Sustainable farming is the path I have chosen for my career in agriculture. When you think about it, it’s kind of a no-brainer. It’s right there in the name, “sustainable”. That means I get to keep going. I get to keep doing what I love because it is sustainable. That word sustainable has given me pause lately. What exactly does it mean to be sustainable? What does that mean on a big scale for the world at large? What does that mean on a small scale for me, my family, and my farm? I have been giving it thought while moving chicken coops, talking with the other farmers who work with me, and while working on this podcast episode. I have come to a conclusion, one that will be shaped and developed in time. True sustainability is born from good community building. I do not believe in being completely self-sustainable. You will always rely on outside inputs of some kind. That does not have to be a bad thing. Even if I used no fossil fuels on the farm, grew everything I needed to live and feed my livestock, and produced enough solar energy to run my podcasting equipment I would still need money to pay for taxes and the things that I absolutely cannot produce here. That requires a community of people willing to support my effort of self-sustainability. Camps Road Farm, the farm that I manage has a ways to go before I will consider it “very sustainable”. Right now I have to buy in grain to feed my chickens, I run a tractor that uses diesel, and there are a other areas that I wish to improve upon and plan to in time (I just don’t want to list them all and give you the wrong idea about my farm). While it’s not perfect now, I know there’s a goal that I am working towards and I make decisions every day that effect the long term outcome of the farm and its’ impact on the world. I’ll give you the brewery we’re starting as an example. I have a 1.4 acre hop yard on farm to service the brewery that we are also starting on the farm. That brewery is working with a local grain grower to supply grains. Those grains used for brewing will then be used as chicken feed. The manure from the chickens will go either directly onto the pasture where they live, or will be composted to feed the hops, which in turn are used in making beer. There are three businesses in that example that benefit from supporting each other. Because (officially certified or not) we are all growing according to the organic methods so the earth benefits as well. The brewery grains will help me cut costs to make my business more viable, the brewery has great marketing from being part of a farm, and the grain farmer has consistent business from a production brewery. I love it! At best, all we can do is strive toward our best interpretation on what it means to be sustainable. For me that is being a part of a community that is mutually supportive of each other’s efforts. I work to create healthy soil, to create healthy food, and results in healthy people who then have the strength to go out and do good in the world.

Sustainable farming is the path I have chosen for my career in agriculture. When you think about it, it’s kind of a no-brainer. It’s right there in the name, “sustainable”. That means I get to keep going. I get to keep doing what I love because it is sustainable. That word sustainable has given me pause lately. What exactly does it mean to be sustainable? What does that mean on a big scale for the world at large? What does that mean on a small scale for me, my family, and my farm? I have been giving it thought while moving chicken coops, talking with the other farmers who work with me, and while working on this podcast episode. I have come to a conclusion, one that will be shaped and developed in time. True sustainability is born from good community building. I do not believe in being completely self-sustainable. You will always rely on outside inputs of some kind. That does not have to be a bad thing. Even if I used no fossil fuels on the farm, grew everything I needed to live and feed my livestock, and produced enough solar energy to run my podcasting equipment I would still need money to pay for taxes and the things that I absolutely cannot produce here. That requires a community of people willing to support my effort of self-sustainability. Camps Road Farm, the farm that I manage has a ways to go before I will consider it “very sustainable”. Right now I have to buy in grain to feed my chickens, I run a tractor that uses diesel, and there are a other areas that I wish to improve upon and plan to in time (I just don’t want to list them all and give you the wrong idea about my farm). While it’s not perfect now, I know there’s a goal that I am working towards and I make decisions every day that effect the long term outcome of the farm and its’ impact on the world. I’ll give you the brewery we’re starting as an example. I have a 1.4 acre hop yard on farm to service the brewery that we are also starting on the farm. That brewery is working with a local grain grower to supply grains. Those grains used for brewing will then be used as chicken feed. The manure from the chickens will go either directly onto the pasture where they live, or will be composted to feed the hops, which in turn are used in making beer. There are three businesses in that example that benefit from supporting each other. Because (officially certified or not) we are all growing according to the organic methods so the earth benefits as well. The brewery grains will help me cut costs to make my business more viable, the brewery has great marketing from being part of a farm, and the grain farmer has consistent business from a production brewery. I love it! At best, all we can do is strive toward our best interpretation on what it means to be sustainable. For me that is being a part of a community that is mutually supportive of each other’s efforts. I work to create healthy soil, to create healthy food, and results in healthy people who then have the strength to go out and do good in the world.

