The most successful farm marketing tool in my arsenal is my e-mail list. Each week when I need to sell chickens I send out a letter to my list and within 24 hours I sell out. Now if you substitute “chickens” for vegetables, honey, beef, or whatever product you sell you will find similar results. Today’s farm podcast episode features a friend of mine who is part owner of the Winery where I hold my CSA pick-ups. Eric Gorman is the son of the original owner Ralph Gorman who I featured in last week’s farm podcast. Eric has brought some great marketing efforts to the Winery to increase traffic and get people in the door. One of those marketing tactics was developing an e-mail list. In the interview he tells us how large his list has gotten over the last few years, how many people open his e-mails on average, and who is on his e-mail list. Eric realized early on that the best business is repeat business. In order to get customers coming back you have to be in fairly regular communication with them. In our digital age there is no better way to do this than via e-mail. This is an absolute “must hear” farm podcast episode. I am so happy to share it with you, and I know you will get a lot of useful information out of it.

The most successful farm marketing tool in my arsenal is my e-mail list. Each week when I need to sell chickens I send out a letter to my list and within 24 hours I sell out. Now if you substitute “chickens” for vegetables, honey, beef, or whatever product you sell you will find similar results. Today’s farm podcast episode features a friend of mine who is part owner of the Winery where I hold my CSA pick-ups. Eric Gorman is the son of the original owner Ralph Gorman who I featured in last week’s farm podcast. Eric has brought some great marketing efforts to the Winery to increase traffic and get people in the door. One of those marketing tactics was developing an e-mail list. In the interview he tells us how large his list has gotten over the last few years, how many people open his e-mails on average, and who is on his e-mail list. Eric realized early on that the best business is repeat business. In order to get customers coming back you have to be in fairly regular communication with them. In our digital age there is no better way to do this than via e-mail. This is an absolute “must hear” farm podcast episode. I am so happy to share it with you, and I know you will get a lot of useful information out of it.

In order to keep on top of market trends, grow your business, and keep paying the bills you have to be willing and able to adapt to what the market is calling for. That doesn’t mean if you are a poultry farmer you need to start raising vegetables, but perhaps you can do something different with your chickens than you are already doing. That is exactly what I am thinking as I look to the future. The wonderful thing about me doing these interviews is that I personally learn so much when I am doing them. While I would consider myself an expert and I certainly have a lot to share, there is still always so much more to learn. The only time you have it wrong is when you think you know it all. Businesses change all the time. You need to keep your mind open to see what changes are coming and how you can adapt your agricultural business to ensure that you can still afford to follow your passions for years to come. Today’s guest shares his story of how his business has evolved over the years to become more efficient and more profitable. Ralph is always looking to the future while learning from the past.

In order to keep on top of market trends, grow your business, and keep paying the bills you have to be willing and able to adapt to what the market is calling for. That doesn’t mean if you are a poultry farmer you need to start raising vegetables, but perhaps you can do something different with your chickens than you are already doing. That is exactly what I am thinking as I look to the future. The wonderful thing about me doing these interviews is that I personally learn so much when I am doing them. While I would consider myself an expert and I certainly have a lot to share, there is still always so much more to learn. The only time you have it wrong is when you think you know it all. Businesses change all the time. You need to keep your mind open to see what changes are coming and how you can adapt your agricultural business to ensure that you can still afford to follow your passions for years to come. Today’s guest shares his story of how his business has evolved over the years to become more efficient and more profitable. Ralph is always looking to the future while learning from the past.

I have been highlighting the farms and people that have helped me get a start with my farm this year. After all, I have a lot to thank them for. As I listened back through some of the episodes recently I noticed a glaring omission. Kate! My wife, Kate, is the reason I am able to do what I am able to do. Even as I write this she is watching our daughter Mabel so I have some time at the computer. She’s an incredible person, and this relationship would be nothing without her. Whether it is your wife, your partner, your co-workers, your volunteers, your CSA members, or your friends, there are a lot of relationships that surround a farm. Maintaining and working at those relationships will be the key to your success. I have said it many times, you cannot farm alone. Well, you can, it just stinks. You are going to want people around you, and if you want to be productive and successful there are certain things you have to do to keep them happy, as well as keep yourself happy. On today’s episode Kate and I talk about some of the things we do to help keep our relationship healthy. After almost 10 years of being together, 3 of them married, we have put our relationship through just about every test you can imagine. We have come through all of them stronger and closer and we now share that with our daughter. Today’s farm podcast is from the heart, with a practical message. I hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

