20080117_74
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 14 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin goes through each of the tools, equipment, and supplies he uses on his farm, as well as other necessities for beginner farmers.. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Deep plowing dried out the soil surface too much for transplanting or direct seeding without irrigation or timely rainfall. Shallow tillage, on the other hand, preserved surface soil moisture by concentrating the organic matter from the cover crops and our limited supply of horse manure compost in the top two to three inches of the soil. Reducing the depth of soil disturbance also enhanced subsoil moisture movement to the surface via capillary action while the soil/cover crop mulch on top slowed evaporation.
Read the article: Whoa Till
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 13 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses why you should direct seed crops, temperature, moisture, using a precision seeder, and other tips. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 12 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin why you should transplant crops, techniques for transplanting, alternative techniques and tools, and interplanting. https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
My new book Ready Farmer One - The Farmers' Guide to Create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store is finally out!!! Get it on Amazon.
Jesse Way and Meghan Brandenberg join me to talk about their farm's evolution. From starting at a farmers' market to later dropping it to sell exclusively online, they have adapted the farm to fit their lifestyle and customer base.
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Sweet potatoes are not a big moneymaker for the amount of garden space they use, compared to more intensive crops like lettuce, tomatoes, and basil. However, they have some important advantages on our farm.
Read the article: Sweet Potato Propagation and Production
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 11 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses seed starting and nursery mangement. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 10 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses setting up irrigation. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
There are good reasons why quick-growing greens crops have gotten a lot of attention in no-till systems. But I wanted to try growing some less common no-till crops, so I grew test plots of potatoes and sweet potatoes on my farm this past year.
Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/notill-potatoes-and-sweet-potatoes
Learn more about Growing for Market:
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 9 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses the pros and cons of winter growing. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 8 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses why you should get tunnels, types of tunnels, choosing the right tunnels, building tunnels, modifications, and other tips. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Hardening off means introducing young plants gradually to the harsh realities that await them outside. Gardening books always recommend that you move them outside for a few hours, increasing the length of time every day for a week or more.
Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/Hardening-Off-Transplants
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 7 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses how he goes about crop planning. Overall considerations, sales outlets, seasonality and succession planting, timing, transplanting, harvesting and yields, and other tips. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
Farming an acre of vegetables in Wilton, Ontario, Evan Quigley has always aimed to bring the highest quality and consistency to market with a keen eye on profitability. Evan has achieved high quality and yields with a combination of techniques and careful management at The Kitchen Garden farm.
Read the article: https://www.growingformarket.com/articles/farming-small-recipe-profit
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The first two episodes of Carrot Cashflow will air here on Farm Small Farm Smart. You can listen to the rest of the episodes by subscribing to the podcast.
iTunes:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7yWbI4WFF0ZixQT8kEwukL?si=aa0dfe257c654e04
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Farmer Jeremy Tolley discusses why they go above and beyond to service their farm customers. He shares the extra steps he takes to really make customers feel like they are getting something special. He shares how he built his customer base using the website NextDoor. You will also hear his thoughts on why these decided to start aggregating products from other farms.
Follow Red Thread Farm @redthreadfarm
Our new book Ready Farmer One - The Farmers' Guide to Create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store comes out in April!
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
The first two episodes of Carrot Cashflow will air here on Farm Small Farm Smart. You can listen to the rest of the episodes by subscribing to the podcast.
iTunes:
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7yWbI4WFF0ZixQT8kEwukL?si=aa0dfe257c654e04
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Farmer Vannah Roddy discusses the benefits of her weekly veggie box. It's a program that has been successful for her as a farmer while also being something that works for customers.
Follow Encompass Farm @encompassfarm
Our new book Ready Farmer One - The Farmers' Guide to Create, Design, and Market an Online Farm Store comes out in April!
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 6 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin discusses basic no-till practices and the importance of living soil. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
I started my farm in 2010, and in 2011 I reluctantly started a CSA program. I’d worked for CSA farms for years and honestly didn’t love the model. I’ve always been a farmers market devotee, and that’s where my heart is. But I had customers clamoring for a subscription option, so I decided to go for it. Read the article: https://www.growingformarket.com/articles/marketbased-flex-csa
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 5 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin walks us through what has worked for him on his farm when it comes to prepping the soil and building beds. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features Module 4 in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about how to access land, evaluating a property for a farm, overall farm design, drainage, standardization, tool storage, composting, material handling, farm access, wash station, customer access, and employees. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
It’s okay to say NO to your CSA members. If you are new to running a CSA, expanding to increase membership, or just trying to improve with every season, this advice is for you. You have my permission to be inflexible when it comes to members’ special requests. Read the article:
https://growingformarket.com/articles/set-boundaries-csa-members-and-set-yourself-up-success
Learn more about Growing for Market:
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This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features the third module in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about selecting the right crops for your farm and how to price them. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features the second module in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about the importance of doing market research, as well as the different market streams you can sell your products to. More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
This episode of Farm Small Farm Smart features the first module in the Sattin Hill Market Farming Course, where Josh Sattin talks about the importance of setting goals prior to starting your farm business—from how many hours you want to work on the farm, to your expectations in your first year of farming.
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Farmer Josh Sattin joins me to talk about how he has modified his farm to fit his lifestyle. We get into some of the things that he has changed on his farm in recent years to make farming easier and more successful.
We also introduce a brand new, free farming course that Josh and I are launching.
Watch the Sattin Hill Farm Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIuQBEr4pd4
More on the course: https://www.paperpot.co/josh
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
All the evidence shows we cannot improve on nature’s model. So how do we put into action ecological principles of soil care that are based on non-disturbance? This chapter, excerpted from my book The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm, describes some of the techniques we employ to enhance the natural phenomena that protect and regenerate the soil. Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/cover-cropping-notill-systems
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Stewarding the Land offers insights on a holistic view of all aspects of caring for the land. This is a platform to share the stories of biologists, farmers, foresters, ranchers, conservationists, indigenous people, faith leaders, and anyone else involved in this work. We will discuss the most innovative, creative, and practical methods of restoring landscapes while making sure human needs are met in rural America. Listen to more episodes: https://anchor.fm/noah-poulos/
Use code is "SMART" to get 30% off any new magazine subscription!
For a small farm nerd, the best thing about touring farms around the country is experiencing growing systems in action. Over the past five years, I’ve done just that. My partner and I have had the amazing opportunity to work on more than 14 production-driven small farms and to visit dozens more. Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/notill-bed-flips-and-transplanting-protocols
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Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea wraps up the tenth part of the series going beyond compost tea. How can you build and maintain great soil with other soil management practices.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks about what compost extract is. How to make it. How it is different from compost tea.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
I absolutely adore dahlias! In my opinion, they are a nearly perfect crop to have on the farm. With an extremely long harvest window of up to 3 months, these brilliant gems have become the workhorse of our summer garden. There are thousands of varieties to choose from in nearly every shape, size, and color and for a trialing fanatic like me, the process of choosing is a blast! Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/Dahlias-are-well-worth-the-investment
Learn more about Growing for Market:
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Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks about the many benefits of using compost tea for growing plants.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks walks through the different ways of applying compost tea from foliar sprays to root injections. He covers simple to complex ways of application using a variety of equipment.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Garlic is grown and sold under hundreds of different variety names. However, research tells us that there are really only ten types of garlic. In this article, we will look at why there is so much confusion over garlic varieties, and what it means to you as a grower. Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/garlic-varieties
Learn more about Growing for Market:
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Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks walks through the steps of how to make compost tea. From basic tea to more advanced brews Troy gives you some different options.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks about composter tea brewers - from small to large and homemade to purchased.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Consider growing cukes umbrella style by Andrew Mefferd. Read the article: https://growingformarket.com/articles/considergrowingcukesumbrellastyle
Learn more about Growing for Market:
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Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks about what materials and ingredients you need to brew quality compost tea. He also discusses how varying these ingredients can change the microbial makeup of the tea.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea talks about compost production for great teas. He also discusses which types of composts are a good fit for compost tea.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea discusses the importance of the soil food web and the microorganisms that make it up. This is foundation information which will be built on later in the series.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea begins his new series digging into the in and out of compost tea. In Episode 1 Troy introduces the basic concepts of compost tea - what is it, how you make it.
Follow Troy on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingrootscomposttea/
This episode was produced by Diego Footer.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Podcasts by Diego Footer:
Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW
Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m
Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG
Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
In Search of Soil: http://bit.ly/soilpodcast
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Andrew Mefferd of Growing for Market Magazine joins me to talk about why tomato graft is worth it. Learn more about the magazine https://growingformarket.com/
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
New podcasts:
Farm Small Farm Smart Daily (daily farm talk):
https://bit.ly/dailyfarmpodcast
The Black Machete (life design):
https://bit.ly/theblackmachete
Make farming easier with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
In this episode, Diego discusses how much people will actually pay for convenience. With deliveries becoming more and more popular, it turns out people will pay a lot. Comment on this episode on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode, Diego discusses Rose Creek Farm's Seasonal Farm Bag. What it is and why it might make sense for your farm. Check out their farm bag at: https://www.rosecreekfarmstore.com Comment on this episode on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode, Diego talks about finding ourselves in The Tail End as parents and being a dad. He also discusses being a dad and farmer with Jeremy Tolley of https://www.instagram.com/redthreadfarm. We close out the episode talking kids TV that is actually good. Comment on this episode on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode, Diego discusses the ways in which we lose people and how we can build memories with the people we have before we lose them. He also asks the question - "Would you want this band to crash your Memorial Day Party?" Comment on this episode on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Dr. Holly Roberts, a licensed psychologist, joins me to talk about the mental health crisis in America. A crisis that is impacting the farm community at a greater rate than other industries. We talk about what is mental and behavioral health, why it is important, why some people don't prioritize it enough, and how you can improve mental health. We also talk about the importance of checking up on our kids for good mental health and encouraging communication and a positive mindset.
How to get help
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
A lot of us who go into farming probably had an idealized vision of what farming as a career is supposed to be like and how our lives and lifestyles would just naturally meld into that vision when we start farming: grow some vegetables, sell them, pay the bills, live a quiet life while eating good food.
As simple as it sounds—and many of us have experienced this firsthand, no doubt—it doesn’t happen that way. There’s all the nitty-gritty of designing your operation, ensuring there’s a market for what you grow, and making sure the numbers are enough to keep you on a living wage, among other things.
So, say you’ve started farming for a while, but the lifestyle is leagues away from what you imagined it to be and it just isn’t hitting off. What would you do then?
In this episode, we’re talking to Sam Billings, someone who fell in love with the idea of permaculture and farming, tried it, and decided he was happier working at a company and gardening as a hobby instead of making it his full-time job.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode of Farm Small, Farm Smart, we’re talking to Joel Konrad of Konrad Farm Markets who primarily sells pumpkins.
Joel’s business model is both interesting and simple: he rents out spaces on busy streets and sets up self-service farm stands made of repurposed metal trailers. Despite the model’s simplicity, a few things go into the planning: choosing a well-populated street, choosing a property with good visibility, enough space for multiple cars to park at a time, and a safe spot to turn around. When it comes to pricing, their method is equally as simple: eyeballing—largely dependent on the sizes rather than the weight.
Connect with Joel:
https://www.instagram.com/konradfarmmarkets/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
As farmers and business owners, it’s easy to get lost in productivity—the need to grow more, sell more, expand the farm, scale operations.
This episode’s guest, Derek Amadi from Texas, is trying to spend more time with his family, enjoy the experiences of parenting, and pay attention to his farm just enough.
What about you? Spending time on the farm is inevitable, but it’s important to remember to take breaks every now and then and to be grateful for the things we have.
Follow Derek:
https://www.instagram.com/emadi_acres_farm
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
We’ve just signed off from 2020 and we’re starting a new year in 2021. Looking back at the past year, how does it make you feel? Are you sighing with relief, just glad that it’s finally over? Or maybe you’re looking at how even though 2020 wasn’t that great of a year, there were still things to be happy and thankful about? Javan's workshop: https://allpointsdesign.ca/product/envision-2021-workshop/
In this episode of Farm Small, Farm Smart, we have Javan Bernakevitch, and we’re talking about year-end reviews: how you should do it, why you should do it, and how it can hopefully help set you up for a better 2021 by doing an honest self-reflection and setting intention. It won’t just be looking at facts and numbers, it’s also taking stock of your emotions, what brought you joy, what brought you suffering, and planning it out in the year ahead to get the same, or even better, results.
It's simply changing your approach.
Follow Javan:
https://allpointsdesign.ca/life-design
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today Javan Bernakevitch and I each go through our top 5 life lessons from 2020. In total 10 simple ways of looking at life, approaching life, and thinking about life that can change your life tomorrow. I look at a lot of these lessons as base principles in an approach to life that very much contradicts the status quo. None of these lessons require any money or technology to implement. There are no tools or techniques here. It's simply changing your approach.
Follow Javan:
https://allpointsdesign.ca/life-design
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Sheri Frey, co-founder of Arbico Organics - joins me to talk about how you can use beneficial insects on your farm or in your garden to help control pest pressure. She also discusses how beneficial insects are just one part of integrated pest management.
Learn more about Arbico Organics - https://www.arbico-organics.com/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
The pandemic brought about several restaurant closures, and that does not spell well for the farmers supplying them. But like many things in life, it's the tough times that bring out the best in people.
Today, we’re talking to farmer Adam Pollack of Closed Loop Farms in Chicago, IL. In March Adam had to deal with a loss of the majority of his restaurant customer base overnight due to COVID-19. Instead of trying to wait for restaurants to come back online, Adam and his team set out to rebuild their whole business model from the ground up. They shifted from selling only to restaurants to selling directly to consumers. With a shift in their customer base, they also had to shift the products they were selling. Closed Loop Farms began aggregating products from other local producers and shifting their microgreen production to meet new demand. Overall the changes weren't easy, but it has worked out so far and put their business in a stronger position going forward.
Adam is a great example of a business owner that adapted and pivoted when his back was up against the wall showing that regardless of how hard things might seem, there's always a way out.
Today’s Guest - Adam PollackAdam is a microgreen farmer and the owner of Closed Loop Farms. His farm was servicing nearly one hundred restaurants in the Chicago area until the pandemic came. Now, he and his team have adapted by going online.
Closed Loop Farms – Website | Shopify | Facebook | Instagram
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Jessica Washkowiak from Field to Fork Farm joins me to talk about why she loves the CSA business model for their farm. We also discuss how they run their CSA, manage crop diversity, and how they market their CSA.
Field to Fork Farm https://www.instagram.com/fieldtoforkcsa/
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
The owner of Mumm's Sprouting Seeds, Lisa Mumm, joins Chris Thoreau and me to talk about how Mumm's sources high-quality microgreen seeds. Most of those seeds are sourced locally in Saskatchewan. Lisa also details their extensive procedures that ensure that all of the seed they sell is pathogen-free.
You can purchase microgreen seeds at Mumm's Sprouting Seeds https://www.sprouting.com
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Microgreen grower Chris Thoreau joins me to talk about the importance of sourcing high quality, pathogen-free seed for a microgreens operation.
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer and Entrepreneur Chaz Daughtry (http://www.soulfitgrill.com/) joins me to discuss the two different online sales platforms he is using to sell his vegetables and his spice blends. One platform is a very beginner, basic platform, and the other is more advanced. Chaz also details why he got into creating spice blends and what running that business is like.
Follow Chaz https://www.instagram.com/sweetwaterfarmshtx
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Erich Schultz joins me to talk about lessons he has learned after moving his farm several times over the past 10 years. Along the way, Erich has streamlined his farming operation to use fewer tools and use simpler processes. He also talks about partnering with developers to gain access to land.