Everything goes smoother when you have a plan. There have been so many unplanned surprises on the farm this year that I am glad my marketing hasn’t thrown me too many curve balls. I took the time initially to lay out what I needed to do to market my farm, and now I am executing that plan. I will admit that when I first sat down to create a marketing plan, I found the task to be a little daunting. My marketing plan got a little involved. That is in part because marketing takes a significant amount of effort, and in part because I wanted to focus on it for my How to Start A CSA project. Once I got everything down on paper it felt good to have a plan of action. Since then I have found it invaluable as far as keeping me focused and on track. When the work on farm wears me down or seems overwhelming the last thing I want to do is to think about how I am going to sell my farm products to people. The only thing I can think about is playing with my daughter and having a beer before bed. That being said, even on the tough days I have been making an effort to do something to market my farm every day and stick to my marketing plan. Come to find out, there’s more than one way to write a marketing plan. It doesn’t have to be scary, it doesn’t have to be long, it just has to exist and hit some important point. I brought today’s guest on the show to share her expertise on creating a marketing plan specific to your farm.

Everything goes smoother when you have a plan. There have been so many unplanned surprises on the farm this year that I am glad my marketing hasn’t thrown me too many curve balls. I took the time initially to lay out what I needed to do to market my farm, and now I am executing that plan. I will admit that when I first sat down to create a marketing plan, I found the task to be a little daunting. My marketing plan got a little involved. That is in part because marketing takes a significant amount of effort, and in part because I wanted to focus on it for my How to Start A CSA project. Once I got everything down on paper it felt good to have a plan of action. Since then I have found it invaluable as far as keeping me focused and on track. When the work on farm wears me down or seems overwhelming the last thing I want to do is to think about how I am going to sell my farm products to people. The only thing I can think about is playing with my daughter and having a beer before bed. That being said, even on the tough days I have been making an effort to do something to market my farm every day and stick to my marketing plan. Come to find out, there’s more than one way to write a marketing plan. It doesn’t have to be scary, it doesn’t have to be long, it just has to exist and hit some important point. I brought today’s guest on the show to share her expertise on creating a marketing plan specific to your farm.

It is good business practice to get the most out of any effort you put into your business. That definitely applies to farming. Diversity is the name of the game on small farms these days, but that doesn’t necessarily have to mean a diversity of farming operations. Barbara Ronchetti of Island Alpaca Company on Martha’s Vineyard shares great insight on having just one type of agricultural operation, in her case alpaca, and getting the most bang for your buck. While I am working toward a diverse farm I have a main area of focus right now and that is my Chicken & Egg CSA. For those CSAs I am implementing a diverse array of marketing strategies to get my name out there and close more sales. I am: Updating and interacting on my farm website Interacting on Social media Hanging fliers with tabs to rip off Creating brochures Going to schools Planning events and more… It takes creativity to try all of these things. The answers to your problems are not always easy to find. I know we as farmers will always thrive in the face of adversity. Now we must thrive and embrace diversity. Remember that different customers appreciate their products or their marketing in different ways. Starting with one group at a time direct your farm marketing to them, then move on to the next group once you have established yourself with those other customers already. Be careful not to take on too much too soon. There are a lot of “you should do this” and “you must do this” pieces of advice coming from me and in the “marketing advice” world in general. When you boil all of it down it comes down to doing what you are comfortable with (so that you will keep doing it) and what is working (because that’s how you are successful).

