Carrot Cashflow

Most farmers plan their season by opening a seed catalog and picking what's pretty, what's new, and what their friends are growing. The best farmers open a one-page sheet, sit down with a customer, and ask three questions.

Learn more about farmer Ben Hartman and Clay Bottom Farm here.

Watch the episode here!

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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.

"Every bed here should generate $1,000 of value."

That's Ben Hartman, standing on 15,000 square feet...a third of an acre. Twenty years ago, he started on a 1,000-acre corn and soybean operation, then market gardened on two acres. Today, he farms less land than he ever has, and his profit margin is the highest it's ever been.

Learn more about farmer Ben Hartman and Clay Bottom Farm here.

Watch the episode here!

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.

Ben Hartman wrote The Lean Farm in 2015 and changed how a generation of market gardeners thinks about systems and waste. Twenty growing seasons in, he farms just 15,000 square feet—about a third of an acre—and his margins are the highest they've ever been.

Click here to learn more about Learn Farmer Ben Hartman and Clay Bottom Farm.

Watch the episode here!

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.

The hardest part of farming isn't starting. It's what happens when things start working: when customers show up, when market days get bigger, when you need more beds, more hands, more of everything. That's when the foundation cracks.

Watch the episode here!

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.

Everyone says the farmers market is the obvious place to start. Low barrier to entry — show up with an easy-up, a table, and a cooler. But low barrier to entry is not the same as low cost.

Click here to learn more about Neil and Garden to Market.

Watch the episode here!

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.

Seven and a half years ago, a farmer wrote down five goals. The last one: use a farm to buy a farm. He just closed on fifty acres for over a million dollars. The farm's financial track record made the purchase possible — not savings, not investors, not inheritance.

Click here to learn more about farmer Shane and Aslan Organics!

Watch the episode here!

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.

Shane and his wife started with two 8×12 plots as a hobby. Nine years later they own a 50-acre property in Sarnia, Ontario, market garden on 2.5 acres, and crossed $200,000 in revenue last year — up from $173,000 the year before. Minimum 30% year-over-year growth every year since they started in Ontario.

Click here to learn more about farmer Shane and Aslan Organics!

Watch the episode here!

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.

$130,000 in farm revenue. $30,000 take-home. Where does the other $100,000 go? That gap is the most useful part of Chef Mikey Russo's story.

Watch the video on 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.

A hundred and thirty thousand (yes, $130,000) in farm revenue sounds great until you see what stays. Chef Mikey Russo took home $30,000 from his farm last year. He paid $40,000 in labor. The rest went to reinvestment: compost, tools, YouTube equipment, coaching, infrastructure. That's not a failure. That's a deliberate strategy.

Watch the video on 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.

Michael Russo spent 20 years as a chef working 80-hour weeks, sometimes 100. He walked away at 40 with no farming experience, no degree, and no business background.

First real growing season: $2,100 in his best week ($600 restaurant, $1,500 farmer's market). Even off weeks with groundhog damage, he pushed $1,000. He spent $30,000 on equipment in year one...all cash from his previous career, no debt.

Watch the video on 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.