Follow Erich https://www.instagram.com/steadfastfarm
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Derek Emadi joins me to talk about why he is growing most of his summer vegetables under shade cloth. It's a passive tool that provides multiple benefits to him and his crop.
Follow Derek https://www.instagram.com/emadi_acres_farm
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Success and fulfillment aren't the same things and they don't necessarily go hand in hand. Success doesn't guarantee happiness and it might be something you can never actually achieve. Which one are you seeking? And is that the right thing for you?
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Nikolay Georgiev joins me to talk about the process of breeding hybrid tomatoes. We get into the science discussing what is possible in terms of disease resistance and what problems breeding could solve. You'll also learn how a farmer or gardener could create some localized resilience by breeding their own seeds. It's everything you ever wanted to know about breeding tomatoes.
Learn more about Geosem Select's seeds: https://geosemselect.com/en/
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Dr. Robert Pyne joins me to talk about the work VDF Specialty Seeds has done to develop a line of basil that is downy mildew resistant. Throughout the episode, we core the science behind plant breeding - how to you get the traits that you want to come through, how many generations does it take, how do you stabilize a line. The interview should give you a really good overview of how traditional plant breeding works.
Learn more about their resistant Rutgers line of basil - https://www.vdfspecialtyseeds.com/
Follow VDF - https://www.instagram.com/vdfspecialtyseeds/
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
What do you want to leave behind - an asset that society can build off or a liability that society has to clean up? It's never too late to start building your legacy and do good things.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Liset Garcia of Sweet Girl Farms joins me to talk about her first year of farming - how she started, what worked, and how she is evolving the business.
Follow Liset https://www.instagram.com/sweetgirlfarms
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Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
James Grevious of Rebels in the Garden joins me to talk about the importance of farming for the community. Farming inspires, provides hope, brings people together, and sets a positive example. Our conversation goes beyond business to talk about ways farming can help change a culture and bring people together.
Follow James https://www.instagram.com/rebelsinthegarden/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Justin Gay joins me to talk about his thoughts on the murder of George Floyd while sharing his thoughts on what it is like to live life being Black in America. While his experience is unique in his way, it showcases that there are differences between growing up black and white in a country where a lot of people assume everyone is equal.
Connect with Justin:
https://www.instagram.com/theseedsofxanxadu/
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSeedsOfXanxadu
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Hiring troubles? Nervous about hiring? Then this is the episode for you. I am joined by Farmer and HR Specialist Jeremy Tolley of Red Thread Farm. Jeremy has spent the past 20 years of his career in HR, recruiting and training. He's hired (directly or through my staff) literally thousands of people. In this episode, he will share 8 tips to help you hire better employees for your farm.
Follow Jeremy:
https://www.instagram.com/redthreadfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed Despite It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #14: Rigidly Adhering to Ideology
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE, I cover a straightforward business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and more seamless. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
Diego Footer hosts the podcast - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but still trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Dan Brisebois shares some of his experience selling produce and seeds online. Their farm uses two different platforms to manage their seed sales and CSA program. Which programs do they use for each and why? What features does Dan like and not like? We close the episode with some of Dan's thoughts on the future of seed and vegetables in a post-COVID-19 world. Learn more about Dan and sign up for his weekly newsletter https://www.farmerspreadsheetacademy.com/
Dan's Facebook Group - Move Your Farm Store Online Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlinefarmstore/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #13: Not Accepting How Hard It Really Is
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Today I talk to Cole Jones of Local Line - an online sales platform for online farm stores, food hubs, managing CSA's and for online farmers' markets. We get into how to choose the right platform for your farm and what to look for in a platform provider. Learn more about Local Line: https://go.localline.ca/paperpot
Get a FREE premium service with a Local Line paid subscription: https://go.localline.ca/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #12: Lack of Confidence
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Laura Patterson of Hand-Grown Greens joins me to talk about her entrepreneurial journey that involves switching careers, balancing family and work, raising kids as a business owner, and grower her business.
Follow Laura at https://www.instagram.com/handgrowngreens
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today we’re interviewing Jordan McPhee of Maple Bloom Farm from Prince Edward Island, whose farmers’ market was recently shut down due to the COVID pandemic. He organized an effort to bring the local vendors from his market online so that their customers could continue to patronize them at one central pickup location.
Learn more about Waggon https://www.waggon.ca
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #11: Failure to Keep Records
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Katherine Creswell of Moose Meadow Farm joins me to talk about why they started their online store. Their online store brings in $15,000 of additional farm income during the winter when there aren't any other sales options locally.
Follow them at:
https://www.moosemeadoworganic.com/
http://instagram.com/moosemeadowfarm
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today we’re talking to John Findlay, who raises mushrooms on his farm in Ontario, Canada. He raises them locally to sell to farmer’s markets and chefs. He’s had a lot of success, and in this episode, he’s going to share what his journey has been like. From expenses to techniques, and even a discussion on what it would be like as a vegetable farmer to add mushrooms onto their operation, this far-ranging conversation will give you a full introduction to what it might look like to start growing mushrooms on your farm in 2020.
While more technical and costly to invest in upfront than veg, mushrooms can offer growers a potentially open market if there isn’t another producer in your region. If you want to learn more from John, you can find him on the web on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Findlay’s Fungus. If you are interested in hearing more about the topic of growing mushrooms on the podcast, you can reach out to me @DiegoFooter on Instagram and let me know your thoughts.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Max Becher and Mike Roberts of Farmivore join me to talk about how they are aggregating products and selling them online in their farm store using Shopify.
Follow Farmivore:
https://www.instagram.com/farmivore.farm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today we interview Troy and Cindy Dickens of Tilth and Timber farm in MA. They are only a few months into their journey.
We discuss how they got into farming and what their challenges have been so far. What about their lifestyle changed when they dropped corporate income for farm income? And what is their vision of where they want their farm to go?
If you want to follow along with Cindy and Troy you can find them on Instagram @tilth_and_timber and on the web at https://www.tilthandtimber.com You can also find their journey in their converted bus on Instagram @whitewhaleskoolie.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Ray Tyler joins me to talk about his online store that runs on Shopify. We get into what he likes about the platform and how going online has allowed him to drastically increase his sales from compared to when he only did farmers' markets.
Ray's video about his online store - https://www.lettuceclass.com/online1584552383046
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #10: Blowing Up Financially
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
"How does a REKO-ring work?The ring is based on a closed Facebook group. The producer and consumer who want to take part apply for membership in the group he or she likes. Administrators, often a small group of consumers, approve the application from serious people and thereafter trade can begin. Normally delivery occurs every or every other week, depending on the size of the group. Delivery times are more often shorter than an hour, or producers congregate and the consumers can collect their orders from a number of producers at the same time. A producer writes a post about their product and availability on Facebook and the consumers make orders by comments directly under the post. The producers also write how they require payment." Source
You can connect or follow along with Buddha and Sofia of Los Perros Farm on Instagram @LosPerrosUrbanFarming and on the web at LosPerrosUrbanFarming.com. Check out their recently opened cafe @FlaxMalmo.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Businesses will exist and thrive after COVID19. What can you do to help your business be successful after COVID19? It all starts with what you do during COVID19.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today we’re talking to Buddha of Los Perros an urban farm in Malmö, Sweden. They’re going into their 5th year farming and have faced a lot of challenges recently. Despite those challenges, they are having success and growing their farm brand. Online sales are a big part of their success. They’re also bottling and selling their own value add products and selling it in their own store/cafe.
You can connect or follow along with Buddha and Sofia of Los Perros Farm on Instagram @LosPerrosUrbanFarming and on the web at LosPerrosUrbanFarming.com. Check out their recently opened cafe @FlaxMalmo.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
How Fragile Is Your Business? Could it survive a recession? How long could you survive at 50% of your current sales? How much debt do you have? Today we look at questions you should be asking about the fragility of your business and some ideas on how to make those areas more anti-fragile.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
This week we talk with Chris and Audra Wyant from central Illinois of Finding Eminence Farm.
Chris started the farm growing vegetables, but at first flush, the farm wasn’t selling enough. That’s when Audra came in growing flowers. Adapting and pivoting along the way they added not just flowers, but a flower CSA, on-farm workshops, and floral design for weddings.
They also discuss their Instagram and Facebook ads. This episode is all about knowing when you need a change and knowing and spreading your brand effectively.
For people who want to find out more about Finding Eminence Farm and what they are up to you can follow along on their Instagram @FindingEminence and via their website at FindingEminence.com.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #9: Finance Basics. Make sure your cashflow in is much much greater than cashflow out.
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
This week we interview first-year farmers Quinn Richards and Theus Weiskopf of Farm Punk Salads in Portland Oregon.
We’ll discuss how they got into farming, how did they start their farm business, and what that was like as a couple. We also discuss how they differentiated themselves in a crowded Portland marketplace and how starting a salad dressing business helped them stand out.
You can find the Farm Punks online on their excellent website here at FarmPunkSalads.com or find them on Instagram @FarmPunkSalads. If you’re in the greater Portland area be sure and check them out on the shelves of New Seasons, at local farmer's markets, or participate in their CSA share.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
The benefits of building a microgreens business, and how to keep improving it.
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #8: Not Charging Enough
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #7: Poor Market Selection
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Can you make a living farm? Or rather can you earn a living wage farming? What is a living wage? And why a living wage isn't enough. All questions answered in this episode of Farm Small Farm Smart.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #6: Poor Enterprise Selection
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Microgreen grower Chris Thoreau joins me to talk about the importance of soil in growing microgreens.
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/courses
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #5: Running A Business Like a Hobby
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
This week we talk about high tunnels with Nicolas Donck who owns 28!
He’s not going for high tech, he goes for low tech, a minimum viable product.
He’s going to share a lot about his winter growing techniques.
If you have any sort of protected culture on your farm, or are interested in experimenting with some, this episode is for you.
Nicolas can be reached on the web on Instagram @CrystalOrganicFarm and via his website here.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #4: The Family Falls Apart
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
CBD hemp - the what, the why, the how, and the economics of raising hemp on a small scale farm?
Rand Gifford grew a crop of CBD hemp on his farm in NC this year. He learned a ton along the way. He sells to 5 different locations and is starting to make value-added products through his own brand.
In this interview, he shares with us the details of what this production looks like on his farm and why you might consider growing it.
You can find Rand on the web at his farm’s website; Akira Botanicals. He also has a YouTube channel at Greenshine Farmers, which he started back from the beginning of their farm. You can follow him on Instagram @AkiraBotanicals and @GreenshineFarms.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #3: It Might Not Be a Fit Now
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
How much should you be making as an owner/operator of a small scale farm?
Of course, context is important - but where should the center of the bell curve lay?
Heath Emerson recently made an Instagram posing this question. In this episode, he talks about that post and also discusses some of the details of the practical in the field side of managing the expenses and production on a farm in this episode.
If you want to follow along with what Heath Emerson is doing you can find him at BroadForkAcres.com and on Instagram @broadforkacres.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #2: Not Knowing What You Really Want
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
What does running a small farm really look like from a business perspective? How much money can you make, how much work is it, and what does your lifestyle look like? This episode was inspired by an Instagram post put up by Taylor Mendell who talks to us about answering these questions.
Taylor runs a small roughly one-acre farm in Vermont with her husband, selling through a CSA and farmers' markets.
Follow Taylor:
https://www.instagram.com/habitfarming/
https://www.instagram.com/footprintfarm
https://www.patreon.com/habitfarming
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Entrepreneurship 101:
Why You Will Fail, Flail, and Falter & How You Can Succeed In Spite of It (A 25+ Part Series)
Episode #1: Introduction and The Reality of Luck
Each week on 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Each week on Entrepreneurship 101 - 15 FOR LIFE I cover one simple business lesson to carry forward for life.
When your business runs better and smoother, your life runs better and smoother. I hope sharing my tips and experiences can help everyone in your life and your business benefit.
The podcast is hosted by Diego Footer - a work-at-home, home-schooling dad trying to run a growing business and be the best teacher, father, and husband he can be. Not always perfect, but always trying.
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Is no-till farming actually worth it?
Is the amount of compost required worth the investment, and do the results actually stack up in comparison to tilling?
At the end of the day, where does no-till fit within the market-gardening realm?
In this episode, we put these questions to Jesse Frost of the No-Till podcast and Rough Draft Farmstead.
Follow Jesse: https://www.notillgrowers.com
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today I will be sharing some of what I learned as Javan and I each go through our top 5 lessons from 2019. In total 10 simple ways of looking at life, approaching life, and thinking about life that can change your life tomorrow. I look at a lot of these lessons as base principles in an approach to life that very much contradicts the status quo. None of these lessons require any money or technology to implement. There are no tools or techniques here. It's simply changing your approach.
Follow Javan:
https://allpointsdesign.ca/life-design/intro/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Jason Contreras joins me to talk about his journey from working in an office in Southern California to battling cancer to moving across the country to homestead with his family in North Carolina. Jason's story is inspiring and goes to show that you never should give up.
Follow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/sowtheland
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode. Enjoy!
Today I will be sharing some of what I learned as Javan and I go through our top 5 lessons from 2016. In total 10 simple ways of looking at life, approaching life, and thinking about life that can change your life tomorrow. I look at a lot of these lessons as base principles in an approach to life that very much contradicts the status quo. None of these lessons require any money or technology to implement. There are no tools or techniques here. It's simply changing your approach.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode Chris Thoreau joins me to explore the idea - Can you actually make a living growing microgreens? Is it actually possible or just an unrealistic dream?
If it is possible what does that look like? How big does the business need to be? How much do you need to be selling? Would you need employees?
TLDR: It is possible, with the right combination of luck, skills and hard work. Some people will find it’s a fit for them and their lifestyle, but they’ll need to be committed.
Learn how to start a Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode. Enjoy!
John Kitsteiner of Temperate Climate Permaculture joins me to discuss his series of blog posts, The Myth of the Perfect Job.
So many of us are stuck in the rat race. We want to be farmers, homesteaders, or something else that involves working closer to home, and not for the man. But we never end up doing that. Why? I think people are either afraid to take a risk and start, or they don't know where to start.
This podcast should start to address both of those issues and at least get you thinking.
Read More: http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/10/15/the-myth-of-the-perfect-job-part-1/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Jordan MacPhee of Maple Bloom farm joins me to talk about facing challenges on the farm this year, just like any of us out there in the field. Physical and mental challenges that he had to deal with. Right now, just postseason, when all of the problems you’ve just faced are fresh in your mind, do a mental inventory of what you’ve faced. Think about what you can do to better mitigate or handle those problems next year. You’re not going to be perfect, none of us ever are. But we can reflect and learn, and that’s what this episode is all about.
Follow Jordan https://www.instagram.com/maplebloomfarm/
Learn how to start a Profitable Microgreens Business http://bit.ly/learntogrowmicrogreens
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode. Enjoy!
Stefan Sobkowiak of The Miracle Farm is encouraging more vegetable farmers to consider planting some fruit trees. And to start planting some trees now, so they are established and producing when you or the vegetable farming gets old. Now you may be saying, "I barely have enough time to do the work that I am doing now." Establishing this orchard might not take as much time as you think. And the slow growth of trees might be on your side. As Stefan will talk about in this episode he manages his whole operation on just 50 hours per year. That includes all pruning, training, irrigation, spraying, clean-up, the whole lot. And he thinks that one person could maintain 4 to 6 acres. Overall making it a doable takes that makes your farming enterprise less fragile while adding some diversity to your farmer's market booth or CSA box. If that sounds intriguing stay tuned.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer and Homesteader Jesse Frost joins me to talk about his journey into homesteading and farming. How and when did it go from homesteading to farming, and what was that like? Jesse also hosts the No-Till Growers Podcast https://www.notillgrowers.com/
Follow Jesse https://www.instagram.com/roughdraftfarmstead
Learn how to start a Profitable Microgreens Business http://bit.ly/learntogrowmicrogreens
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Molds, fungus, viruses - oh my! Depending on your growing environment you may encounter one or perhaps even all of these diseases. And what do you do once you encounter them? If there’s a small section of mold on your tray, for example, what do you do with that tray? Do you scrap the whole tray or can you harvest the unaffected part? We ask these questions with long-time grower and microgreen expert Chis Thoreau, this week, on FSFS.
