It is really important in your farm marketing efforts to adapt to meet the needs of your market. That means more than just growing what people want. It also means growing it the way they want it grown. I recently switched my feed because my customers were asking for organic non-GMO feed. I would have been feeding my chickens that anyways, I just didn’t know I could get it near my farm. When someone pointed it out, it was a natural switch. It is also important when marketing your farm to listen to your demographic, and go where they are to market to them. More and more people are on Facebook these days. Of all the farmers I know, that is the most widely used form of social media. Why? Facebook has over 900 million people using it on a global scale. While your aim might not be global, in today’s farm podcast I explain how I am using it to market locally. I am seeing results in the form of new members to my Chicken and Herb CSA. There’s your return on investment.

Farming is as much about business as it is growing things. Time spent outside should be balanced by time spent inside. Both places require you to make smart investments for your future. Those investments might be to buy equipment, spend time connecting with customers, or growing your agricultural business in any number of ways. The weather is warming up a bit and I get to spend some more time making investments outside of the office. That is not only good for the business, but good for the soul too. Honestly, I don’t like talking about money. I would rather be out farming. This week I started building chicken tractors, I ordered baby chicks, and my seeds came in the mail. Big things happening!

Solid financial planning is critical to the success of any small business, and farming is no exception. If you do not have a clear picture of where you are, how can you know where you are going? In this episode I stray from my normal format to bring you more insight into the difficult decisions I have had to make lately.

Fresh perspective is always necessary. It doesn’t matter what type of business you run or even what type of life you lead. Looking at what you do from another person’s perspective, and getting their advice based on their experiences can be hugely beneficial for you. I know it is for me. I am not a farmer to make money. I farm because I love working outside, I love growing my own food, and most of all I love the community of people that naturally gravitate toward sustainable farming. At the end of the day, my bills come in just the same as everyone else’s. We have car payments, rent, student loans, phone bills, the list goes on… If I am going to be able to keep farming and having that positive impact on my food system I have to look at my farm as a business. In this episode I talk about how I went outside the farming community to get some really good advice. Not only was the advice and perspective helpful to me as I write my business plan, but it was inspirational as well. The professional I met with got me all fired up, and inspired me to take some of the steps that I was fearing to take. Then in my interview I travel outside my normal realm of agricultural businesses, and I had one of most fun conversations about farming that I have had yet.

There is a growing wealth of knowledge about farming on the internet. With more farmers becoming comfortable behind a computer, it takes a certain someone special to bring everyone together and keep things organized. While there are a couple of really great websites that successfully do this, I chose three that I have used many times in the past to interview and share with you. These three people are dedicated when it comes to getting the right information to the right people. I have been spending a lot of time doing my own research for my own farm. I am not only researching, I am starting to do. I am making investments, plotting out where my beds of herbs and chicken tractors are going to go, and I am setting up the business while trying to put into action everything I have learned over the past few years. I am even doing some serious farm marketing as I do my best to sell 50 shares of my Chicken and Herb CSA.

There are constant hurdles to overcome when you are growing your farm. Whether you are just starting out, or you have been farming for a while, there is always some sort of issue. The best thing you can do for yourself and your business is to stay positive, work things through, adapt, act, and survive. This farm podcast episode travels to Oregon to speak with a farmer about some of those obstacles and the clever ways she has found to overcome them. Things are progressing nicely for me on the farm front. I share my update on the search for farm land, my big projects to tackle, and my outlook on the future. No farm experience is going to be the same for any two people. There are too many factors when it comes to putting together a farm business. My hope is that you can glean some helpful information from my experiences and those of the guests on the show.

There are times in life that you need to stop and smell the roses. It is important whether you are running a small business, or you just generally lead a busy life. It is important to take stock of why you are working so hard, and to appreciate your accomplishments. I often find it is in these moments of reflection that good things happen. I firmly believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get (not my saying, but I’ll borrow it). While it is good practice to work hard at what you do, it is also good practice to take a step back once and a while so you do not burn out. Today’s farm podcast talks about burnout and appreciating success. It is about those moments when the planets align, and things lok up for you. That leads me into my interview with Bernadette Ortensi, of the Ortensi Family Farm.

The third episode of the Growing Farms Podcast brings you a quick update into my life starting a farm. I briefly discuss the work that goes into producing the podcast and keeping the website as functional as possible. I have been putting in some serious hours to make sure I bring you the highest quality content. The topic of the episode then turns to our main theme, diversifying your farm income. There are two ways that I have seen this successfully done. Either you take a look around your farm and figure out what business ventures can compliment each other, or you hire other farmers to work for you. I give examples of both, which leads into the interview for this episode.

With the success of the first episode, I am really excited to be bringing you the second episode of the Growing Farms Podcast. The podcast is meant to do two things: follow my story as I start a farm so that we can learn from each other, and to share advice from other farmers from all over the map. I start this episode with a look into what my life is like right now, winter 2013. I am on the hunt for land, and I am at it tirelessly. I am speaking with land trusts, meeting with land owners, other farmers, and anyone whose ear I can grab for a minute or two. I am making every effort to keep it all organized with my computer, my paper maps, my trusty notebook, and my white board (see picture below). I am sharing this experience because I know I am not the only one out there looking for farm land. Whether you’re just starting out, or your expanding your farm, I know I have helpful advice to share. Then begins the featured interview I did with Josh Volk of Slow Hand Farm out near Portland, OR. Josh has a lot of wisdom to share, and is doing some very interesting and innovative things when it comes to running his farm.

This is the very first episode of the Growing Farms Podcast. You may have caught the sneak preview, and now it is time for the real thing! I will be bringing you episodes and interviews each week from farmers from across the country. This episode introduces me, the host. It introduces the show, it’s concept, and I conduct my first interview with Connecticut farmer Erick Taylor on how he defines success as a farmer. I am thrilled to be bringing you this podcast. I feel like my life’s work so far has culminated in bringing these projects to you: Farm Marketing Solutions, the Growing Farms Podcast, and starting a farm of my own.