Raising the Barn

By The Farmer's Feed

Marketing is about telling a story and farmers have such a rich story to tell.

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Each episode explores the unique ways that folks across the Ag industry are marketing their businesses. From diversify... more

FAQs about Raising the Barn:

How many episodes does Raising the Barn have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.

Raising the Barn episodes:

May 16, 2024Growing Sustainable Flowers for People & Pollinators with Palm Pike Flower Farm
Episode 13 | Palm Pike Flower Farm was founded with the environment in mind. From the coastal palms of South Florida to the mountain pikes of the Appalachians and beyond, Tasha Trujillo and Jovany Rodriguez want to promote and protect a life of meaning outside the box. They started as beekeepers passionate about saving bees and have since branched out into growing cut flowers. Today, Tasha joins the podcast to talk about how they are growing sustainable flowers for people and pollinators in York, SC, their participation in the Ag + Art Tour, and how’s she’s built a platform online to tell their farm’s story.

Some of the questions we chat about:
Can you tell us a little bit about your connection to agriculture and your farm in York, SC? What brought you from Florida to South Carolina?

As a first-time farmer, what resources did you find useful as you started Palm Pike?

Did you face any challenges in marketing your farm and how did you overcome them?

You have a significant following across your Instagram and TikTok accounts. Where do your ideas for your videos come from?

How has your social media presence helped you to grow your business and bring you new opportunities offline?

What made you want to be a part of the SC Ag + Art Tour this year and what activities are you offering?

Can you share some best practices for folks who will be visiting the farm? How can they enjoy the space you’ve created while also making an effort to protect the habitat for the pollinators and your flowers/herbs?

What’s one thing that you wish consumers knew about flower farming and/or beekeeping?
What does being authentic mean to you as a farmer?

You were featured in a NYTimes article back in 2022 about the rising cost of farmland, which is having a direct effect on farmers. How did this opportunity come about?

Did that article have any impacts on your business?

Do you have advice for other farms who are looking to gain attention from the media - both local and national?
What’s on the Palm Pike Flower Farm Marketing Plan for 2024?
Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

Mentioned in this episode:
Palm Pike Flower Farm Website
Palm Pike Flower Farm Instagram
Palm Pike Flower Farm in The New York Times
York County Ag + Art Tour
Visit York County
SC New and Beginning Farmer Program

Episode Sponsors:
Visit York County - The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is back in York County, SC! Join us for this FREE, family-friendly event—a self-guided tour showcasing 25 farms with artisans at every stop. Experience first-hand where your food comes from, witness and shop from artisans in action, enjoy local musicians, and learn about the importance of supporting our local farms! You don’t want to miss this unique event, so mark your calendars for June 8th-9th! Visit agandarttour.com/york to learn more.
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33min
May 09, 2024Inspiring the Next Generation of Farmers and Ranchers
Episode 12 | Whether they are first-time farmers, or farmers continuing their family’s agribusiness legacy, the next generation of farmers and ranchers face a unique set of challenges. In South Carolina, one school is hoping to prepare high school students through hands on experiences across agriculture, land management, agribusiness, and forestry. The South Carolina Governor’s School for Agriculture at John de la Howe is the first of its kind public, residential high school. Kinsley Miller, Director of Outreach, joins the podcast to talk about the opportunities offered through the school and how they are inspiring and preparing the next generation of young farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness leaders.
Some of the questions we chat about:
What is the history behind the SC Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe?

What makes the curriculum unique?

What are some of those challenges that they’re preparing students to take on and how are they doing so?

What kind of higher education and/or careers are their students going into after graduation?

What does the next generation needs most to be successful in agribusiness?

Do y’all offer experiences for non-residential students? Are there things that the general public (adults and children) can take part in?

Mentioned in this episode:
https://delahowe.sc.gov/
https://delahowe.sc.gov/admissions
https://www.instagram.com/delahowe_/
https://delahowe.podbean.com/
https://www.agandarttour.com/york
https://www.visityorkcounty.com/
https://bit.ly/SCAPR

Episode Sponsors:
Visit York County - The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is back in York County, SC! Join us for this FREE, family-friendly event—a self-guided tour showcasing 25 farms with artisans at every stop. Experience first-hand where your food comes from, witness and shop from artisans in action, enjoy local musicians, and learn about the importance of supporting our local farms! You don’t want to miss this unique event, so mark your calendars for June 8th-9th! Visit agandarttour.com/york to learn more.