Learn how to start a Profitable Microgreens Business https://microgreens.teachable.com/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Josh Sattin from Sattin Hill Farm joins me to talk about how he built up a farm following for his new farm pretty quickly - both online and in-person with local chefs. He shares strategies for how he did that and how it has helped with sales.
He also gets into the various ways he is building soil on-farm from his no-till methods to using wood chip mulch in his pathways to utilizing chickens to prepare new growing areas.
Follow Josh:
https://www.instagram.com/sattinhillfarm
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHynVrKVZtTXf3hndd2ZR4A
No-Till Growers:
https://www.notillgrowers.com/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
This week’s interview on FSFS features a season’s end reflection on a timeless topic; the challenges of farming. More specifically, the challenges unique to a small scale farm with Benny and Courtney Pino of Loblolly Farm. Specifically, we discuss caterpillar tunnels, weed pressure, and irrigation. We also address their plans for solutions to these issues coming into 2020.
Follow Loblolly:
https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Nicolas Donck of Crystal Organic farm joins me to talk about how growing cover crops for the past 20 years have impacted his soil. How have trace minerals and compost teas helped with his soil and crops. Why he grows so much under high tunnels and what are some of the big challenges to growing crops in the south. Nicolas grows on a multigenerational farm, with 7 acres in production, 2 of which are under protected culture. Crystal Organic Farm is one of the oldest certified organic farms in the SouthEast.
Follow Nicolas:
https://www.instagram.com/crystalorganicfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode. Enjoy!
Featuring Brian Kowalski of Newfoundland.
Living in Newfound weather is one challenge for Brian. He describes the climate as like farming in the shoulder season all summer, windy generally with occasional hurricane, cloudy. Despite the challenges Brian has made a go of it and is a profitable market gardener. What he is doing is working. Given that, the goal for this to take a look at how Brian is dealing with harsh conditions to help those of you who might not have such harsh conditions. Another use of this information is to take some of the techniques that Brian has to apply in the summer and apply them to the colder parts of your season, be in the spring or fall shoulder seasons, or the winters... Listen to the ideas and techniques that he is using and think about how you can apply them to your situation even if your season and his don't match up.
Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram https://instagram.com/paperpot
Follow Diego on Instagram https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Microgreen Grower Chris Thoreau and I discuss a variety of reasons why microgreens might not be a fit for you. This is a realistic look at what growing microgreens as a business is really like. From quick turn around times week after week to attention to detail to scaleability to the day to day drudgery - they aren't a perfect business, yet nothing is.
Chris's Growing Your Microgreens Business Course: http://bit.ly/learntogrowmicrogreens
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Hiring troubles? Nervous about hiring? Then this is the episode for you. I am joined by Farmer and HR Specialist Jeremy Tolley of Red Thread Farm. Jeremy has spent the past 20 years of his career in HR, recruiting and training. He's hired (directly or through my staff) literally thousands of people. In this episode, he will share his experiences hiring and give tips and advice to help you with the hiring process on your farm. If you need to hire someone in the near future, then this a must-listen.
Follow Jeremy:
https://www.instagram.com/redthreadfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode. Enjoy!
Engineer and permie Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture talks about building and designing passive solar greenhouses.
Key Takeaways:
It is very important to have thermal mass in the greenhouse. Thermal mass absorbs the surplus heat during the date and radiates it back out at night.
Know what your goals are for the greenhouse. Why are you building it?
You can't over-vent a greenhouse.
Thermal curtains can cut heat loss drastically through the glazing.
Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram https://instagram.com/paperpot
Follow Diego on Instagram https://instagram.com/diegofooter
Benny & Courtney Pino of Loblolly Farm talk about the challenges they are facing growing their flower farm with the resources that they have available - labor, markets, and capital. How can they work through these challenges? And when it comes to growth how big is big enough?
Follow Loblolly:
https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer and Soil Consultant James Hutchinson joins me to talk about his method for building soils on his Tasmanian farm. He utilizes minimum tillage alongside composting, cover cropping and biochar to build soil in his permabeds. He will give advice on getting soils tests and making hot and cold compost.
Follow James:
https://www.instagram.com/longleyorganic
https://www.instagram.com/activevistagram/
James' online Farm Store:
https://www.activevista.com.au/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
In this episode, I try to cover some of the upcoming changes to the podcast. I really hope you enjoy them.
Scott Hebert and I talk about how Scott has created a functional balance in life between business and non-business. He also talks about some of the changes he has made to improve his life on farm and off-farm including getting more fit so he can think and farm better.
Connect with Scott:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavourfulfarms
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2u3WxIW
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Benny and Courtney Pino from Loblolly Farm join me to talk about all of the different potential market streams for small scale cut flower growers. From selling to distributors to florists to designers there are a lot of potential outlets to sell to as a grower. We will discuss each model hitting on the pros and cons of each, so you can hopefully find a market stream that works for you. The whole key is finding the best one that fits your farm and your context.
Connect with Benny & Courtney:
Follow Loblolly at https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Emma Hendel of Fair Share Farm gives us a look at the work that happens behind the scenes to support and enable field production. She cover’s what she does in the office on a weekly basis for their farm. Tasks include bookkeeping, market, and communicating with customers. In this episode, there are tips for increasing your time bandwidth and some thoughts about the upside of on-farm sales.
Connect with Emma:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/fair_share_farm
Website: https://www.fairsharefarm.net/
Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Today farmer Ben Hartman of Clay Bottom Farm joins me to talk about choosing the right crops for your farm’s context. He goes through some of the most profitable small farm crops, and why you should consider growing them. He also gets into choosing the right customers for those crops and how to make sure those crops are a fit for the customers. Ben's Online Course: www.theleanfarmschool.com Follow Ben: https://www.instagram.com/claybottomfarm Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: bit.ly/2B45VK
Justin Logeais joins me to talk about transitioning from full-time employment to full-time farming - how he did it, how it paid for it, and the balance that was required. He also talks about balancing family with running a business and keeping family first.
Connect with Justin:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/compostguycsa/
Plant Fast, Live More...
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Benny and Courtney Pino from Loblolly Farm join me to talk about the Top 10 Cool Season Flowers for Small Farms. We talk about why you should consider these flowers, how to grow then, and how to use them in bouquets. We also get into pest and disease pressure for each type of flower and the overall difficulty to grow them.
Follow Loblolly at https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Chris Thoreau joins me to discuss crop planning for a microgreens business using spreadsheets. We discuss timing crops for orders, using spreadsheets to plan and forecast income, and how to use spreadsheets for business planning.
Get Chris's Crop Planner at: https://urbanmicro.ca/crop-planner/
This show is brought to you by Paperpot Co.
John Paul Smajda joins me to talk about how he increased sales at their farmers' market by over 300%. From display to customer interactions, to pricing, all of the tips in this one are practical ones anyone could implement.
Connect with John: [email protected]
This show is brought to you by Paperpot Co
Jordan MacPhee of Maple Bloom Farm joins how microgreens fit in with field crops on their farm. They are also in expansion mode on the farm and talk hiring considerations, selling more, and maintaining quality.
Connect with Jordan:
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Ben Hartman talks about creating the optimum conditions for growing tomatoes. He also touches on building soil in between crops and handling crop turnover.
Ben's Online Course:
https://www.theleanfarmschool.com
Follow Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/claybottomfarm
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Kim Doughty-McCannon joins me to talk about being a mom and a farmer. How does she balance both? We get into topics such as time management and splitting time. Kim also talks about her experiences running a cut flower CSA.
Follow Kim:
https://www.bellurbanfarm.com/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Depression is an issue that affects over 20 million Americans, and the farm space is not isolated from that. Today Farmer Chris Gilbert joins me to talk about the topic of depression and some of his experiences with depression.
Follow Chris:
https://www.instagram.com/gilbertsgrapesiowa/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Benny and Courtney Pino from Loblolly Farm join me to talk about the Top 10 Warm Season Flowers for Small Farms. We talk about why you should consider these flowers, how to grow then, and how to use them in bouquets. We also get into pest and disease pressure for each type of flower and the overall difficulty to grow them.
Follow Loblolly at https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Emma Hendel and Elliot Seldner talk about being husband and wife along with business owners. How do they make it work? What does it take? What is it really like?
Follow Fair Share Farm at http://instagram.com/fair_share_farm
https://www.fairsharefarm.net/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Jordan MacPhee of Maple Bloom Farm joins me to talk about how they sell their organic veggie box in the small, but crowded marketplace on PEI in Canada. We discuss strategies for marketing CSAs, getting people interested, and keeping them coming back year after year.
Connect with Jordan:
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
If you think you need a lot of land to grow cut flowers or that cut flowers aren't profitable, then you might be wrong. Benny Pino, The Flower Grower, of Loblolly Farm joins me to talk about business opportunities growing cut flowers on small farms.
Follow Loblolly at https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Yosef Camire of Ahavah Farm talks about his process for goal setting and yearly planning. We cover both short and long-range goal setting. Along with how to attack larger longer-term goals.
Follow Yosef: https://www.instagram.com/ahavahfarm/
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Ben Hartman talks about building soil on a new farm or bringing new soil into production. Topics include tillage, compost, and no-till.
Ben's Online Course:
https://www.theleanfarmschool.com
Follow Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/claybottomfarm
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Today I am asking the question - Can you farm business scale enough to matter? If not, then why are you doing it or what can you change? Can the business scale, do you have a business or a job, and can your markets handle enough sales volume?
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Scott Hebert and I each talk about 5 of our favorite audiobooks - why we like them and why you might too! Happy New Years!
Connect with Scott:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavourfulfarms
YouTube: https://bit.ly/2u3WxIW
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
A review process for 2018 and tips on how to build off of success from 2018 to have your best year ever in 2019.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Jenny Quiner talks about growing her farm business through her farmstand. What has worked, what hasn't, and several ideas for growing farmstand business.
Follow Jenny @dogpatch_urban_gardens
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Elliot Seldner of Fair Share Farm talks about his options for scaling income. What crops he could add and what market streams he could grow and what that might look like.
Connect with Elliot:
https://www.instagram.com/fair_share_farm/
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Ben Hartman gives you some tips on how you can use LEAN principles to eliminate waste from your farm and make your farm more efficient in 2019.
Ben's Online Course:
https://www.theleanfarmschool.com
Follow Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/claybottomfarm
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Elliot Seldner of Fair Share Farm talks concerns and considerations with scaling once you have a business that works - from hiring employees to growing the farm.
Connect with Elliot:
https://www.instagram.com/fair_share_farm/
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Happy Thanksgiving. This episode is a replay of an episode of Grassfed Life that aired earlier this week. In this fun episode, livestock farmer Darby Simpson and I talk about how board games are a great way to use your downtime and connect with others.
Learn more about Grassfed Life: http://bit.ly/2D5gRJX
Subscribe to the podcast: https://apple.co/2hayYod
Farm Business Essentials Online Course is here, and it's not just a piece of the puzzle. FBE is a complete step by step A to Z system to plan, market, and grow the farm enterprise that's right for you. Built by a farmer for farmers just like you -https://www.farmbusinessessentials.com
Instagram: Follow Darby: http://bit.ly/2D6mlo7 Follow Diego: http://bit.ly/2B3vprJ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grassfedlifepodcast/
Chris Thoreau discusses the importance of buying the right equipment, knowing when to get advice, and understanding the context of what you do and why you do it. Blind copying is dangerous.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Justin Gay talks about farms market sales strategies, selling live cut microgreens and pre-packaged, and growing a small farm that gives him the most options for his life context.
Connect with Justin:
https://www.instagram.com/theseedsofxanxadu/
Listen to past episodes: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Ben Hartman discusses the base principles that make up the lean system and gives you practical tips on how you can apply them to your farm to save time, money and effort.
Ben's Online Course:
https://www.theleanfarmschool.com
Follow Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/claybottomfarm
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VK
Rome Julian of Lake Tilly Acres talks about starting his farm on the side, growth challenges, and how he has time to run the business, work another job, and have a family.
Follow Rome:
https://www.instagram.com/laketillyacres/
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Max Becher and Chris Thoreau chat about the differences between growing microgreens and field crops, when to add more microgreen crops, and when do you have too many crops.
Connect with Max: http://www.ojaifarmstand.com
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Travis Schulert joins me to talk about how he has made farming on the side successfully mesh with the rest of his life and his full-time job. Travis also discusses his farmer's market pricing and sales strategies.
Connect with Travis: https://www.permadynamics.org/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Farmer Ben Hartman talks about how lean principles turned their farm around. Learn more about Ben's courses: https://www.theleanfarmschool.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Luke Carneal of The Sonoma Farm joins me to shares his experience selling to wholesalers as a small farm. He'll give you a lot of tips on approach and working with wholesale customers.
Connect with Luke: https://www.instagram.com/thesonomafarm/
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Jay Reid talks about how they have marketed their new farm and CSA program and what steps they have taken to stand out from the competition. Jay also discusses how he and his partner Kat have made farming and their relationship co-exist in a positive way.
Connect with Jay: https://www.instagram.com/resilient_farms/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Max Becher shares some strategies that he used to find new customers very quickly including Facebook ads and email campaigns.
Connect with Max: http://www.ojaifarmstand.com
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Farmer Ben Hartman and I talk about removing tools and processes from your farm to make your farm more efficient (lean). Ben's Upcoming Workshops: http://www.claybottomfarm.com
Ben's Books: The Lean Guide to Growing Vegetables: https://amzn.to/2v0vpZv The Lean Farm: https://amzn.to/2K1Yh8s
Marie Kondo - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: https://amzn.to/2uXEGBH
Follow Diego on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B3vprJ
Follow Diego on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/diegofooter
Co-Instructor in The Farm Business Essentials Online Course: https://www.farmbusinessessentials.com
My Podcasts: Do The Work: https://apple.co/2ERsLHZ Farm Small, Farm Smart: http://bit.ly/2vMUDvX Grass Fed Life: http://bit.ly/2uOsLTH Voices of Change: http://bit.ly/2vrn81r
Support content I have created: https://www.patreon.com/diegofooter
Support while you shop at Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vqAwCR
My Business: Paperpot Transplanter: http://www.paperpot.co Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Chris Thoreau and I talk about balancing life and business, and planning for life and business. We also talk about observing self care to get out of a rut and hit the mental reset button.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Jon Grootveld talks about some of the challenges and successes that he is having during the early start-up stages of his new microgreens business. Then Chris Thoreau joins the conversation to troubleshoot some growing issues Jon is having.
Connect with Jon:
Instagram: @vertagrosystems
Website: http://www.vertagro.ca
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Moses Kashem joins me to talk about the challenges of growing in Miami, farming seasonally versus full-time, and how he has had success selling to Whole Foods as a small market farmer.
Connect with Moses:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/st.simonsfarm/
Website: https://urbanvegetableproject.com/
Building Your Microgreens Business Course:http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipmentat https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
John Jarmusz joins me to talk about farming reality - what farming has been like in comparison to his expectations going in. We also touch on success, failure, and defining success.
