In this episode, Barb Perkins of Vermont Valley Community Farm explains how the CSA model manages risk in her regional food hub of Madison. Highlights of today's conversation include making the most of space by succession planting and the all-important “C” in CSA: community. Barb shares ways she involved their CSA members as partners in their farm.

Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one of the first CSAs in the state and one of the largest. The farm engaged its members in many ways and became a vibrant community over the years. Barb is an advocate for CSA and an educator for CSA farmers and the community. Barb and David retired the CSA after 24 amazing seasons. Vermont Valley continues to grow and sell certified organic seed potatoes.

We’re back with Barb Perkins of Vermont Valley Community Farm to hear about her next life chapter after the farm’s last growing season in 2018. Barb shares the challenging thought process she went through to define what retirement from farming looks like. She explains how she's had to learn to listen to her body as she grows older and joyfully embrace what’s next after decades of running an intense CSA business.

Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one of the first CSAs in the state and one of the largest. The farm engaged its members in many ways and became a vibrant community over the years. Barb is an advocate for CSA and an educator for CSA farmers and the community. Barb and David retired the CSA after 24 amazing seasons. Vermont Valley continues to grow and sell certified organic seed potatoes.

Barb Perkins left the city and her criminal justice degree to start farming with her husband, David, in 1994. The two of them pioneered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest. Here, she shares how she got into farming and became enamored of the CSA concept, and how they grew a successful CSA at a time without email, websites, or social media.

Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one of the first CSAs in the state and one of the largest. The farm engaged its members in many ways and became a vibrant community over the years. Barb is an advocate for CSA and an educator for CSA farmers and the community. Barb and David retired the CSA after 24 amazing seasons. Vermont Valley continues to grow and sell certified organic seed potatoes.

We are finishing up our series with Jen Riemer of Riemer Family Farm talking about how value-added meat products add to the farm’s business mix and help the family farm manage risk. Jen explains the challenge of finding processors to produce their value-added products, such as sausage sticks and ground turkey, and explores opportunities for more ready-to-eat meat product options for today’s busy consumers.

Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen's family is transitioning the farm from a commodity beef and crop operation to 100% grass-fed beef and lamb as well as pastured poultry and hogs. She focuses on regenerating soil and bringing diverse ecology back to the land.

What can you do now to improve your land for years to come? Listen in as Jen Riemer of Riemer Family Farm in Wisconsin explains her family's systems-based, holistic approach to nurturing the land for the long term. Livestock and cover crops play big roles! We discuss our appreciation for diversity and how our nurturing instincts serve us well in farming.

Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen’s family is transitioning the farm from a commodity beef and crop operation to 100% grass-fed beef and lamb as well as pastured poultry and hogs. She focuses on regenerating soil and bringing diverse ecology back to the land.

We’re back with Jen Riemer to talk about the importance of diversity on the farm. Jen shares how she uses cover crops to build healthy soil, and adds value/fertility by using cover crops as livestock forage—wins all around!

Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen’s family is transitioning the farm from a commodity beef and crop operation to 100% grass-fed beef and lamb as well as pastured poultry and hogs. She focuses on regenerating soil and bringing diverse ecology back to the land.

Today, Jen Riemer shares how she, a former vegetarian, grew into a passionate rancher and steward of the land. Hear her inspiring story of moving from the Chicago suburbs and a regular paycheck to her husband’s family farm 10 years ago, and how her first MOSES Conference gave her the confidence to take that leap.

Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen's family is transitioning the farm from a commodity beef and crop operation to 100% grass-fed beef and lamb as well as pastured poultry and hogs. She focuses on regenerating soil and bringing diverse ecology back to the land.

We wrap up our farm law series with this bonus episode with Rachel Armstrong as she helps us navigate employment rules when we venture outside of farming into value-added products, on-farm food service, offering classes, etc. While this diversification is great for spreading risk over a broad range of enterprises, it changes the rules for paying employees. Hear Rachel's recommendations to help you avoid issues.

Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowers farmers to understand and create their own solutions to business law challenges in an ecosystem of support. She strives to make farm law approachable and relevant to every farmer.

Today, Rachel Armstrong helps us understand "human risk" on our specialty crop farms. Learn about the different categories of labor, from volunteers to paid staff, and how to navigate legally and safely for everyone. 

Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowers farmers to understand and create their own solutions to business law challenges in an ecosystem of support. She strives to make farm law approachable and relevant to every farmer.

We continue our series with Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons talking about empowering women farmers to take charge of our businesses and manage risk effectively. Farming is unpredictable with variables we cannot control. Rachel helps us navigate and plan for what we can control, with a particular focus today on direct marketing value-added products.

Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit organization that exists to empower farmers to understand and create their own solutions to business law challenges, in an ecosystem of support. She strives to make farm law approachable and relevant to every farmer.