Clemson University Cooperative Extension - Annie’s Project is a nationwide program that aims to empower women in agriculture through risk management education. We welcome anyone supporting the Annie’s Project mission to participate. The next SC Annie's Project class is the summer retreat that will be held in Florence, SC. Over 3.5 days, participants will receive 18 hours of education on Financial, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing, and Production risk management. Participants can expect to learn from a diverse range of speakers, spend time networking, go on farm tours, and build confidence in the future of their operation. A 4-H Youth Development Camp is being offered simultaneously for participants with youth. Lodging is included in the $400 registration until May 14. Local lodgers and participants who register after May 14 are $175. Youth registration is $100 for the first youth and $50 for each additional youth registered. More information can be found at https://bit.ly/SCAPR
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26min
May 02, 2024Multi-Generational Farming, Farmland Preservation, & Growing Strawberries 40 Weeks a Year with Bush-N-Vine Farm
Episode 11 | Sam Hall’s family has deep roots in York County Agriculture. His farm has been in their family for over 150 years and Bush-N-Vine Farm has been a staple of the community since 1979 when his father opened their first market at the farm. Since then, they’ve grown into multiple farm stands across the county, and attracted folks to their farm with their Farm Cafe, CSA, U-PICK, and other agritourism opportunities. Sam joins the podcast to talk about life on a multi-generational farm, their participation in the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour, how they’re growing strawberries 40 weeks out of the year.

Some of the questions we chat about:
What advice does he have for young farmers who are making the transition to working full time on their family’s farm, inheriting their farm and/or starting their own agribusiness?

What are some of the differentiators of Bush-N-Vine? How do they set themselves apart from other farms in our area?

What different activities are they offering at the South Carolina Ag + Art Tour this year?

What advice does he have for other farmers participating in Ag + Art as to how to make it a successful experience for visitors and for their farm?

What advice can he share for visitors as they prepare to spend time at Bush-N-Vine during Ag + Art?

How has agritourism impacted the other areas of their business?

What is one thing he wishes more consumers knew about farming or running an Ag business like Bush-N-Vine?

What does the preservation of our farmland and continued investment in rural communities mean to Sam?

What’s on the Bush-N-Vine Marketing Plan for 2024?

Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.bushnvinefarm.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bushnvine/
https://www.agandarttour.com/york
https://www.visityorkcounty.com/

Episode Sponsors:
Visit York County - The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is back in York County, SC! Join us for this FREE, family-friendly event—a self-guided tour showcasing 25 farms with artisans at every stop. Experience first-hand where your food comes from, witness and shop from artisans in action, enjoy local musicians, and learn about the importance of supporting our local farms! You don’t want to miss this unique event, so mark your calendars for June 8th-9th! Visit agandarttour.com/york to learn more.
...more
33min
April 25, 2024Agritourism, Working with a Marketing Agency, & Personal Brands with Bowers Farm
Episode 10 | We’re talking with Brandon and Sarah Bowers of Bowers Farm in Pomeria, SC - a small town of about 150 people near Newberry. The farmland has been in Brandon’s family for over 75 years, and since 2014, they have strived to take care of the farm from soil up and help their community know where their food comes from and how its raised.
Some of the questions we chat about:
How did they know it was time to go from DIYing their marketing strategy and enlist the help of a marketing agency?

What were some of their biggest takeaways from working with local marketing agency, EMILY: Revolutionary Marketing?

What advice would they give to farmers who are thinking about hiring some outside marketing help?

What are the core pillars that they came up with for Bowers Farm and why they’re important?

How are they using those pillars to tell the story of Bowers Farm?

On their farm, they raise a variety of livestock, but they also have several other offerings and experiences ranging from Farm Stays, to Farm Camp and Farm Tours. How did they go about adding agritourism to their farm?

Has agritourism impacted other areas of their business?

In addition to their farm’s instagram page, Sarah has built her own personal brand under the account, Reluctant Farmer’s Wife. How is the content that she shares on this page different from the content they share on their farm account?

Where do she get inspiration from for her content?

Something we hear from farmers is that it’s hard to find time to create content for social media. What advice do they have for those folks who want to grow their online presence, but don’t feel like they have enough hours in the day?

What’s on the Bowers Farm marketing plan for 2024?