Connect with John:
Website: http://apmicrofarm.com/
Building Your Microgreens Business Course:http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipmentat https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Drew Sample of Columbus City Greens joins me to talk about how he has changed his farming path from one of market gardening to microgreens and how relationships he has formed have helped with that change. Drew will share times on dealing with chef, microgreen growing, and sales.
Connect with Drew Sample:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capcitygreens/
Podcast: http://www.samplehour.com
Building Your Microgreens Business Course: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Joey and Jerome from Urban Rebel Farms talk about growing veganic microgreens, growing microgreens in only coir, selling live and uncut microgreens, and more.
Connect with Joey and Jerome:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanrebelfarms/
Websitet: https://urbanrebelfarms.com/
Building Your Microgreens Business Course: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Scott Hebert discusses how his farming journey has evolved and how it has challenged some of his initial expectations and assumptions.
Connect with Scott:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavourfulfarms
Podcast: https://stoicmettle.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Mark Chapman of Marks Market Garden joins me to talk about what his first year was like as a bike powered urban farmer in Portland. He discusses how he established himself in a crowded market, came up with his crop selection, and started an online store.
Connect with Mark:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marksmarketgarden/
Website: https://marksmarketgarden.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Lindsay Napolitano of Fields Without Fences joins me to talk about growing medical herbs as business, and to regenerate their farm property. From production to sales via CSA Lindsay covers a lot in this one.
Connect with Lindsay and Fields Without Fences:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/fields_without_fences
Website: http://www.fieldswithoutfences.org/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Bob Close of Stafford River Farms talks about farming on the side while working a full-time job. At one point in his career Bob worked as a produce manager for a grocery store, and he shares how that experience has helped him sell greens to his local grocery store.
Connect with Bob Close:
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stafford_river_farm/
Website:https://www.staffordriverfarm.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipmentat https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Vincent Cuneo talks about what has made him successful selling microgreens to small independent grocery stores. He discusses giving samples, shelf placement, packaging, and credit for unsold product. Then Chris Thoreau joins the conversation to troubleshoot some growing issues Vincent is having.
Connect with Vincent Cuneo:
Website: http://www.agrarianfeast.com/
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Buddha Browett joins me to talk about what it is like to run the first commercial urban farm in Sweden. He discusses some of the challenges that he is facing from weather to cash flow to being a dad and balancing time.
Connect with Buddha Browett:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/losperrosurbanfarming
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/losperrosurbanfarming/
Website: https://www.losperrosurbanfarming.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Farmer Michael Bell from Texas joins me to talk about running an urban farm on the side while maintaining a full-time job as a teacher, and a father.
Connect with Michael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbell971/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Dan Brisebois of Tourne Sol Farm joins me to talk about small scale vegetable seed growing. Dan has grown seed on his farm for over 10 years and sells that seed via his own seed company and to other seed retailers. It's a lucrative business model that might just be a fit as a side business or an add on business for a small farm.
Dan Brisebois:
Dan's PV3 presentation on Growing Seed
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Daniel Garcia joins me to talk about his journey into farming - why he started and how he evolved his farm. He also discusses tips for selling at the farmers' market and gives his thoughts on selling to two online grocers - a model that seems very promising.
Garcia's Gardens:
Website: http://garciasgardens.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garciasgardens/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Yosef Camire of Ahavah Farm joins me to talk about some of the challenges and successes he has had starting a farm at an elevation 7000 feet in Colorado. His farm uses "different" techniques such as woodchips in the beds and a pay what you can farmers' market model, and it works.
Ahavah Farm:
Website - https://www.ahavahfarm.com/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ahavahfarm
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Darren Vollmar of Ledgeview Gardens in Green Bay, Wisconsin joins me to talk about why they grow vegetables hydroponically and what it takes to do so.
Ledgeview Gardens:
Website - http://www.ledgeviewgardens.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ledgeview_gardens
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ledgeviewgardens/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
Follow Loblolly Farm on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loblollyfarm/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
We all have this great chance to go great places. Yet we all don't take it. Today's episode is a look at the opportunity and why some people squander it, and why some people don't. A replay of Season 2 Episode 14 of The Urban Farmer. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Michael Kilpatrick joins me to talk about some of the issues that he sees on farms that struggle with post harvest processing and how most farms can improve that part of the process. He will also touch on the role that new food safety regulations will play on vegetable farms and how famers can start preparing for that.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Farmer Jenny Quiner of Dog Patch Urban Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa talks about farm startup, growth, and unique ways to sell your product.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Shawn Kuhn joins me to talk about selling to restaurants, growing a lot of greens, season extension, and trying to be more regenerative.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
In this episode Brian Bates of Bear Creek Organics joins me to talk about greens production, employees, and learning from big farms.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Utilizing his experience as a chef Evan Chender has set out to produce niche crops for chefs such as edible flowers and more exotic cultivars and types of vegetables. It's this niche approach which has given him an edge in his market place. While a lot of other farmers just grow salad mix, Evan stands out because he produces crops that others don't.
Today's episode was brought to you by Audible. Sign up for Audible's 30 Day Trial and get a FREE audiobook download.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
In this episode Ray Tyler of Rose Creek Farms will talk about how his farm has dealt changes on the farm as it evolved. He’ll also talk about how they tackle farm problems and deal with season extension. It’s a practical look at what happens behind the scenes - because things always don’t go as planned and that tool that you bought, doesn’t always work as well as expected.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Farmer and consultant Michael Kilpatrick joins me to talk about improving farm productivity and profitability through better processes.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Author and farmer Ben Hartman talks about his farm and his book, The Lean Farm.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
The benefits of building a microgreens business, and how to keep improving it.
View the show notes for this episode and all previous Farm Small, Farm Smart episodes.
Learn how to start a microgreens business in Chris Thoreau's Build Your Microgreen Business Workshop.
Keep learning with these two great audiobooks: The Market Gardener by JM Fortier The Urban Farmer by Curtis Stone
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter.
Today we are going to Ojai California to talk to a farmer who's more than just a farmer. Max Beecher was inspired into farming by Joel Salatin and Joel's entrepreneurial spirit inspired Max to get created when ti came to his farm based businesses. Max started out his farm journey in 2013 with wife. At the time they weren't farmers though, they started out as aggregators... He describes the experience as "one where we sold produce from a few different local farms to a local customer base we were working on building. This started by selling #2 produce from a local farm I was volunteering at, and the farmer let me split the gross with him, since he would have thrown the product away otherwise. Our idea was to make money up front by selling other people's produce, and to build a customer base so one day we could sell our own product through it. We have continued to grow that webstore business, and it remains a core feature of our business, with a list of almost 300 customers, generating over 100 orders per week. We now source from around 15 local farms, and have a ready market for our own products, including the micro greens. Because of building this webstore before we started farming, marketing what we grow has never been a problem, and we throw little to no product away due to over production." That business has continued and evolved today to become a full-fledged online store generate over $100,000 a year in sales at a decent profit. It's a thriving business and an integral part of Max's farm, and it's one that started by selling someone else's waste. Learn more at http://www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart
Today's episode is a different type of episode. It's a consult style episode with new grower Eddy Gilmore and long-time microgreen grower Chris Thoreau. The first part of this episode will be Eddy and I talking about what's going on with his farm, and then later in the episode Chris will join us to answer some of Eddy's questions about growing his microgreen business. Eddy's at a point in that business that you may find yourself in. He's growing his microgreens at home in his house, but he's running out of space and wondering where to from here. Find out how Chris would handle and approach the business expansion. For Eddy microgreens weren't the first farm business from day one. They came about from necessity. In Eddy's words... “We were freaking desperate over here. I have a wife and two kids, and I was all in on Tiny Farm Duluth. Less than two months ago it seemed as if all was lost. The land was being sold where the vast majority of my farm was located. It was owned by an institution, and I had no idea they were thinking of selling until just before it went on the market. Then, after it sold, I learned that the new owners weren't open to a 7,000 square foot market garden on their property. Just two hours after I received this devastating news, our 2008 Toyota Prius blew both the engine AND transmission. Total, absolute chaos. Our lives were completely upended.” Given that Eddy's life was upended, how did it end up? Stay tuned to find out. Learn more at http://www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Chris’s Growing Your Microgreens Workshop: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Given summer heat growing certain crops can be really tough, especially greens. Given the tendency of the normally cool weather lettuces to bolt quickly, turn bitter, and have their foliage burn, many growers simply pass on trying to grow summer greens. The challenges are too great and the returns are too low. But not for all growers. Over the past few weeks I talked to a lot of growers and I tried to track down farmers who were growing greens exceptionally well in some very adverse hot conditions. For today's show I got a group of those growers together and asked them all how their doing it, growing greens during the summer heat. And not just growing them, but growing them very successfully. In today's episode you will hear how their doing it and what goes into growing the greens from establishment to harvesting to storage. There are some similarities in their strategies and some differences. There's a lot in here. The Farmers: Elliot Seldner of Fair Share Farm in Winston Salem, NC. Brandon Gordon of Five Acres Farms in Pleasant Plains, AR Erich Schultz of Steadfast Farm in Queen Creek, AZ Ray Tyler of Rose Creek Farms in Selmer, TN
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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Sam's taken a perspective that he gained on hiking the Appalachian trail and he has used it to help navigate the equally hard journey into being a full-time vegetable farmer. Like the trail, Sam's career as a farmer has spanned a lot of land going from 1/8 of an acre in town to two fenced acres a few years later. Today Sam and I will talk about some of the challenges of growing crops on two acres, how Sam has to design his market streams to his land base, working with limited labor, and the trade-offs between growing niche crops and a wide variety of CSA crops. We'll also touch on some of Sam's big takeaways from his days on the trail and how that's helped him as a farmer.
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow Diego on IG https://instagram.com/diegofooter Follow PaperpotCo on IG https://instagram.com/paperpot
Podcasts by Diego Footer: Microgreens: https://apple.co/2m1QXmW Vegetable Farming: https://apple.co/2lCuv3m Livestock Farming: https://apple.co/2m75EVG Large Scale Farming: https://apple.co/2kxj39i
Small Farm Tools https://www.paperpot.co/
For today’s show we are going down to the State of Arkansas to talk to Brandon Lyons of 5 Acre Farms.
Brandon is someone who transitioned into farming from the nursery trade way back in 2010. Since then he’s grown his farm to 1.25 acre, and during that same time he’s also grown his family getting married and having kids.
It’s a farming journey that started out with a single farmer who could put in crazy hours on the farm to make it work, but one that’s now changed to a husband and father farmer, who absolutely can’t put in crazy hours on farm. As a result Brandon is now focusing on crop selection, seasonality, and processes to make the hours he does spend on the farm pay, and pay well.
One of the processes that Brandon has focuses on over the years to help save time and labor is no-till. He’s employed that strategy on his farm seeing great results both in terms of soil and reduced weed pressure. In this episode we’ll find out why he did it and how he did it, today it’s all about running a high intensity vegetable operation in rural Arkansas with farmer Brandon Gordon.
Learn more at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart
Everyone enters the world of farming for different reasons. Reasons spanning from environmental concerns to bringing high quality food to their local market to creating a path to a more independent future… For my guest today, Travis Schulert, farming became a mode of a change, because prior to farming Travis described his situation as… "I was stuck in a dead end lifestyle, living in a trailer park, no savings, no plans, and between 24 and now (28) I started a CSA on leased land, funded the infrastructure of the farm and gave myself the money to build a tiny home. My wife and I lived in the tiny home and saved what we could, started doing markets and learning to sell and grow. “ Farming has been a means to get Travis and his wife out of that lifestyle which wasn’t working. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. Between production issues, CSA issues, and trouble with land tenure, it’s been a bumpy road. Travis has been able to navigate that road so far and is now in his 4th year of farming, but one which is also a new beginning as he starting his first season on a new plot of land currently dominated by grass. As you’ll hear in this episode, like all things in farming, Travis is taking it in stride and doing his best with it, and now realizing “farming is only romantic until you start doing the work.” Today it's all the trials and tribulation of slowly scaling a farm on the side with farmer Travis Schulert. Learn more at http://www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Support the show at http://www.permaculturevoices.com/support
When it comes to this world of farming small, what is this world? Is it a bunch of small farms each operating independently? For the most part, I think the answer is yes. Given that, what's the next step. Is it more small farms operating independently or is those small farms growing to be larger small farmers. Now I am not talking 1.5 acre farms scaling to 100 acres, I am talking about 1.5 acre farms scaling to 10 acres. If small farms do that, what does that look like, both for this world of farming small and for each independently operated farm? Is that scale manageable on a people powered biointensive level? Or does this style of farming not scale? It's a question being asked by one of the leader in this movement, JM Fortier. A few years ago JM Fortier left his 1.5 acre farm behind to start working on an experimental 10 acre farm to test the idea and validity of scaling these types of farming methods. It's project which has produced some answers, but one which has also produced a lot of questions, some of which are the focus of our show today. It's all about the future of market gardening in this episode with farmer JM Fortier. Get JM's audiobook version of The Market Gardener at www.permaculturevoices.com/audiobook
What’s the organic inspection process really like? It’s probably a big hassle, right? Let’s find out straight from the source, in this episode with independent organic inspector Laura Murray Last episode with Scott Murray covered the topic of why organic and what goes into getting certified. Today’s episode builds on that episode and we go a rung higher on the ladder taking on questions such as: Once the inspector shows up on your property the first time, how does that process unfold? What should you have in order when you have the inspector show up? Explain the annual inspection process? Would a property ever be inspected more than once a year? To answer these I am going straight to the source to talk to someone who deals with this every day. I’ll be talking with independent organic inspector Laura Murray. Laura does organic inspections of all over the country for organic certifiers. Her inspections span all types of farms and all types of organic product production facilities. She’s seem a lot over the years, and today she shares what the inspection process is really like both for the initial inspection and annual inspections. If you were thinking about getting certified by the inspection process made you a little uneasy, maybe that will change after you hear what it’s really like. This show is brought to you by CoolBot. Get a discount coupon for CoolBot at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Looking for more? There are over 100 episodes in the archive at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart
Organic certification. We all know what that is, seeing that green stamp on products in the grocery store and on signs at the farmers market. But, is it worth it? Is it only for large farms? I use organic methods, do I need the stamp? What goes into getting certified? Should I get certified organic? These are all common questions that I hear being asked with the small scale farming community. They are also questions that my guest today Scott Murray gets a lot, and helps a lot with. Scott’s a 40 year organic farming veteran who’s been around the organic farming movement since the beginning, before it was a big thing. Today he will share his knowledge of what he’s learned about the organic movement and how he views organic certification in terms of who it’s right for, when it makes sense to get, and what goes into getting it. If you were thinking about getting certified, but had some reservations, this episode will address those common reservations and leave you with a clear idea of what’s involved in the process. And it just might not be as expensive or cumbersome as you think it is after all. This show is brought to you by CoolBot. Get a discount coupon for CoolBot at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Looking for more? There are over 100 episodes in the archive at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart
When you are only growing a 10 day crop, how much of an affect does light quality and temperature have on the crop? A lot. Chris is in Vancouver where he sees day lengths change from 8 hours at the winter solstice to 16 hours at the summer solstice; a large change which affects how much light crops get to grow. Less light in winter means slower or no crop growth. If you are a farmer, you get this. It makes sense, at least for field crops. But what about microgreens? Crops which spend only half of their life in the light, a life that might only be 5 to 8 days. Does seasonality really affect those crops over those 5 days? Yes, and more than you think. In this episode Chris will talk all about the change of the seasons and how it affects microgreen crop growth - specifically the effects of changing temperatures and light conditions. Two factors which can dramatically affect crop growth, yield and quality. How to Grow Better Microgreens All Year - Adapting for Changing Seasons, Temperature, and Light Conditions with microgreen grower Chris Thoreau. DOWNLOAD the show notes at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart and CLICK on Episode 101 Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support
To celebrate episode 100 I take a look back at the 100 combined episodes of The Urban Farmer and what is now Farm Small, Farm Smart focusing on the highlights, some backstory, and where the show is headed in the future.