It is good business practice to get the most out of any effort you put into your business. That definitely applies to farming. Diversity is the name of the game on small farms these days, but that doesn’t necessarily have to mean a diversity of farming operations. Barbara Ronchetti of Island Alpaca Company on Martha’s Vineyard shares great insight on having just one type of agricultural operation, in her case alpaca, and getting the most bang for your buck. While I am working toward a diverse farm I have a main area of focus right now and that is my Chicken & Egg CSA. For those CSAs I am implementing a diverse array of marketing strategies to get my name out there and close more sales. I am: Updating and interacting on my farm website Interacting on Social media Hanging fliers with tabs to rip off Creating brochures Going to schools Planning events and more… It takes creativity to try all of these things. The answers to your problems are not always easy to find. I know we as farmers will always thrive in the face of adversity. Now we must thrive and embrace diversity. Remember that different customers appreciate their products or their marketing in different ways. Starting with one group at a time direct your farm marketing to them, then move on to the next group once you have established yourself with those other customers already. Be careful not to take on too much too soon. There are a lot of “you should do this” and “you must do this” pieces of advice coming from me and in the “marketing advice” world in general. When you boil all of it down it comes down to doing what you are comfortable with (so that you will keep doing it) and what is working (because that’s how you are successful).

Wouldn’t it be nice if the perfect piece of land just fell into our respective laps? I know I would love it. Since that kind of miracle doesn’t happen every day we must resort to more conventional land-locating techniques. In today’s farm podcast I highlight my strategy for finding land. Since my farm is currently very very wet, I will be looking for some dry pasture nearby where I can run some chickens until my pastures dry out. I will be applying these techniques myself in the weeks to come. They’ve worked in the past, they will again I’m sure. Since my farm is still very young I have found a number of websites that have been very helpful. Even with all the online “stuff” that you can do now-a-days. We’re keeping an eye out. That being said, having my website up and running has made life a little easier for me. Find land can be a lot of fun. The trick is to not let it become stressful. You can listen to the episode to get all the tips and tricks Kip and I have to share.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the perfect piece of land just fell into our respective laps? I know I would love it. Since that kind of miracle doesn’t happen every day we must resort to more conventional land-locating techniques. In today’s farm podcast I highlight my strategy for finding land. Since my farm is currently very very wet, I will be looking for some dry pasture nearby where I can run some chickens until my pastures dry out. I will be applying these techniques myself in the weeks to come. They’ve worked in the past, they will again I’m sure. Since my farm is still very young I have found a number of websites that have been very helpful. Even with all the online “stuff” that you can do now-a-days. We’re keeping an eye out. That being said, having my website up and running has made life a little easier for me. Find land can be a lot of fun. The trick is to not let it become stressful. You can listen to the episode to get all the tips and tricks Kip and I have to share.

It’s not secret that farming is hard work. What if you want to be a farmer and an online entrepreneur? That’s a whole new level. In this episode of the Growing Farms Podcast I share what my schedule is and how I produce the content that I do. In addition to giving you a look at the man behind the curtain I share some updates on what is going on with the podcast, I introduce my latest video project, and share my philosophy on work/life balance that keeps me sane. Welcome FatCow as a sponsor of the Growing Farms Podcast! In order to keep providing you content I have been looking around for just the right sponsors for the show. I have personally used FatCow web hosting since 2009 and I am very happy with them. Since I talk about having a farm website all the time on Farm Marketing Solutions I saw the opportunity to bring you value along with the content in the form of a deal for you. FatCow is offering 60% to listeners of the Growing Farms Podcast. Simply go tohttp://FatCow.com/farm to see more details and sign up. You save money with that link, and I earn a commission. That will help keep me going with the podcast. Honestly though, no pressure. Only sign up if it makes sense for your business.

It’s not secret that farming is hard work. What if you want to be a farmer and an online entrepreneur? That’s a whole new level. In this episode of the Growing Farms Podcast I share what my schedule is and how I produce the content that I do. In addition to giving you a look at the man behind the curtain I share some updates on what is going on with the podcast, I introduce my latest video project, and share my philosophy on work/life balance that keeps me sane. Welcome FatCow as a sponsor of the Growing Farms Podcast! In order to keep providing you content I have been looking around for just the right sponsors for the show. I have personally used FatCow web hosting since 2009 and I am very happy with them. Since I talk about having a farm website all the time on Farm Marketing Solutions I saw the opportunity to bring you value along with the content in the form of a deal for you. FatCow is offering 60% to listeners of the Growing Farms Podcast. Simply go tohttp://FatCow.com/farm to see more details and sign up. You save money with that link, and I earn a commission. That will help keep me going with the podcast. Honestly though, no pressure. Only sign up if it makes sense for your business.