Subscribe:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.bowersfarmsc.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bowersfarmsc/
https://www.instagram.com/reluctantfarmerswife/
https://www.lakeshorefamilycampground.com/
https://scagritourism.org/
https://www.ermarketinggroup.com/
https://www.agandarttour.com

Episode Sponsors:
Visit York County - The South Carolina Ag + Art Tour is back in York County, SC! Join us for this FREE, family-friendly event—a self-guided tour showcasing 25 farms with artisans at every stop. Experience first-hand where your food comes from, witness and shop from artisans in action, enjoy local musicians, and learn about the importance of supporting our local farms! You don’t want to miss this unique event, so mark your calendars for June 8th-9th! Visit agandarttour.com/york to learn more.
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1h 1min
April 04, 2024Marketing Prep for the 2024 Season on Your Farm with Cherry Place Farm
Episode 9 | Spring is here - which means farmers across the country are about to open the doors to customers for the 2024 season.
Today on Raising the Barn, Bailey Edwards, Farm Manager at Cherry Place Farm in Rock Hill, SC joins the podcast to talk about how she’s preparing for the opening day at the farm and what should be on every farmer’s marketing check-list before welcoming their first customers of the season.

Some of the questions we chat about:
In the most recent US Census of Agriculture, the average age of the American farmer is 57.5 years old and Young Farmers under 35 only make up 9% of the farming population. Did she always know that she wanted to continue her family’s legacy? At what point did she make the decision to come back to Cherry Place Farm after college?

While some farms operate year-round and other farms operate seasonally – in a place like South Carolina, the “season” is fairly long. Cherry Place Farms is open from ~mid-April right up to Christmas. Aside from the obvious farm tasks - planning, prepping, and planting, from the business perspective, what does planning for the next year look like?

Given her background in PR - what advice does she have for farmers when it comes to working with local media or other businesses to promote their business?

Did she leverage any new marketing techniques to drive business for the new Cherry Place Farm offerings in 2023 (Farm Yoga, U-Pick Flowers, Cut Flowers, Greenhouse with “pot up your own hanging baskets” and wreath making at Christmas)?

Looking back on 2023 - is there anything that she would have done differently when it comes to marketing the farm?

What is her favorite TikTok or Instagram trend at the moment?

How is she using social media to drive customers and serve her local community?

Does she have a favorite campaign or aspect to her business that she’s worked on?

What’s on the Cherry Place Farm Marketing Plan for 2024?
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35min
May 05, 2022Advocating for Agriculture on Social Media with 2022 NC Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador
Episode 8 | I’m really excited to be joined by the 2022 North Carolina Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador, Miss Katie Haynes.
Katie is using her platform to advocate for the agriculture industry across North Carolina through her TikTok and Instagram accounts. And when she’s not promoting North Carolina Agriculture, she’s spending her time leading her non-profit Smiling While Sending Hope, working on her new photography business, and showing rabbits.
Some of the questions we chat about:
What is the Miss Agriculture pageant and what made her want to participate?

What are some of the roles and responsibilities that come with her newly crowned titles, 2022 North Carolina Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador and North Carolina People’s Choice Miss United States Agriculture?

As a member of Gen-Z, she’s turned to TikTok to help share her story and elevate her platform as NC Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador. Many farmers are looking to get started on TikTok. What advice does she have for those farmers on what young audiences might be interested in?

Where does she get her ideas from on what to post on TikTok?

Katie also runs the non-profit, Smiling While Sending Hope. How is she using social media to help tell the story of her non-profit?

As a member of 4-H, what are some of her favorite things about the 4-H program and how does it help prepare the next generation of farmers and Ag folks?
...more
23min
March 31, 2022Virtual Agritourism and #Farm24VT
Episode 7 | COVID-19 accelerated our adoption of the virtual world. Corporations shifted from in-person meetings and conferences to Zoom meetings and webinars. Consumers joined virtual happy hours, started to attend virtual concerts, and joined communities online and across social media.
Today’s Raising the Barn guest helped to usher in the world of Virtual Agritourism to the Agriculture and Food community of Vermont.
Sarah Audet is the Interim Executive Director at the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition and oversees the #Farm24VT event - a day-long social media celebration of agriculture, food, and dairy in Vermont.
Some of the questions we chat about:
What is #Farm24VT and what was the inspiration behind the event?

What are some of the benefits for farmers and agribusiness owners who are joining in on the event?

Agritourism is great for Agribusiness because it may bring new consumers out to the farm (either virtually or in-person) who may not have been a customer before. But then the challenge or opportunity becomes, how do folks keep their attention. And how can farmers turn those participants or attendees into a repeat customer or visitor?

Is the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition doing anything different to market #Farm24VT this year?

What is she looking forward to most with #Farm24VT this May?