See some of the highlights from the first 100 episodes at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart
Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support
Thanks for listening!
There's one event that happens in many people's lives which instantly changes their life forever. Overnight, instantly, everything is different. Your life, your approach to life, how you view life, and how you go about living life all change. It's an event that some people aren't ready for and one that others are ready for, but one where no one is ever REALLY ready. It's the birth of a child. A beautiful event that instantly makes live more worth living and richer, but one which also makes life harder and more challenging, especially for entrepreneurs. If you thought running a business or starting a farm was hard without kids, try doing it with kids, because it's exponentially harder. Curtis is a brand new parent experiencing some of those challenges first hand. Today, we'll explore what those challenges are like in terms of life and farming, and how Curtis is dealing with them as a brand new inexperienced father, while being a seasoned experienced farmer. It's never easy, and as you'll hear it's always a balancing act. But it is one Curtis, me, and most other fathers wouldn't trade for anything else in the world. Get the audiobook at www.permaculturevoices.com/audiobook Download the show notes at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart and click on Episode 99.
While the prospects of starting a small market farm that grosses over $100,000 is lucrative and attractive, it's not for everyone or possible in every location. And that's the topic of today's episode with Blake Cothron of Peaceful Heritage Farm.... A lot of what you hear about in the small scale farmer movement are the uber-successful small farmers that are grossing 1, 2 or $300k per acre. They are inspiring stories, but those stories all share one thing in common, their markets. Typically small farmers grossing big dollars are able to do that by selling their produce into larger, higher end urban market streams - market streams which will pay top dollar for microgreens, salad mix, and baby root veg. What if you don't live near one of those large urban markets? What if you don't have high end farmers markets and restaurants to sell product too? What do the prospects of your rural farming career hold? Today, I am talking to a farmer who faced that exact problem, making farming work in very rural Amish Kentucky without high end restaurants and with a sleepy farmer's markets. In this episode Blake Cothron of Peaceful Heritage Farm located in very rural Crab Orchard Kentucky will share his story. It's an inspiring story about a husband and wife making a small farm work, by approaching farming in a very smart way. A necessity, when your local customer based is used to buying vegetables at prices like 3 for $1 or $1 per dozen sweet corn. If you're interested in farming, but you are nowhere near a large city, then this episode is for you. Learn more at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support
Today I'm talking to a grower who's admittedly "I'm a little bit obsessive about growing high quality produce." It's an obsession that's fueled his farms growth, and an obsession which is a bit necessary to fuel the farm's growth to bring his fiancé onto the farm full-time. And while Elliot Seldner of Fair Share Farms' obsession may be on growing high quality produce, it's not only on growing high quality produce, because Elliot realized the importance of work life balance and the need to have a time and place to enjoy the other things created on the farm. Today Elliot is going to talk specifically how they do that, in part by focusing intentionally on making the farm more efficient through appropriate technology, no till, and optimizing equipment. Elliot's also going to talk about how he and his fiancé are approaching farm transition. Because she's current employed a schoolteacher, a necessary step in their farms evolution, but one that's only a step, where the long term goal is to get her onto the farm full time. Looking into the future, it's the farming methods that Emma and Elliot use which will make this all possible, a farm that provides multiple incomes on just over half and acre... Let's get into it, with one of the masters of farm efficiency, Elliot Seldner. Learn more at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support
If customers keep asking if you have certain crop, and you don't, should you grow it? It depends. And that's the focus of today's show: When, How, and Why to Start Producing A New Microgreen Crop Today microgreen grower Chris Thoreau and I are talking about new crops - specifically how do you start growing them? On the surface that may seem like a simple and straightforward question, but there's a lot of specifics involved in answering that questions, and the specifics are where profits are made or money is lost. You have to consider things like can you actually grow the crop - meaning can you get a good yield from in within your system that's already setup to grow other crops; or does the crop's harvest schedule fall in line with your other crops and your current harvest schedule. If you plan on scaling the crop, can you actually buy enough seed? And can that seed be bought at a price that makes the crop profitable. All legitimate considerations which need to be considered, anytime you take on the decisions to grow a new corp. If you are thinking about starting a farm or adding some new crops to the mix, then this episode is for you. Chris will put the theory to reality and talk about his experiences and failures introducing new crops, like basil. What his methodically and thought process was and why. As you'll hear, not everything always works, regardless of how much experience you have, and sometimes some crops are just better off not grown. Learn more at www.permaculturevoices.com/farmsmallfarmsmart Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support
Today it's back to Kelowna and Green City Acres as Curtis and I take a look back at his experiences with inter-planting, planting multiple crops in the same space .
It's something that he's done for a few years now, and something that he's doing again this year with his tomatoes.
We first stated talking about this subject back in 2015 when we did an episode touching on the subject in Season One, then we hit on it again almost a year ago in Season Two.
Today we are going to take a look at what Curtis is doing now when it comes to inter-planting and how that's changed since we first started talking about it two years ago.
It's a technique that Curtis has a lot of experience with, but one that's continually evolving as he uses it more.
It's a technique that he uses, because it allows him to earn a lot more in the same space over a given year.
For are going example he made and additional $1100 last year, by inter-planting Salanova lettuce in with his tomatoes. That's an extra $1100 that most farmers wouldn't captured.
That's the benefit of inter-planting. Getting multiple yields out of the same space over the same time period.
But be aware going in, this technique isn't for everyone.
There's a lot of constraints and complications that come with inter-planting. And it's a technique that doesn't make sense if you have a lot of land.
None the less, it's a technique that can be a game changer for those of you who do feel like you have a limited amount of land.
For you all, this is just another way to get more crops and more money, without adding land.
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Today I'm going to be talking to another small scale farming making a go of it as we go to Sebastopol, CA to talk to Caiti Hachmyer of Red H Farm. Caiti's a farmer who started out her farming career on the advocacy side of things. She was living the Bay Area advocating for farmers and looking to play her part in changing hte food system. But after a while she felt something was missing. And she felt like she needed to get on the ground and see what life was really like for some of the farmers that she was advocating for. So she picked up her California roots and moved to Minnesota to spend some time working on a production farm. It was step that would change her life forever. Giving her perspective of the on the ground side of things which helped her on the policy side, and one that would give her a nice experience ot have in her back pocket. One that she would need to draw on when she moved back to California and needed work. Caiti's gone on to continue her work on the ground and policy side of things. It's the dual nature of her work that we focus on today.
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Today I'm going up to Vancouver to talk to Microgreen Farmer Chris Thoreau with the goal of focusing in on 10 base principles for growing high quality microgreens. Think 10 things that are critical to growing a good crop regardless of where you are growing them, when you are growing them or how you are growing them. These base principles help ensure that you get a successful crop that is free of disease and of high quality. It’s not enough just to go through a successful process without knowing why you are doing what at different parts of the process. Because if you don’t know, and a variable changes, you need to be able to know how to react and adapt. While everyone’s process is likely different based on the crop that they are trying to grow, today’s show it’s all about what’s the same, the base principles.
Learn how Chris grows microgreens in his online course: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreensListen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
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"Farming is as much about growing yourself as it is about growing vegetables."
One of the big lessons shared in this episode with farmer Chris Gilbert from Bettendorf, Iowa.
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Today farmer Taylor Rogers talks about how he started his farm and sells to restaurants - his primary market. He currently grows of 20 different crops, and it's that variety that has been one of the keys to his success. In this episode he'll also talk about some of the other things that have made him successful such as growing what chefs want, how they want it, and bringing it when you say you’re going to bring it. All keys to his current success and keys he learned before he even got into farming when he saw these problems first hand working behind the scenes in the kitchen. Taylor's going to share a lot of information and insight in this one about working with chefs.
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Today is another episode where Curtis and I will be widening the scope, stepping back and zooming out from the tools and techniques and his 1/3 of an acre farm, to take a look at some of the macro issues surrounding agriculture. The focus today is on employees. Curtis will take about his thoughts on hiring employees, and what he looks for in employees. We'll also get into some of the complications that having employees bring to a business owner and what other options other than hiring someone are available.
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When you start your farm business, one think that you need to think about is your business structure.
Sole proprietorships and LLCs are common ways to go, but there are also other options, like co-operatives...
That's how farmer Chris Thoreau of Food Pedalers structure his business, and that's the subject of today's show...
Today I'm going up to Vancouver to talk to microgreen farmer Chris Thoreau about a topic that you don't hear discussed a lot in small scale farming circles - how he organized his business..
Chris initially started his business as a sole proprietor, but as he began to grow, both in the size of the business and the amount of people working in the business, he realized he needed to change that.
After looking at all of the options, Chris decided that he wanted to do something different, something that went more against the status quo, and something that was equitable for everyone involved - so Chris organized his business as a co-operative.
It's an interesting business structure and it's one that most people wouldn't think of when organizing their business.
If your business is growing, or if you are thinking about expanding your team, then a coop structure might make sense for you...
Today Chris will talk about why he chose that structure, the advantages and disadvantages of it, and what it takes to have a successful member-owner business.
Chris's online course Growing Your Profitable Microgreens Business http://bit.ly/learntogrowmicrogreens
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This week I'll pick up where last week left off with market gardener Ray Tyler of Rosecreek Farms.
While last week's episode was more inspiration, this week’s more of the perspiration side of things as Ray talks about some of his production methods and big changes that he made turn go from grossing $35,000 in 2015 to $120,000 in 2016 on less land.
Ray's going to go talk about some of the big changes that made that huge increase in gross sales possible.
He'll also get into how he controls weeds on the farm, and how he established a market for his product early on given that he only lives in a town of 2000 people.
Today it's all about production and sales, with Ray Tyler of Rosecreek Farms in Selmer, TN.
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From laid off and in debt to grossing $120,000 on one acre. Ray started out like a lot of people who get into farming, he was inspired by to get into farming by Joel Salatin's You Can farm... He started raising livestock, and then life got real... Imagine yourself as a new farmer running a full time livestock operation raising 50 pigs and a few thousand chickens a year. And then imagine running a two acre market garden on top of that... And along the way the, your 5 year old daughter gets caner... It was a moment that put Ray's farm and life on the ropes... it's the story of Ray Tyler or Rosecreek Farms.
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Today, we are going to start out by taking a look at interns and farms. What's good, what's bad, and what could be improved upon.
It's an issue that's really relevant and timely, because it's one that Curtis is dealing with right now, doing something that I never, ever, thought he would do, get an intern.
Let's find out why, in this episode of The Urban Farmer.
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Today I will be talking with someone who likely inspired many of you to get into farming, to consider farming, or to farm better, not bigger.
I'll be talking to market gardener, Jean-Martin Fortier.
We'll start out talking about his days before he farmed and how he figured out exactly who Jean-Martin Fortier was and what he was about. And we'll end up in the fields talking about something that still gets JM excited today, the soil.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
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When you think about what your selling, don't forget that what you are selling isn't just what's in the cooler behind your booth.
You're selling yourself, your story, and the role that you play in a bigger movement; all intangible assets that can allow you to succeed without having a diversity of products.
But if you want to grow, and you don’t have more products to sell to customers, then you need to find more customers, and that likely means diversifying beyond the farmers market.
That’s the subject of today's show where farmers market is one of the market streams that we dig into as Chris talks about his experiences selling to a diversity of market streams without a diversity of crops.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
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Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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Chris has shown what's possible. And given that and the relatively low capital investment required to start a microgreens business, it's a business that attracts a lot of people.
People that likely focus on the high dollar value per tray, and people that dream about how much money they can make.
This is where it gets dangerous, because you can't just look at the income side of the business. You have to look at the expenses as well.
When you do that with microgreens that high dollar per tray, isn't as high as it might appear.
There are a number of cost that need to be considered - the soil, the seed, and the big one - the labor.
There's a decent amount of labor that goes into producing each tray of microgreens. Labor that needs to be priced into the product, and labor that might turn some people off from growing microgreens.
When over 60% of your time will be spent harvesting, cleaning, and sanitizing trays, some of the allure of that $50 tray goes away.
Add in the need for rigorous observations and recording keeping, and you will find yourself in a position that Chris describes as part automaton and part scientist.
Not for everyone.
Especially when people enter the business looking to make a quick buck.
If you are thinking about starting a microgreens operation, there's a lot to consider, especially the negatives.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
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Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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"They weren't just buying the product, they were buying the whole package."
That's how Chris Thoreau was able to go to a farmer's market selling one crop. Just one. Sunflower shoots. He was able to go to market with just one crop because he was selling a product that had a great story.
There's a lot in this one and at its core this interview focuses heavily on core success principles - relentless testing and experimentation, constant record keeping and analysis, and knowing what to focus on.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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About one year ago Season 1, Episode 37 aired. It was us taking a look back at Curtis production for the 2015 season.
Today we will do something similar for 2016, because a lot has changed.
Let's start by rewinding the clock and go back that previous episode from December 2015...
"We are officially out of the main season and for the most part, Curtis is now done producing crops off of his farm.
In this episode we will take a look at what Curtis produced on the farm in 2016, and how much of it he produced.
And as a hint, he produced a lot.
All in Curtis produced about 17,500lbs of product off of his farm this year. That's a lot of food coming from a small space. Remember Curtis is only farming off of 15,000 sq.ft. which is spread out over 5 plots. And this year he made the most of it producing over 17,000lbs of produce on those 5 plots. And we aren't talking corn and potatoes here. For the most part many of the crops which he produced really aren't that heavy, he simply produced a lot of product. 3000lbs of tomatoes, 2500lb. of radishes, 2500lb. of spring mix, 2000lbs of turnips. Big numbers for a small farm."
That was then.
Now let's go to present day of December 2016.
And while a year ago the production season was over, this year, it's not. We are still in production season, because Curtis's farm now produces year round, with sales every week of the year.
That's just one of the many changes that took place at Green City Acres this year.
As we look back at 2016, it was a year where Curtis farmed less land than 2015, cut back on certain crops, and added others. Part of those changes came as a result of changes in his market streams as he cut back on restaurant sales, eliminated the farmers market, and started selling a lot more to local grocers.
Big changes, that have had a big effect on what he's growing and how much he's producing...
Let's jump into it and take a look at Curtis 2016 farm production... what was produced, what wasn't, and why it changed.
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Anytime that you do something for a long time, over and over again, how do you keep it fresh? Let's be honest, any time that you do something for weeks and years, eventually that honeymoon phase wears off. As should be expected, things changes, life changes, and you change. If that think that's getting old is your farm, and your livelihood is dependent upon it. How do you battle this evolution of getting stale? One way is to branch out and do other things. Maybe that's research and development, maybe that's teaching, maybe that's furthering a cause and maybe crowdsourcing inspiration globally as you try to get more people interested in farming. That's where Curtis finds himself now. After seven seasons of full time farming his farm has changed dramatically since day 1, and even going back to the beginning of 2016 things have changed quite a bit. It's those changes and the desire to grow and innovate that's helped Curtis stay motivated and keeps things fresh when it could just as easily get old... That's the topic of today's show on The Urban Farmer.
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Today we are going to start the series, by going back to the beginning. This is the story of how urban farmer Chris Thoreau started his microgreens farm almost 10 years ago.
Chris will take on questions such as:
Why microgreens? Why did he start with microgreen?
Who did he model and how much did he start with?
And how did he handle startup and work life balance.
As you will hear it was tough at times, because Chris started his farm at what on paper looks like an inopportune time.
