Growers Daily

The Farm Spreadsheet Master, Dan Brisebois of Tourne Sol Cooperative Farm, joins me on the show today to talk about one of the most underutilized tools on small farms (hint, it's spreadsheets), how to apply it to a seed growing enterprise, setting limits to improve prioritization and quality of life, and an exciting new endeavor he'll be bringing to everyone's podcast feeds real soon.

Mentioned on the show...

Dan's awesome blog Going to Seed

The Farmer Spreadsheet Academy

Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers (our favorite book on crop planning he co-authored)

Spreadsheet Maniac Instagram

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM.

BCS America two-wheel tractors and implements.

Farmers Web farm marketing managment software.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Harper Kaufman of Two Roots Farm in Basalt Colorado joins the show to talk about employee management, farming in an extreme altitude, having a farm store take the CSA overflow (for a very respectable revenue) and more!

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Little somethin' different for you this week. Instead of taking the holiday off the podcast, I moderated two separate talks at the EFAO 2021 conference and they offered to let us share them on the feed.

The first session is on large scale no-till featuring Ken Laing, former podcast guest Dan Oostenbrink, and Theo Germain-Trudeau and here is where you can learn more about them and this event. Before the session, we suggest you learn more about Ken Laing's Living-Lab Ontario No-Till Trials through this video!

The second session is with Daniel Mays, Kristine Hammel, Ryan Spence, and Isabelle Spence-Legault. Learn more about our speakers and the session here.

Watch the videos at the No-Till Growers YouTube channel.

Learn more about the EFAO at EFAO.CA.

This podcast was brought to you by...

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Mason Kuehn joins the show to discuss his small urban farm set up in Winter Park, Florida. Because his farm is in multiple locations (on various lawns), we discuss a lot of the logistics involved from harvest to spreading compost and beyond. Follow Winter Park Urban Farm on Instagram and wherever else you follow farmers.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Seventeen year old Dawson Mehalko of Jubilant Fields Farm joins the show to talk about his small farm in Texas. About managing the heat with greens, soil management, irrigation, compost, and more!

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM.

BCS America two-wheel tractors and implements.

Farmers Web farm marketing managment software.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Nazirahk Amen of Purple Mountain Organics is BACK on the show to talk about how he saw the crack epidemic impact farming and food sovereignty in Black communities in the South, some of lesser known histories of how African Americans and shaped the food system, connects soil mineralization with human nutrition, and shares some more technical aspects about small scale dry bean, wheat, and rice production. Check out his Instagram for some truly awesome videos about the mechinization he uses to farm these staples.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM

You, our listeners. Most of our means comes directly from our audience. Help us keep our work free for growers everywhere by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you haven't already. We promise not to use the proceeds to build a rocket and go to space, just to make more awesome free content.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Jeremy Mueller of Commplace Farm--formerly of Excelsior Farm--in Oregon joins the show to talk transitioning farms, scaling up from a market garden to a 10+ acres of not-so-small salad greens farm, mechanization, systems, wholesale head lettuce vs salad production, misadventures with a flail mower collector, and more.

Mentioned in the show...

Jesse will be at the ACRES Eco Ag Conference,the Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference, the Oxford Real Farming Conference, among others.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM.

BCS America two-wheel tractors and implements.

Farmers Web farm marketing managment software.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook or a sweet hat if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

This week Gerry Ross of Kupa'a Farms joins the show from the dry side of Maui, who knew?, to talk about tropical farming in an arid climate, growing mulch, 14+ years straight of CSA, boosting organic matter, GINGER, and a whole lot else. Really fascinating conversation, really fascinating farm. Enjoy.

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growers & Co durable farmwear, quality hand tools, and a beautiful small-farm publication.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM

You, our listeners. Most of our means comes directly from our audience. Help us keep our work free for growers everywhere by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you haven't already. We promise not to use the proceeds to build a rocket and go to space, just to make more awesome free content.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

"What if I told you, you could make $10,000 in three days?"

Richard Wiswall of Cate Farm, Vermont and author of The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook joins Jesse to make the case for paying as much attention to the business of farming as we do the growing. He talks about having a cooperative mindset, the hidden costs of direct marketing, dropping loss leaders, doing market research, the power of a smiple crop-budget and cost-benefit analysis, and goes deep on plant sales.

Mentioned in the show...

The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook (get it directly from Richard, folks)

Deep Root Organic Cooperative

Beet Clock record-keeping app

Automatic soil-blocker

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growers & Co durable farmwear, quality hand tools, and a beautiful small-farm publication.

BCS America two-wheel tractors and implements.

Farmers Web farm marketing managment software.

You, our listeners. Help us keep our work free for everyone by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you haven't already.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.

Mimi Casteel of Hopewell Wine in Salem, Oregon and Farmer Jesse talk about the place and potential of no-till and cover-crops in viticulture, how her practices have evolved over the years, remineralization, foliar micro-nutrient applications, how truly healthy plants make great wine, the broader societal implications of regenerative viticulture, and genuinely nerd out about wine bit.

Mentioned in the show...

Find the I'll Drink To That podcast w/ Mimi, as well as several others she's been on, here

Folks who make the show possible...

RIMOL Greenhouses quality greenhouses and high-tunnels.

Growers & Co durable farmwear, quality hand tools, and a beautiful small-farm publication.

Tilth Soil amazing compost-based living potting soils and soil blends.

Growing for Market monthly publication about the business of small-scale farming. Get 25% off with code WORM

You, our listeners. Most of our means comes directly from our audience. Help us keep our work free for growers everywhere by supporting our work on Patreon or No-Till Growers and pick up a copy of The Living Soil Handbook if you haven't already. We promise not to use the proceeds to build a rocket and go to space, just to make more awesome free content.

And a grant from Southern SARE. Here's the obligatory... This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2020-38640-31521 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under project number LS21-348. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. The goal of this grant is to provide context and technique to the four primary principles of soil health.