As a woman in Agribusiness - what would she say is one of the advantages that women have in the Ag industry?
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23min
March 24, 2022Effectively Engaging with Consumers with Elizabeth Wood from the SC Farm Bureau
Episode 6 | There are about as many different varieties of farms out there as there are varieties of tomatoes. Conventional, organic, post-organic, no-till, regenerative, hydroponic - shoppers are constantly consuming labels and messaging when it comes to food and other agriculture products without a clear understanding of what that means. So for the roughly 2 million farms in the US - there is a real need to tell your stories, but with that need comes the challenge of how to do so.
This is something that my guest on episode six of the Raising the Barn podcast is passionate about. Elizabeth Wood is the Director of Agricultural Literacy, Women and Youth Programs for the South Carolina Farm Bureau. In her role, she helps farmers enhance their skills to more effectively engage and educate consumers.
Some of the questions we chat about:
What are some common themes that she’s seen from farms who have been able to tell their stories in a meaningful way?

Social media is an amazing tool because it gives folks the power to tell their story and potentially reach hundreds or thousands of people. But with that wanted attention sometimes comes unwanted attention. What are some tips for farmers who want to have a meaningful engagement online when they have a growing fear of attracting negative attention on their accounts?

How can farmers share important information about farming practices without demonizing the other side?

One of the bigger initiatives of the SC Farm Bureau is your work in advocacy - through your support of local SC farmers and ranchers and your efforts positively impacting legislation here in SC. As someone who works in advocacy, from her perspective, what’s something that she wishes consumers knew or had a better understanding of when it comes to where their food comes from?

It is Women’s History Month and there are many articles about the unique advantages of women in business. What are some of the advantages or strengths that women in agribusiness bring to the table?

Here in SC about ~36% of producers are female, according to the USDA's 2017 Census of Agriculture. What are some of the initiatives that the SCFB Women’s Leadership Program is focusing on this year?
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27min
March 17, 2022Cultivating Direct-to-Consumer Sales with Instagram Stories and Reels with Kingdom Gardens
Episode 5 | Hannah Monroe joins episode five of the Raising the Barn podcast. Hannah is the owner and farmer of Kingdom Gardens in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kingdom Gardens is a Certified SC Grown Christian family farm striving to responsibly steward the land while growing produce and raising livestock using no-spray and regenerative methods.
Hannah has found some interesting ways to reach new consumers through her Farm Club memberships, her new community composting program, and a focus on direct to consumer sales using Instagram. I’m really excited for her to share some insights with y’all as to how she’s growing her Ag business in York County, SC.

Some of the questions we chat about:
What are some of the values that drive her mission for Kingdom Gardens?

What does that business model look like for her Farm Club Membership and how has that helped bring new customers to Kingdom Gardens?

Where did the idea for her community composting program come from? What other effects has she noticed from implementing the composting program?

What are some of her challenges with using social media to tell the story for her farm? How is she finding ways to overcome those challenges?

She recently announced a shift to move towards direct-to-consumer sales on the farm instead of selling through her local farmer’s market. What was the main driver in making this decision?

Will she be introducing any new marketing strategies to help bring folks out to her farm stand?
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44min
March 10, 2022Legally Protecting Your Ag Business with Cari Rincker, Esq.
Episode 4 | Cari Rincker, Esq. joins episode four of the Raising the Barn podcast. We know that the vast majority of farmers wear a lot of hats, but I’m not sure many wear as many as Cari. Farmer, Ag and Family Lawyer, Professor, Podcaster, Triathlete, 4H Judge, Author, and recently, new Mother are just a few of the titles that Cari holds.
Cari is the owner of Rincker Law and Cari’s Farm in Champaign, Il. During our conversation, we talk about farm law, how she’s balancing life on and off the farm, and her advice for the next generation of farmers.
Some of the questions we chat about:
When it comes to legally protecting an Ag business, what are some common mistakes that she sees folks making?

What are some frequently asked legal questions that she receives from farmers?

How does she balance life on and off the farm?

With Cari’s Farm, she’s selling beef, goat meat, and eggs. How is she marketing her business?

She’s been involved with the 4-H program as a member and now as a judge. What is she excited about for the next generation of farmers?

What’s one piece of advice she’d give to someone who is younger and planning a career in Ag or even someone who is looking to make a career change and get into farming for the first time?

What’s on her marketing plan for 2022?
...more
35min

FAQs about Raising the Barn:

How many episodes does Raising the Barn have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.

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Raising the Barn

FAQs about Raising the Barn:

How many episodes does Raising the Barn have?

Raising the Barn episodes:

FAQs about Raising the Barn:

How many episodes does Raising the Barn have?