He started this part time while in school full time and 2.5 months into his first semester his son was born.
Despite life presenting challenges that some people would say aren't worth the risk, Chris made a go of it taking on these early challenges he has managed to grow his operation to one that will do around $200,000 in sales in 2016.
And all that sales are coming from a farm that's in a shipping container taking up 320 sq. ft.
That's where Chris is at today, but it didn't happen overnight, let's get into it and find out how it all started.
Growing Your Microgreens Business Course with Chris Thoreau: http://www.permaculturevoices.com/microgreens
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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A lot of people who want to start farming, don't start because they focus too much on what they don't have and not enough on what they do have.
Land's too expensive. Lack money to start a farm.
Common complaints that you hear about starting up a farming enterprise.
And I will fully acknowledge that those constraints are very real. But let's put those constraints aside today, and focus on what is possible.
Possible by all of us.
Everything that we are going to talk about today deals with getting better and NOT spending money.
If you stop and think about it, there are a lot of things that you can do to improve your business, make your business more competitive, and attract more customers that's free.
If you ever feel like you are at a disadvantage because of what you don't have, start looking at the situation in terms of what you do have, and what you can do, because it's a lot of those things that will make the difference and give you a leg up on the competition, money or not.
Today's episode is us exploring this idea - of what are some of things that you can do to make your farm better, without spending any money.
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Curtis is on vacation, so I am joined by bio-intensive farmer Jodi Roebuck. Jodi's been farming and studying under the originator of the Grow Bio-Intensive form of farming, John Jeavons, for 18 years. Jodi's well known for using Jeavon's bio-intensive method to build soil. Soil that's deep and loose enough to literally put your arm into up to your elbow. It's a soil that well known grower JM Fortier has called some of the best soil that he's ever seen. It's from this rich soil that Jodi farms, growing his own fertility, his own food, saving seeds, and educating the next generation of farmers. He's traveled the world studying under the masters and visiting a lot farms along the way. This summer Jodi made a stop in North America where he visited the home farms of both JM Fortier and Curtis. As a result, he's very familiar with their market gardening style. The question then becomes how can he apply his knowledge of bio-intensive practices to the context of market farming, and that's where we pick up the conversation today. Where do the worlds of bio-intensive growing and market gardening collide, and what's possible...
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Today Curtis takes on the question - Let's say you are starting a a new farm. And I gave you a bunch of land, 15 acres. All pretty flat, all pretty usable. How would you go about deciding how much of that land you would farm? We get into the ideas around how much land he would farm and why.
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Whenever you do something why are you doing it? Are you doing it because that something is pulling you towards it, is it the opposite, are you forcing yourself to do something and pushing yourself towards it. There's a big difference there. And depending on the answer to that question, it mean the difference between doing big things and setting out to do big things, but never really getting anywhere. To further explain this concept I turn to the brilliant personal development specialist Anthony Robbins... “I think you have to have something larger than yourself that you are after because [otherwise] you will let your fear dominate you. But if you have something—your children, your mom, your dad, a friend, a mission—something you want to do that really pulls you [the fear disappears]. Because push never lasts. ‘Push’ motivation is I’m going to make myself do that. You can do that for a while, but you are eventually going to [regress]. When you are pulled toward something larger than yourself, you’ll make the sacrifices; you’ll do what’s necessary because it’s not just about you. I really believe life supports what supports more of life.” This is what we are focusing on today. It's a loose conversation based around this idea of push and pull. And finding something that meakes it easy to choose to be great. Something that you feel compelled to do, and you feel off when you aren't doing it. When you hear about someone like Curtis putting in a ton of hours working in the farm, and you think, why does he work so much, you are missing the point, because maybe that thing that you think is work isn't work after all...
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Today is part three in our series focusing on more money, less land, where we are brainstorming ideas to make more money off of your farm without, without adding more land. Over the last few weeks we have focused on a variety of ways to sell more product and produce more product without adding more land. Today we will get into the last primary concept... Raising Prices Specifically how can you do that? What are the different ways that you can change what you are selling to justify a higher price? There's a lot of ideas in here. Some easier to implement than others. Each with has their own costs and benefits. As with the previous episodes, there's a lot in this one.
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Today is two in our series focusing on more money, less land, where we are brainstorming ideas to make more money off of your farm without, without adding more land. Last week we focused on two of the primary concepts that had a lot of ideas under them: If you aren't moving all of your current product, sell it all. Selling all of your current product, but you know there is more demand... Today we will focus on a third primary concept: Change Your Product Profile and Crops It's all about making more just by changing what you grow and when you grow it. There's a lot in here, enjoy it...
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Say you're a vegetable farmer and you want to make more money. How do you do that? How would you do that? If this was an episode of Family Feud one of the top answers on the board would likely be ‘grow more products’. And if we took this line of question on iteration further the asking how do you grow more crops? One of the top answers would be ‘get more land’. More land means more vegetables can fit in that space. A more vegetables means more to sell. Simple enough right. What if you couldn't get more land? Because it wasn't available or it was too expensive or it would change the dynamic of your farm... what would you do then? You want to make more money... but you can't add land. What are your options... you could raise prices or lower input costs, those would work, but there are a lot of other options available. That’s the topic that we are taking on in this multipart series – more money with less land.
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It's currently September 15, 2016 and the end of the regular farming season is near. Along with it is Curtis's tenure at the Kelowna Farmers Market. After 7 seasons at the farmers market, Curtis is moving on. It's part of a larger effort to simplify the farm and match the farm to his lifestyle. At this point in his career Curtis is trying to simplify his farm. Not grow bigger just to be bigger. Instead choosing to grow better becoming more efficient and effective. That means focusing on the market streams that work, the products that sell, and moving to plots located even closer to his homebase. Part of those changes involve dropping things like the farmers market which has done since the beginning of his career. But it's a market stream that requires getting up on Saturday for 8 months of the year and it's a market stream that isn't growing anymore. And It's one of the many changes taking place at Green City Acres, resulting in a farm that will look very different come April 2017. Today we will take a look at the many changes coming to Green City Acres, along with they why behind those changes.
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The last few episodes have focused on stuff. The tools of farming. Today we are talking about the flip side of tools, the opposite of the physical. The mental side of things, in particular hustle.
The best tools and the right stuff without the business sense, hustle, and effort won't mean anything. The tools make the job easier. Just owning them doesn't mean anything. You have to do the work.
And it's that hustle to do the work form preparation to production to sales that can give you the advantage over people who just have the money and the stuff.
As Stephen C Hogan said. "You can't have a million-dollar dream with a minimum-wage work ethic."
Because if you do, where's that going to get you. Left with an unsuccessful business and collection of expensive stuff.
A lot of success isn't quantifiable with a dollar sign, instead being measured in pure blood, sweat, and hard work. And the beauty of it is that none of this costs any thing and can be applied by literally every person on the planet regardless of their particular situation.
Today, we will get into the importance of the hustle, and the areas like sales and preparation, where hustle makes the difference between you and the person who isn't hustling as hard.
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Part three of our series on Small Scale Farming on the Cheap - What's the least you could spend to start a farm? Last week in Episode 23 we started going through the equipment needed, or perceived to be needed, when you start a farm along with the costs and advantages associated with that equipment. Given that this is Part 3 it probably makes more sense to listen to Part 1 and Part 2 first. Last week we left of the talk on equipment wrapping up with the tiller. We'll start today with a little bit of warmup on macro business talking before jumping back into the list discussing hand tools.
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Part two of our series on Small Scale Farming on the Cheap - What's the least you could spend to start a farm?. Last week in episode 22 we covered the base principles costs and equipment associated with farm startup. We established the point that tools are simply one leg on the stool of success. The tools should never hold you back. It's never going to be just the tools that make you successful. Yet, good tools can make job easier. That show focused on the concepts and the ideas behind the why. Today's show focuses on the what. What do you actually need and how much does it costs. This episode is the first of a few digging into that question.
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Farming... is it expensive to start, or not? A lot of people want to get into farming, but they stall out when it comes to the money side of things. The common cause of that stall out is land. Land is expensive to purchase. So most people immediately dismiss the idea of farming because they can't afford land. But people like Greg Judy, Joel Salatin, and us on this show, have shown that you don't need to own land to farm. There's a lot of land available to farm. Land you don't need to own, and land that you can gain access to through options like leasing.. If you can lease land either for free or inexpensively and if you are in a market where you can move product, then the potential upside to small scale farming is pretty attractive given the low start up costs and low infrastructure requirements? How low? Very low compared to other businesses. In his book Curtis gives an initial start-up estimate for a 1/4 acre farm at $7k to $17k. Curtis started his farm with just $7k. That's $7k that buys equipment and infrastructure which is portable and resellable. In good markets, the risk reward of small scale farming is usually favorable because small scale market farming startup costs are very low compared to many business out there. Yet, despite the minimal start up costs, the costs are still prohibitive, or at least perceived to be prohibitive by some people. Given that we'll dig into the farm start up numbers and see where costs can be cut and what costs are just unavoidable. And we'll also bring in some rationale to these numbers discussing why certain items are worth the cost, and why others aren't. Today we'll begin a multi-part series discussing the minimum that you could spend to start a farm, and we will begin with the base principles, what are the things that you need to think about before you spend any money, that's coming up on Season Two Episode 22 of The Urban Farmer.
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"At too many companies, and in too many hapless careers, the number one imperative is to avoid failure and embarrassment associated therewith at all costs. My take, failure, supported by wildly imaginative hypotheses and incredibly hard work, is something that companies and individuals must embrace. Frankly at all costs. Unless you’re stretching... wildly, you're not going to reach that brass ring called hyper success amidst a brawl with no rules." Tom Peters The market and nature of small scale farming is too dynamic. To succeed you have to be dynamic as well. That will mean trying things that don't work, and trying things not knowing if they will work. You're going to have to make assumptions and best guesses. You're going to have to adapt. And that's what today's episode is all about... adapting and switching it up on the fly...
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If you are a single worker farm then you only have so much time and energy to spend on the farm. If you spend a massive amount of that working with weeds then that's time take away from other farm tasks or other non-farm tasks like spending time with your spouse or kids.
What are the weeds worth?
For most people, they aren't worth enough to deal with when you zoom out, and take all of the factors into account, and therefore the weeds get cut, literally.
That's the focus of today's show. Weed management, where we discuss various methods of preventing weeds from establishing themselves on the farm in the first place, and how to deal with them when they do.
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Farming, it truly is a lifestyle. And one that a lot of people seek out.
This leads people down the road of thinking about how can they start or transition into small scale farming.
And when they go down that path they inevitably run into issues. Because startup isn't always clear, or easy, and there are always unique challenges.
Today we will take take a look at one listeners plan to transition into farming and startup an urban farm of his own.
This is the story of Michael from LA, and Michael wants to be a farmer.
He has a lot of resources, constraints, and questions.
And that's what we'll be digging into today, in Season Two, Episode 19 of The Urban Farmer.
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This is Part 2 of that series and today we specifically focus on the pro’s and cons of selling to restaurants taking into account high maintenance versus low maintenance. Given that this is Part 2 it probably makes more sense to listen to Part 1 first, Episode 17 - All Customers ARE NOT worth Selling To, An In-Depth Look at High Maintenance versus Low Maintenance Customers. But you won’t be totally lost in this one if you haven’t heard that episode.
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“Put another way, you are more upset about losing $50 than you are happy about gaining $50,” the paper states. In addition, bad events wear off more slowly than good ones." Hopefully know this can help you do a few things. Try to force yourself to really think about the positive things more and have more gratitude for them, bounce off of the negative situations quicker, and rid yourself of the negative relationships that produce negative emotions. That’s the focus of today’s episode as we explore the differences between high maintenance customers and low maintenance customers.
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Heat causes issues on the farm.
Not just with the farmer, but with the crops. Crops bolt quickly, pest pressure increases, water usage goes up, seeds dry up, transplants fry.
How do you deal with those issues?
How do you raise the crops that your customers want in a way that works and gets you a saleable product, and in a way that doesn't cause you to burn out?
There are a whole bunch of active and passive strategies that you can employ to
From harvesting early in the morning to harvesting and late in the day, there are options, and this episode is all about dealing with the heat on the farm for the farmer and for the crops...
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Today's show is all about farmers markets. And a big part of the conversation is dedicated to free samples.
Are the beneficial or are they a waste?
Do samples work in every case, with every product? No, but they are one way of tackling issues that every product has.
Highlighting product quality, unique product attributes, getting feedback, and telling your story are all things that you need to figure out to do somehow.
Free samples are just one of the ways to do it.
Samples aren't without their negatives either. They cost money, they take up time, they get in the way of doing transactions, and they may require additional levels of compliance if you are handling food.
But like anything and everything, it comes down to do the positives out weight the negatives for your particular context.
If they do then free samples might be the way to do. And as you will hear today, for some farmers market vendors samples work really well and they are one of the many tools in the salesman’s toolbox to help you sit back and count the money.
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We all have this great chance to go great places. Yet we all don't take it. Today's episode is a look at the opportunity and why some people squander it, and why some people don't.
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Think about an established farmers market with an established customer base. Everyone shopping at that market has their preferred vendors. They buy lettuce from this guy and they buy tomatoes from that girl week after week. They don’t switch it up. If you then enter that market as a new vendor, how do you knock someone out of the preferred vendor spot in a customer’s mind? How do you get the customer to switch to buying lettuce or tomatoes from you instead of that guy or that girl? Because that’s really what you need to do. Either you need to get existing customers to switch or you need to pick up market share from new customers. The bad news is that once a person commits to a particular product or brand in their mind it’s very hard to get them to switch. Look no further than you own habits. How often do you go to different grocery stores or gas stations by your house or how often do you change brands of laundry detergent or ketchup? Probably not very often. You made a decision long ago, and as long as things do change, why switch. Given that, how do you compete in a crowded farmers market? Why is a farmer’s market customer going to choose your booth versus the booth that they always shop at? You have to be unique.. Again, look at the landscape of the market, if there are already 5 vegetable vendors at your market more or less growing what you grow, and they are established, then you either have to be unique enough to go in and compete with them hand try to knock one of them out of the top 5 in terms of market share, which is hard, or you have to be unique enough so you don’t actually have to compete against them. Instead positioning yourself in the customers mind as the preferred choice. How do you do that, make yourself unique? One way is to specialize in something. Part of that specialization might mean differentiating your product so you position yourself as the category leader; a category that you own; one that you create. For example, say a lot of vendors are selling loose leaf lettuce. There’s already an established hierarchy there in terms of market share for the category of loose leaf lettuce. How do you compete? You don’t, avoid competition, and you create your own category. Maybe that category is head lettuce or romaine. Or maybe it’s organic lettuce. Or living lettuce with the roots still attached. You differentiate your product just enough to move it to its own category. Then you become first to market in that category and have an competitive advantage. That’s a far cry from going into a competitive market and competing on price. And when you think about it it wasn’t really that hard. You didn’t have to create or invent anything new. You just supplied an in demand product to a market that wanted it, but didn’t have anyone to buy it from. That’s one of the many benefits of specializing in a product. And it’s that benefit and the many others that we will be talking about today, on The Urban Farmer.
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Today we will be looking at 17 different things that you think you might need or might need when you start your business.
Even though we will be looking at each of the items on this list through the lens of someone in their first 6 months of farming, this information extends to established business owners.
Maybe you have been in business for a while and you are thinking about redesigning your website. Should you? And does that matter? Our analysis and methodology for breaking down each of these items can be applied to many aspects of business at any time, regardless of how old the business.
There are a lot of distractions that come into play when you are running a small business, hopefully this episode will help you focus on the distractions that matter, and forget the ones that don't.