I have been highlighting the farms and people that have helped me get a start with my farm this year. After all, I have a lot to thank them for. As I listened back through some of the episodes recently I noticed a glaring omission. Kate! My wife, Kate, is the reason I am able to do what I am able to do. Even as I write this she is watching our daughter Mabel so I have some time at the computer. She’s an incredible person, and this relationship would be nothing without her. Whether it is your wife, your partner, your co-workers, your volunteers, your CSA members, or your friends, there are a lot of relationships that surround a farm. Maintaining and working at those relationships will be the key to your success. I have said it many times, you cannot farm alone. Well, you can, it just stinks. You are going to want people around you, and if you want to be productive and successful there are certain things you have to do to keep them happy, as well as keep yourself happy. On today’s episode Kate and I talk about some of the things we do to help keep our relationship healthy. After almost 10 years of being together, 3 of them married, we have put our relationship through just about every test you can imagine. We have come through all of them stronger and closer and we now share that with our daughter. Today’s farm podcast is from the heart, with a practical message. I hope you enjoy and thank you for listening.

Farming is not something that anyone should have to do alone. I have tried it, it’s not great. I strongly feel that the more people you can involve with you farm the happier you will be, also more successful. You don’t always get to choose the people who work with you on your farm. That’s often a great thing. When you work as a farm manager under a board of directors that can go either way. They can either be your best friends, or huge pains in the behinds. In the case of Sullivan Farm, Joe tells us in the interview that he loves working with his board of directors because they bring a diverse skill set to the (farm) table. In the beginning of the episode I talk about a very important part of farming. That important part is working with people. There are SO many people interested in agriculture these days and not all of them want to get their hands dirty. I mean, it is really hard to find people who want to process chickens with me. Even if they do not want to learn how to properly scald and pluck a pastured chicken, they may be able to help you farm out in other ways. Whether it is accounting, marketing, grant writing, sign painting or whatever, everyone has something to offer. Your job is to keep their fire burning and find a place where you have a weakness to fill with their strengths. Do not “poo poo” someone’s offer of help just because they don’t want to play in the dirt with your or they don’t know how to fix a tractor. There are too many things to get done, and those things are too diverse in nature. Oh, and don’t feel like you’re using people if you accept volunteers. People volunteer all the time at all manner of things. As a farmer we work longer hours than most, we make less money than most, and we face more hardships than most. People are starting to see that, and they are starting to pitch in to make it a little easier. The “system” is kind of built against small farmers, but that doesn’t mean the other people living within that system aren’t willing to help. Again, your job, take care of your volunteers. Just because they are not asking for pay doesn’t meant you shouldn’t give them something. If they are coming for the day, buy them lunch. If it’s hot outside provide Gatorade or an ice cream. Think of it this way, if you were to hire someone for the you would at least have to pay them minimum wage. In CT that’s $8.25 an hour. For an 8 hour day that’s $66. If you buy that person an $8 lunch they still saved you$58. The point is, be willing to accept volunteers, but please take care of them and don’t abuse their kindness.