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It seems like a lot of people that get into farming and starting their own business are busy, all the time.
Is that a good thing?
Is busy a sign of success or is busy a sign of planning?
I think it's more the later, than the form.
"To me, 'busy' implies that the person is out of control of their life." - Derek Sivers
Some of you might here that and think, what, that's crazy. I am in control and I am busy.
Are you really?
After all, what is busy in the first place.
Is busy really a think or is busy a state of mind or is as Derek Sivers says the inevitable result of losing control and poor planning?
If you consider yourself someone who's busy a lot think about that.
Are you busy because you actually have a huge list of urgent and important things to do, or are you busy because you are just doing a lot of stuff.
Outside of the Emergency Room most of us are more likely are the latter. Not many of us have a lot of urgent and important things to do each day. We might have a couple things that fall into that category and then we have a lot of other stuff that we do because we need to, because we think we need to, because we've never really thought about it, and because we don't have a plan in place.
Busy might actually be in your control.
As Henry David Thoreau said, it's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?
If you find yourself constantly busy. Ask yourself why. And ask yourself what are you busy about?
Remember, it's your life, and being busy all the time might not be optimum. Is that you really signed up for - being busy all the time? If not, then this episode may help you reframe what you are actually being so busy about.
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Most people don't get into farming to get rich.
Does that mean that you can't get rich farming, no it doesn't. But if you only motivation to farm is to get rich, then you better buckle up because you have rocky road ahead.
Because when it comes to amassing monetary riches the road hasn't historically been paved by good soil and a tractor.
That's not to say that there aren't rich farmers, because there are, but it's not the norm.
If are getting into farming only for the money, to get rich, then you better think about how you are going to do that, and why you are going to do that.
If money isn't your only motivator for getting into farming, then you better think about why you are getting into it, and how you are going to do it.
Either way it won't be easy. But either way can make you rich, it all comes down to, how you define rich.
Today's episode is a look beyond the bank account. It's a look at all of the other benefits and reasons to be an entrepreneur and to be farmer.
This episode is us kicking around ideas and brainstorming to broaden the idea of what being rich, truly means.
It's a definition that’s different for everyone. And it's one that you need to define when you get into this. Because if you define it, it makes it a lot easier to become rich, and if you don't then it makes it a lot easier to stay poor.
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What if you are already selling at farmers markets, but you don't have enough of a diversity of products to design a CSA around? If that's the case one option might be create a collaborative CSA. The collaborative CSA allows you to expand your crop variety with competing with other farms and without diluting down your efforts on your farm. You grow what you grow best in your context, and source everything else from other farmers who are better setup to grow those specific products. It creates a win/win situation for you and the other farmers. Everyone grows what they grow best, and in theory sales go up. It's also a win for the consumer because they now have concentrated access to more local products, without having to sourcing these producing individually from each farmer. Aggregators, collaborative CSA's and food broker models, are these models perfect? No. But if they give you options. And if you are having issues moving product, then more options might be better than less options. You just need to look at everything and figure out which combination is the best fit for you and your market. In today's show we'll look at some alternative market streams for selling your vegetables, so to help you start thinking outside the box, so you can sell more boxes, of vegetables. It's currently May 2016.
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To set the stage... Curtis had a next door neighbor. That neighbor used to own Curtis's house, and he rented that house from them and farmed in the back yard. When his neighbor decided to sell the house, Curtis then purchased the house from his neighbor. Subsequently that same neighbor went on to move to another house in the neighborhood, and began renting out the house next door to Curtis. In the process a conversation began about Curtis farming his neighbor’s backyard now that it was a rental. The conversation eventual led to an agreement, one where Curtis would take down the fence between his yard and his neighbors, and extend his farm into his neighbor's back yard. It's a process that was built on the back of respect and social capital, and facilitated by old fashioned conversation. Today we'll take an extended look at the transition of that back yard from lawn to production farm, and all of the challenges and successes that went with it.. It's currently May 11, 2016.
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Most of the tomatoes that Curtis grows fall into the cherry and saladette category - the smaller tomatoes. These types of tomatoes offer several advantages - they are pretty vigorous, they have a relatively short DTM, and because chef's like them. And when much of your sales are for restaurants, you grow what they want to buy. Over the years Curtis has evolved his system for tomato culture. And he now looks at them as a bit of a bonus crop given the way that he grows them. Many home gardeners dedicate full rows to tomatoes and give the plants wide spacing’s. Curtis does the opposite. He interplants his tomatoes; dedicating most of his bed space to another crop, while squeezing his tomatoes into the out 2 edges of each bed. This strategy works for several reasons. It takes advantage of more of the soil strata. The tomatoes are planted deep, so their roots occupy the deeper layers of soil. While the main greens crops in the beds have shallow root systems. So while the plants are planted in the same space competition is minimized. Another reason why the competition is minimized is that the tomatoes occupy more of the vertical space. If you time the plants strategically during the year plant growth and sun angles allow you to get more plants in the same space with no shading. Overall, inter-planting has been huge for Curtis's farm. It's what's allowed him to hundreds of pounds of greens and hundreds of pounds of tomato, in same relative space. Not a bad bonus yield in a situation where most farmers would simply leave the tomatoes out. Look around your garden at the extra space and think about that next time you plant your tomatoes. It's currently May 4, 2016.
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Greens are big business for Curtis' farm. Both in terms of volume of product, and dollars generated for that product.
His customer base, which is mainly made of restaurants, buys a lot of greens. And they pay good money for them. But like many things on the farm there is a seasonality that goes along with restaurants and the products that Curtis sells to restaurants.
Typically spring is a slower time of year for restaurant sales, and thereby farm sales. Things just aren't as busy.
But this year is a bit of an anomaly, because Curtis's revenue is way up for the season.
That increase in revenue can be attributed to a couple things. First, he has picked up a few new wholesale customers outside of restaurants, and second, he is selling all of his customers more high value product, specifically greens.
More demand, means more production, so Curtis' production of greens on the farm is way up this year.
But it's not just as simple as planting more beds of greens. There's a lot of nuance involved...
When the beds were planted, how far apart the successions are, when do you harvest whole beds versus halves.
Logical considerations, but not always the simplest to wrap your head around.
That’s what we will be focusing on in today's episode.
It's currently April 26, 2016.
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What would the 2000 sq.ft. farm, let's call it a micro-farm, look like?
How could you best utilize that space and take many of the techniques that Curtis uses on his current 1/2 acre urban farm, to make the micro-farm generate some decent cash flow.
How much could you make on a micro-farm of just 2000 square feet?
Really it depends on what you are growing and who you are selling it to. But grossing 20,000 on that 2000 square feet isn't crazy talk. And even half that, $10,000, is a realistic target to shoot for.
When you think about that, that's a pretty lucrative given the space involved. I think most people can get access to 2000 sq.ft. That's essentially fits well within your average American lawn.
The 2000 square foot micro-farm has a lot of things going for it. It's manageable, yet scaleable. It's big enough to matter to start you thinking and implementing a lot of these systems, yet it's not over whelming. It makes a great transition plot for someone looking to transition into farming or just get their feed wet.
Given that today will be a case study looking at the 2000 sw ft micro farm.
We'll break down what this farm might look like. How you would want to manage it. What types of crops you would want to focus on, and put some a basic framework in place that you can build off of.
As, you see, you can do a lot with 2000 square feet, and it might not be that small after all.
It's currently April 19, 2016.
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It's currently April 12, 2016.
We start off today talking about whether you should start farming with a greenhouse or not.
The conversation quickly turns into reasons why people succeed and don't succeed.
Hopefully this episode is a welcome kick in the ass for those who need it. And motivation to keep kicking ass for everyone else.
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It's currently April 5, 2016. Today's episode focuses on starting and transplanting Salanova via micro soil blocks. Curtis will talk about how he starts Salanova lettuce using the blocks and the advantages for doing so. We also run a quick time and cost analysis of starting lettuce in blocks versus cell trays to show the comparison. At the end of the episode I go over a recipe to use for the micro blocker and some basic techniques for using it.
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It's currently March 30, 2016. And over the past few months Curtis has literally been all around the world. I today's episode we'll look back at some of the places that he visited and what he took away from those visits. From the high tech innovation being done at Jean-Martin Fortier's Le Ferm de Catra Taaamp in Quebec to the low tech soil building techniques used by Jodi Roebuck to build soil in his bio-ingestive garden in New Zealand. It's not just all fun and stories, there's a lot of good information in this one such as do these techniques scale, how can you build soil, and how can you combine tarps and soil to really build soil.
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If we go back to where we left of Season One of the show, it was December and there really wasn't any crop production happening on the land itself for Green City Acres. At that time some of the land was sitting fallow waiting for future planting in the spring, and some of the land was occupied by dormant crops that had been planted a few months earlier in the fall. Let's find out how much Curtis' total farm has been quietly in production throughout the winter, with beds holding overwintered crops, and why.
This episode also covers overwintering crops, prepping beds with tarps and stale seed bedding, and dealing with the shoulder season day length changes.
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All of the guests for this episode are listeners of the show. Listeners just like you.
A few months ago I asked for feedback on the first season of the show, and I received a ton of it.
Today, I will share some of it with you.
If you submitted feedback for the show and gave me the OK to read it, thank you, this episode is yours.
As humans I think we live in a guru culture. A culture that puts people on a pedestal.
And that can be dangerous because it creates limiting beliefs.
Beliefs that we could never be like them.
Beliefs that we aren't good enough.
Beliefs that we have some sort of unfair disadvantage.
Beliefs that we can't do what they do.
Because they are an expert, and we aren't.
A lot of people view Curtis as that expert and put him on that pedestal of knowledge.
They create limiting beliefs in their mind and tell themselves, I could never do what Curtis does.
I have sat in workshops with Curtis and heard it first hand, time and time again.
And if you believe that, that you could never do what Curtis does, then Henry Ford said it best...
Whether you think you can, or think you can't - your right.
This episode today is for the people who think they can.
If you ever feel stuck or stalled or find yourself struggling and wondering if you can actually do it, then here’s an episode for you.
An episode full of stories of “ordinary” people doing the hard work to go after what they want in life, and showing that it might not always be easy, but it is possible.
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Today's episode is actually a rebroadcast of a presentation that Curtis gave in January in San Francisco.
The presentation is called Farming in the City.
In this presentation, Curtis will take you on a tour of his one third of an acre urban farm, where you will get an inside look at the day to day operations of the farm from vegetable production to sales.
Curtis will show how he farms commercially, and profitably, in backyards and on small plots of land in the city, land that he doesn’t own. You’ll learn about the methods and techniques that Curtis has used over the last six years to grow his sales and profits.
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In this episode Curtis and I dissect an article that was published on Alternet on January 1, 2016 by farmer Jaclyn Moyer.
An article titled....
What Nobody Told Me About Small Farming: I Can’t Make a Living - People say we're "rich in other ways," but that doesn't fix the ugly fact that most farms are unsustainable
This one is a good one and we cover a lot of business basics such as...
We will break down the article to hopefully help a lot of you avoid some of the troubles that Jaclyn talked about in the article.
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Scott Hebert started farming in June 2015 when his family business shut down. At that time he didn’t have anything to fall back on. But he had always had an interest in farming, and within a few days of getting the income shock warning his wheels had been put in motion and he was putting a plan into place to transition into a career as a farmer.
He contacted Curtis to visit his farm, so he could start leveraging Curtis’ experience to plan his farm and his future. Because he knew wanted to farm, but didn't want to be broke, therefore, he had to make money at it, and that meant he had to have a plan and a strategic approach.
And it’s that approach that we will be talking about in today’s show.
It’s currently February 2016 and this episode was recorded with new farmer Scott Hebert a couple of months ago in December 2015.
Let’s get into it and see what a transition into small scale farming is really like...
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While Curtis and I were on tour we made a stop at Singing Frogs Farm in Sebastopol to visit with farmers Paul & Elizabeth Kaiser.
It's a pretty remarkable farm. The Kaisers are farming just over 2 acres and grossing over $100,000 an acre. They come from an agroforestry background and approach farming systematically as a business.
This episode is some of our thoughts from our visit.
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If you want to be better off in December 2016, then the planning for that starts now in December 2015.
The biggest leverage point which for the farm season next year is right there in front of you. You just need to tease it out.
That's what today's show is about. Doing some End of Season Reflection - Thinking about How Things Went This Year, to Alter Course and Plan for Next Year.
I hope that you can use some of the information that we talk about in this episode to reflect on your 2015 farm season, so you can get better in 2016.
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In today's episode Curtis and I will take a look back at the season of this show and talk about what's in store for the future for Curtis and this show.
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How much work should you put into something before it gets to the point where it isn't worth it? At what point does the money, the effort, and the headache justify not doing it?
With everything in business and farming, there is always a trade off, an opportunity cost. If you are doing one, thing, then it's at the expense of something else. Because you can't do it all, and regardless of the return, sometimes it's just not worth it.
In this episode we spend a lot of time looking at how to decide if customers and crops are worth the effort.
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All in Curtis produced about 17,500lbs of product off of his farm this year. That's a lot of food coming from a small space. Remember Curtis is only farming off of 15,000 sq.ft. which is spread out over 5 plots. And this year he made the most of it producing over 17,000lbs of produce on those 5 plots.
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In this episode we will be talking about real world issues and troubles with restaurant customers.
How Curtis has dealt with customers who haven't paid in the past and how he has changed his procedures to help make sure that it doesn't happen again?
Curtis has learned the hard way, when you're in the real world and restaurants don't pay, you can lose a lot of money.
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Where do you draw the line between this isn't working, but I can figure it out, and this will never work?
Let's just accept the fact that farm start-up is going to involve it's fair share of struggles. How long should those struggles continue? Because there is no sense wasting your time, your life's energy, sacrificing the relationships in your life, as you pile on monumental amounts of stress if you don't have the skill, the will, or the resources to make it work.
At some point should you draw the line and just say, maybe this isn't right for me, it's not working? When you find yourself scraping by ask yourself why, and what you can do about it, and just maybe you will realize that your model doesn't work, or you're not very good at it.
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It's currently November 2015 and the main farm season for Curtis is pretty much over. And along with, so is this season of the show. For the remainder of the episodes we'll be wrapping up everything that happened on the farm this year with Curtis and tying up a few loose ends. With things very slow on the land, Curtis is taking a few weeks off from the farm. Given that today's episode is Q and A episode. These questions were actually answered last winter on via Curtis on his YouTube channel.
If you want to watch him answer these questions you can do so in the show notes at permaculturevoices.com/tuf34.
In this show Curtis will be answering questions on time management, farm startup, finding land and securing land, converting land to urban farm land, approaching restaurants, and record keeping. The nice thing about these questions is that they cover a wide variety of topics which will help to help tie together the season as we look to wrap it up. There's a lot here, enjoy it.
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What's your time worth as a farmer? How much should should you be charging yourself to do tasks on the farm?
That's an important metric to think about when you are a small operation. Because for a lot of farmers in this space, the labor force is a force of one, you. And you only have so many hours in a day to get everything done. Your time is very valuable. Knowing that, are you spending your valuable time on tasks that actually return a greater value than the time that you put in?
Today we talk about the way that Curtis used to do certain tasks and contrast that with how he does tasks now. And why he changed how he did things.
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In this episode we talk about post crop harvest processing, including how Curtis has changed some of his techniques over the years.
We also talk about some of his farm equipment and infrastructure like his flame weeder and walk in cooler.
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Set yourself up for success by having realistic plans and expectations for the first year. Match your lifestyle and your budgeting to those realistic expectations.
If you are going to start out farming with a gun to the head survival mentality then it makes things very hard. Long term learning gets displaced for the need to put money into the till today.