Farming is not something that anyone should have to do alone. I have tried it, it’s not great. I strongly feel that the more people you can involve with you farm the happier you will be, also more successful. You don’t always get to choose the people who work with you on your farm. That’s often a great thing. When you work as a farm manager under a board of directors that can go either way. They can either be your best friends, or huge pains in the behinds. In the case of Sullivan Farm, Joe tells us in the interview that he loves working with his board of directors because they bring a diverse skill set to the (farm) table. In the beginning of the episode I talk about a very important part of farming. That important part is working with people. There are SO many people interested in agriculture these days and not all of them want to get their hands dirty. I mean, it is really hard to find people who want to process chickens with me. Even if they do not want to learn how to properly scald and pluck a pastured chicken, they may be able to help you farm out in other ways. Whether it is accounting, marketing, grant writing, sign painting or whatever, everyone has something to offer. Your job is to keep their fire burning and find a place where you have a weakness to fill with their strengths. Do not “poo poo” someone’s offer of help just because they don’t want to play in the dirt with your or they don’t know how to fix a tractor. There are too many things to get done, and those things are too diverse in nature. Oh, and don’t feel like you’re using people if you accept volunteers. People volunteer all the time at all manner of things. As a farmer we work longer hours than most, we make less money than most, and we face more hardships than most. People are starting to see that, and they are starting to pitch in to make it a little easier. The “system” is kind of built against small farmers, but that doesn’t mean the other people living within that system aren’t willing to help. Again, your job, take care of your volunteers. Just because they are not asking for pay doesn’t meant you shouldn’t give them something. If they are coming for the day, buy them lunch. If it’s hot outside provide Gatorade or an ice cream. Think of it this way, if you were to hire someone for the you would at least have to pay them minimum wage. In CT that’s $8.25 an hour. For an 8 hour day that’s $66. If you buy that person an $8 lunch they still saved you$58. The point is, be willing to accept volunteers, but please take care of them and don’t abuse their kindness.

Education is crucial on the farm, especially as consumers are becoming more aware of what is in their food. Questions are being raised as to whether what we are eating is healthy or not. The public is eager to know just who their farmer is. It is up to you to feed that need, provide the answers your (potential) customers are looking for, and become “their farmer”. On my farm this year I have done, and continue to do a whole lot of education. It is pretty hard to sell someone a whole chicken when they don’t know what to do with it once they get it. I not only provide my customers with information on where the chickens come from, how they were raised, and how they meet their end, I also give them advice on what to with with a whole bird once they get it. Sharing all of this information has helped me not only get customers, but keep them happy. Some of the avenues I use to keep my members in the loop are: My farm website My Facebook Page My CSA pick-up On-farm visits There is another form of farm education that is equally, if not more important. That is simply showing kids how things are done on the farm. The biggest shock to me when I started my investigation of our food system was how ignorant I was. There was this whole other way that I had never really been privy to. You have the power to effect a generation with your farm. You can give kids that glimpse into the life of a farmer that will give them a deeper appreciation for their food, might encourage them to live healthier, and will have a trickle up (down and all around) effect as they grow up. Who knows, one day they might grow up to start a farm of their own and a podcast to go with it. My guest today runs a successful Nature Center that helps educate about agriculture and its’ effect on the world. The real success if the education the kids and adults are receiving when they visit the Pratt Nature Center. However, seeing as this is the Growing Farms Podcast I asked Diane all about how she got started and how she gets all those kids to attend.

Education is crucial on the farm, especially as consumers are becoming more aware of what is in their food. Questions are being raised as to whether what we are eating is healthy or not. The public is eager to know just who their farmer is. It is up to you to feed that need, provide the answers your (potential) customers are looking for, and become “their farmer”. On my farm this year I have done, and continue to do a whole lot of education. It is pretty hard to sell someone a whole chicken when they don’t know what to do with it once they get it. I not only provide my customers with information on where the chickens come from, how they were raised, and how they meet their end, I also give them advice on what to with with a whole bird once they get it. Sharing all of this information has helped me not only get customers, but keep them happy. Some of the avenues I use to keep my members in the loop are: My farm website My Facebook Page My CSA pick-up On-farm visits There is another form of farm education that is equally, if not more important. That is simply showing kids how things are done on the farm. The biggest shock to me when I started my investigation of our food system was how ignorant I was. There was this whole other way that I had never really been privy to. You have the power to effect a generation with your farm. You can give kids that glimpse into the life of a farmer that will give them a deeper appreciation for their food, might encourage them to live healthier, and will have a trickle up (down and all around) effect as they grow up. Who knows, one day they might grow up to start a farm of their own and a podcast to go with it. My guest today runs a successful Nature Center that helps educate about agriculture and its’ effect on the world. The real success if the education the kids and adults are receiving when they visit the Pratt Nature Center. However, seeing as this is the Growing Farms Podcast I asked Diane all about how she got started and how she gets all those kids to attend.