Work to learn, not to earn.
The goal is to farm for a career. Not make a bunch of money this year and then do something else next year. And the only way to do that is day after day for the long run, learning as much as you can in the process.
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Big isn't always better. More just for the sake of having more is pointless.
Just because you have access to more land doesn't mean you need to take it.
If you are getting bigger then you better have a reason why you are getting bigger...
If you are thinking about expanding stop and ask why? Does it fit within the overall plan that you have for your business, your farm, and your life?
If not, then don't do it.
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Think about how much work you do on the farm now. How much of that work is actually being done efficiently and effectively?
Are you making the best use of your time by focusing on the 20% of the tasks that generate the most return?
Getting rid of crops can actually be a good thing. It allow you to work more efficiently and effectively by focusing on the task at hand instead of always trying to keep you head above water. It's very hard for any one person to do many things well, but each of us can do a few things really well. Crops are no different. And odds are you can grow a few crops a lot better than you can grow a lot of crops.
Take a look at your farm and the crops that you grow. Which crops generate 20% of your revenue? And how would your farm and life look if you just focused on those?
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How can you a lot mistakes and wasting valuable resources by overproducing a crop, and the inverse of that, not producing enough?
Good record keeping.
Records on the farm are extremely valuable. When you start to get a few years of records and can notice trends, those records become very valuable because the records are what dictates your future action.
Action that can save you work down the line and put the right amount of product in your walk in so you can sell it.
This type of planning directly translates to maximizing your farm income.
And it's not actually that hard to do. Don't over-complicate it. Start by keeping simple records and get into the habit of doing it, then expand and adapt your records as time goes on.
If you want to be successful as a farmer, then this is something that you need to do. It's one of the principals that has made Curtis as successful as he is.
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Can you accept in the beginning that what you are doing may not work?
Because, guess what, it might not.
But as long as you keep trying something will..
You just have to be willing to continue on until then. And if you are willing to accept that, then save yourself the time, money, and stress and quit now.
This path isn't for everyone and that's fine.
Regardless of what decision you make, just be content with you own decision.
Do yourself a favor and think about this long and hard, because it is a life changer. 20 years from now, do you want to look back and say you went for it, or regret not going for it.
Hopefully this show will lead you down the path of no regrets, and make your journey a little bit easier.
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Understand where you want to go, understand why you want to get into it, figure out a smart systematic way to get there, and work hard in the process.
And give yourself the forgiveness to make mistakes, but have the wherewithal to analyze those mistakes so you can adapt going forward.
That's what this episode is all about.
Taking the time to think long term and setting yourself up for long term success in the beginning.
Part of setting yourself up for success is knowing some of the common pitfalls, so you can avoid them.
In this episode we delve into more common reasons why many farmers struggle.
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It's August 25, 2015 which means we are at the tail end of summer and shorter, cooler days are coming as fall nears.
We are in one of those unique periods in the year known as the shoulder season, the transition periods at the end of one season and the beginning of another.
They can be tricky time periods for farmers to navigate.
Day lengths start getting shorter, temperatures start getting cooler, and the weather starts to change.
As a farmer this is one of those time periods where it critical to be able to adapt.
You need to be able to understand the changes that are taking place in your biome and plan your crop rotations accordingly.
With an ever changing climate each situation is different and each climate is different, making these shoulder seasons tough to explain.
This episode should shine some light on the topic and give you a general approach that works.
It's this approach, and methodology, that lies at the core of every farmers ability to adapt.
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As a farmer, how do you communicate what you have to sell each week, how much it costs, and when you need orders placed by, so you can deliver it on time?
You use what is called a fresh sheet.
At it's simplest a fresh sheet is a list of what you are selling currently on the farm, and for what price.
A fresh sheet is more than a current inventory list. It also reminds ever-busy chefs that you have product that they probably want.
If you've never made a fresh sheet before, this episode may prompt you to make one.
It's a whole bunch of little tips and tricks to help you design, create, and maintain an effective fresh sheet.
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This episode is all about the art of farming.
Creating a framework, and understanding the overlying philosophy about why you do what you do, and leaving yourself some room to maneuver within that philosophy.
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This episode is all about being a better provider to your customers...
In this episode we dig deep into sourcing products from other farmers, breaking into new markets, working with chefs and soliciting feedback.
It's currently August 4, 2015 and the inevitable has happened. Curtis is short product, and he is having to source those products from other farmers to keep his restaurant customers happy.
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In this episode Curtis and I are joined by new farmer Rob Kaiser.
Rob is a few months into his farming journey. And like Curtis he didn't come from a farming background. He came from the corporate world. A few years ago Rob realized that the path that he was on, wasn't right for him anymore, and he needed to change. One part of that change was an entry into farming.
In this episode Rob will talk about his transition into farming and the plan that he has put into place to make the transition. He'll touch on how he has dealt with not knowing everything. And how he has dealt with the good times and the really bad times that are unavoidable when you start any new business venture.
One key to Rob's progress has been to surround himself with successful people to make his go a little easier by leveraging their experience. And it's worked because progress is being made and Rob is slowly making the change that he not too long ago dreamed about. The idea, the dream, has become a reality. It's happening.
For all the new farmers and aspiring farmers out there, this episode will shed some light on the early parts of the journey, showing that you are aren't alone, even though we all feel like we are at times. There are others out there trying to do what you want to do. Keep at it and and be the change. And as Rob will say in this episode, "You may not be able to change the world, but you can change yours."
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You need to ask yourself - Are you approaching farming as a hobby or as a livelihood?
There's no right or wrong answer.
But you need to be clear with your decision and set your expectations accordingly.
Because approaching farming as a business is dramatically different than approaching farming as a hobby.
To sum this all up be clear in your own head of the distinction between farming as a hobby, and farming as a career. No BS. Know what the answer is and make all, all, of your choices on the farm accordingly.
It is week 20 of the urban farm season - July 28, 2015.
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This romantic notion of farming - working outside, hands in the soil, sowing seeds, and then nurturing those crops to harvest. While all great, and all true, they are just a piece of the farming pie. And this is where problem's start to arise.
The romantic view pulls people into farming, on just that, a romantic view, not a realistic full picture. And one part of reality is sales and moving product.
Many people don't think about how they are actually going to sell these crops that they harvest. Maybe just assuming someone will want to buy them, everyone needs to eat, right?
A dangerous assumption. And it is no doubt one of the reasons why you hear about so many small scale farmers struggling. They invest a lot of time in the dream, but not how they can actually make that dream a successful and sustainable reality.
Today we will take a look at that idea as we discuss how to sell your farm products, so you can keep working on the farm.
This episode is detailed dig into CSA's and farmers markets. What's worked for Curtis, and what hasn't. Strategies that can help you succeed..
It is week 19 of the urban farm season - July 21, 2015.
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As a farmer and as an employer it is important to have systems in place. To know why and how you do something. This helps you understand what you do and it allows you to communicate what you do to an employee.
When you have clear, defined systems in place it takes most of the guesswork out of the equation. This allows you to produce a consistent product quickly and efficiently. And it also allows you to troubleshoot problems when they come up. Because if everyone does things the same way, and something goes wrong then you can quickly tell whether it was operator error or system error, and fix the problem.
When you have an employee that understands why you do what you do and how you do what you do, then it comes down to when you do it. Time can be tight on a farm and things can get hectic, so it pays to take a little extra time each day to schedule out the upcoming day.
This episode is all about setting up and establishing systems to make the work that is done on your farm more effective.
It is week 18 of the urban farm season - July 14, 2015.
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There are all sorts of things that Curtis does to make his efforts more efficient and more effective. Some are complex and involve a lot of time studying spreadsheets, and others are simple like minimizing you transit time.
Growing the business while working less hours. That's something that we all want. It isn't always easy or straightforward, but it is possible. it's something that comes with experience if you take the time to analyze all of your processes and see where you can make them more efficient.
Interplanting is a good example of this. Interplanting has allowed Curtis to grow more crops in the same amount of space. This maximizes the use of his land by growing more in the same space.
Curtis has also figured out how to optimize tasks on the farm that pay. Think sales related tasks like ways to harvest product quicker and more efficiently, and ways to package product in a way that satisfies customers and saves prep time.
But, there are a lot of tasks on the farm that simply don't pay. Things like weeding. And as a farmer you don't get paid to weed. Yet it has to be done.
Using Landscape fabric to prevent weeds and using tarps for stale seed bedding are two passive systems that Curtis uses to prevent weeds from germinating. There are also more active preventative measures than be done to help mitigate weed pressure. Things like pre-emergent flame weeding and no-till bed preparation. While these activities require work, they work in your advantage by using some time now, in order to save a lot of time later.
Those are the types of things that we're talking about today Streamlining Tasks and Being More Efficient. Tips for Maximizing Effort and Time on the Farm.
It is week 17 of the urban farm season - July 7, 2015.
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Farming in the city is something that Curtis has done ever since he started farming 5 years ago. But he hasn't always farmed, just inside the city. At one point in time he actually farmed a two acre plot outside of the city with another farmer. He did this in addition to farming his urban lots. So he had a multi location farm with small plots inside the city and one large plot outside of the city. As a result he saw first hand the differences between farming more land and less land - because there are a lot of differences.
In this episode we will dig into those differences and hear what it was like farming two acres and how it was different than farming a third of an acre.
We will touch on the various different models for selling products off of a farm - think CSAs versus selling directing to restaurants. We'll talk about the differences between each of the models.
As you will find out each market, each farmer, and each farmer will have to experiment to find the best fit for them. What works for one farmer and in one market, might not work for the next.
It is week 16 of the urban farm season - June 30, 2015.
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This week we will get into how Curtis went about getting his very first piece of urban farm land over 5 years ago. We will talk about what worked and what didn't work when he was just starting out and trying to gain access to land.
The unique part here is that this was all happening in the beginning. Before Curtis had built any social capital from being an active urban farmer. There were no demonstration sites or track record to refer to, it was only one person saying this is what I am gonna do, are you interested in helping.
As you will hear Curtis eventually found his first piece of land to farm. That got the ball rolling and from there he never looked back.
It is week 15 of the urban farm season - June 23, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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To be successful as an urban farmer you need to be able to quickly adapt and solve problems on the fly.
In this episode we talk about how Curtis has had to adapt in the past and how his system allows him to change his production quickly.
I also talk to Curtis about five mistakes that I see a lot of farmers make when they get into the farm business. Together we discuss these common mistakes and how you can avoid them. We will give you straightforward, honest, actinable advice that you can put into use today and hopefully keep you out of trouble and increase your chances of farming success.
It is week 14 of the urban farm season - June 16, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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It's June 9th and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut.
That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers.
This week we talk about delivering that product to restaurant customers and how that day looks from harvest to delivery.
We also talk a lot about crop planning. How do you know what to plant now so you have it harvest later, and how do you know that you will have a market to sell that product to later.
It is week 13 of the urban farm season - June 9, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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It's June 2nd and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut.
That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers.
This week we get into sales, crop planning, planting density, and the ability to cut greens multiple times.
It is week 12 of the urban farm season - June 2, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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In this episode Curtis talks about:
- How his no till beds are working out and performing.
- His strategy for what types of tomatoes to grow.
- How he grows his tomatoes. What cultural practices is he doing.
- How he interplants other crops between his tomatoes.
It is week 11 of the urban farm season - May 26, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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In this episode Curtis answers questions on..
-How much land you should start with your first year?
-How much you could expect to make your first year of farming?
-How he does his harvesting?
-How he deals with crop residue in his no till beds.
-Raised beds. A fit or not?
-Does he thin his seeds?
-Are pelleted seeds worth the cost?
-How you should start a relationship with chefs when production is inconsistent?
-Is he subject to food handling regulations?
It is week 10 of the urban farm season - May 19, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
In this episode we talk about acquiring new farm land. What it takes to get new land, how land deals are structured, and what information you want to know from a land owner before entering a land deal.
We also discuss how you convert a conventional lawn over to a production urban farm plot. What are the steps involved?
It is week 9 of the urban farm season - May 12, 2015.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
It is week 8 of the urban farm season - May 5, 2015.
In this episode we take a deep dive into direct seeding. When is it appropriate, how Curtis does it, and how he optimizes his direct seeding to maximize production for yield and quality.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
It is week 7 of the urban farm season - April 28, 2015. The setting for this show is Kelowona, BC, Canada.
This episode focuses on the role of the urban farmer in the community.
Problems Curtis has had with people in the city and how he has dealt with them.
And what skills it takes to be an urban farmer.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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Welcome to The Urban Farmer show. It is week 6 of the urban farm season and it is April 22, 2015. The weather is beautiful in Kelowona, BC and urban farmer Curtis Stone is setting the farm up for the forth coming season.
In this episode we talk a lot about nursery, transplanting into the field, and the concept of inter-planting.
Currently on the farm transplants are going in, irrigation systems are being setup, and the end is in sight for the setup phase.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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It is week 5 of the urban farm season - April 14, 2015. The setting for this show is Kelowona, BC, Canada.
Urban Farmer Curtis Stone is going gangbusters in what he calls the setup phase on his farm - getting all of the major things done on the farm plots before the season gets underway. Things like preparing the soil, starting plants in the nursery, putting down weed control measures, and getting infrastructure in place. Part of that infrastructure involves getting your irrigation systems in order.
This we talk about setting up irrigation systems, poly low tunnels, and trying out new crops.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
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It is now April 8 and we are another week into the Urban Farm season with Curtis. What's happened on the farm so far.
At this point in the season Curtis has prepared most of the growing beds on his various plots for the upcoming farm season and that includes switching a lot of his production methods over to more of no-till style. He has been spending a few hours each day on farm related activities. This season is just getting underway and this year he isn't doing it alone. He is doing it with the help of a new full-time employee. A move that Curtis hopes will allow him to work more on the business, not in the business.
This week we will be talking about his new employee and how the onboarding and training process is going. We will also talk about the financial impacts of hiring someone - when do the additional costs make sense?
In this episode we will talk a lot about pricing and how Curtis prices his products. He has found a pricing system that works and has kept his prices consistent since he started farming a few years ago.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
It's Tuesday, March 31st, and the first farmers market is coming up in four days. What's Curtis up to?
In this episode we are talking about how Curtis maximizes his efforts on the farm by staying organized. And how he is switching his beds over this year to a no-till strategy.
This show is the story of urban farmer Curtis Stone.
Curtis is an urban farmer who farms on 15,000 sq.ft. in Canada. He has been farming in an urban setting profitably for 5 years. We are going to follow Curtis on a journey through a full farm season, taking you behind the scenes each week to see what being an urban farmer is really like. It isn't always glorious, but it's real.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
It's mid-March and the farm is now in what Curtis calls the setup phase. He has started selling some overwintered crops and he is adding to his restaurant customer base.
This show is the story of urban farmer Curtis Stone.
Curtis is an urban farmer who farms on 15,000 sq.ft. in Canada. He has been farming in an urban setting profitably for 5 years. We are going to follow Curtis on a journey through a full farm season, taking you behind the scenes each week to see what being an urban farmer is really like. It isn't always glorious, but it's real.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
It's mid-February and the farm season is just beginning. Most of the work on the farm is preparing for the warmer months ahead. A lot of time is spent planning and preparing for the year ahead.
This show is the story of urban farmer Curtis Stone.
Curtis is an urban farmer who farms on 15,000 sq.ft. in Canada. He has been farming in an urban setting profitably for 5 years. We are going to follow Curtis on a journey through a full farm season, taking you behind the scenes each week to see what being an urban farmer is really like. It isn't always glorious, but it's real.
Stay tuned, and enjoy the journey.
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast
Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/
Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.