If you store vegetables for any length of time, you’re going to want to hear this interview with Sam Knapp of Offbeet Farm. Sam has practiced “storage farming” for years, growing during the summer for off-season sales from stored crops deep into the winter. In this interview, he tells us about how he figured out his own best practices along the way, as there was little available information on modern veg storage techniques that would keep produce in top shape over an extended period of time.

The product of all this learning is Sam’s brand-new book, Beyond the Root Cellar. It covers every aspect of storage farming, from which crops to grow for storage, to how to grow and harvest them, to what kind of a structure to build for long-term storage and the conditions that will keep vegetables fresh for as long as possible. We cover a lot of it in this interview, though for all the details, you can order Beyond the Root Cellar, which is now shipping from Growing for Market; magazine subscribers always get 20% off all books, including Beyond the Root Cellar.

Connect With Guest:

Sam’s book Beyond the Root Cellar: https://growingformarket.com/store/products/264

Website: https://offbeetalaska.com

Instagram: @offbeetalaska

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

There are a lot of farm sales platforms out there, but there’s only one that’s cooperatively owned by farmers. That’s GrownBy — your all-in-one solution to simplify farm sales. From start-up market farms to complex and scaled-up CSAs, GrownBy makes online farm sales easy and affordable; setting up your shop is free, and you only pay when you sell. Join over 900 farms who have already signed up for GrownBy, and you’re eligible to join the co-op and become a member-owner after your first sale. Visit grownby.com to get started.

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 seed starter pre-sale for the best prices of the season at tilthsoil.com/gfm.

PanAmerican Seed brings to market novel, high-quality vegetables for the fresh market grower and hobby farmer. This year, to help make choices for vegetable programs easier, we’ve grouped our assortment into four categories where these edible favorites perform their best. Look for our easy-to-identify symbols in our latest brochure! Visit panamseed.com/vegetables to learn more and find a seed supplier today.
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Though she comes from a flower growing family, Tracy Yang of JARN Co. Flowers wasn’t always planning on following in the family business. Now, Tracy and her family farm four acres of flowers in Monroe, Washington, located about 45 minutes northeast of Seattle. Hear about how she decided to grow flowers for a living and the process of establishing her own farm, which involved clearing raw land and a lot of blackberries.

Starting her own farm included some new strategies, like a steadily growing flower CSA and home delivery. JARN Co. Flowers sells 80% of their flowers direct-to-consumer because Tracy values the direct connection they have to their community, something I bet many of our listeners can relate to! Tracy is a first-generation Hmong-American and second-generation flower farmer. Hear how she makes it easy and enjoyable for her customers to buy from her, how she’s making flowers more accessible, and how she uses pop-up markets to build brand awareness.

Connect With Guest:

Email: hello@jarncompany.com

Website: http://www.jarncompany.com

Instagram: @jarncoflowers

Facebook: JARN Co. Flowers

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Jaymie Michelle Thurler tells us how she went from a dairy farming background to start Rutabaga Ranch, a certified organic bio-diverse market garden in Brinston, Ontario. At Rutabaga Ranch, they have a farmstand, sell at two farmers markets, have a CSA and sell to local restaurants. Jaymie conveys a lot of farm wisdom with humor, including advice on how to find a farm, how to stay married, and how some peculiar local ag laws led to them starting their on-farm store in a silo, which ended up being much more successful than they ever imagined.

Hear how Jaymie started the farm after burning out on her first career, which involved the huge task of rehabbing a very old house and removing 17 chest freezers from the property! She talks about what they learned from big box stores that has helped make their farm store a success. An important part of their focus as a farm is on spring season extension, since they heat their farm exclusively with waste wood from Jaymie’s husband’s arborist business. As Jaymie says, “We love great grub and having a great time growing it!”

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://rutabaga-ranch.com/

Instagram: The Rutabaga Ranch

Facebook: Rutabaga Ranch

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. We work closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Sometimes we can be stronger when we collaborate, and on this week’s pod hear from two growers with over 20 years of experience working together. Lyn Jacobs @la_finquita_del_buho and Polly Gottesman @pumpkinridgegardens each run their own vegetable CSA farms, and they’ve been collaborating to sell vegetable and flower seedlings, fresh cut flower bouquets, dried flowers and wreaths since 2002. This episode is packed with lots of great ideas and growing info, including how to keep your flowers distinctive at markets with other flower growers, how they manage the cooperative business arrangement between their two farms, and how to keep the personal relationship strong along with the business after more than two decades of collaborating.

Connect With Guest:

Email: lynjuve@msn.com

Email: pumpkinridgegardens@gmai.com

Website: www.finquita.com

Website: https://pumpkinridgegardens.com/

Website: https://pumpkinridgegardens.square.site/ (our farmers market website)

Instagram: @la_finquita_del_buho

Instagram: @pumpkinridgegardens

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Today we have the pleasure of welcoming Jan van der Heide to the podcast. He is the Northeast Market Manager for Bejo Seeds, a Dutch vegetable seed company that has breeding stations and distribution all over the world.

Jan has a depth of knowledge about brassicas, and we’ve been getting a lot of contact lately here at Growing for Market about how to avoid the many disorders that can cause broccoli and cauliflower to grow poorly. Now, if you are a brassica grower, you are probably all too familiar with the symptoms of messed-up broccoli and cauliflower: examples include tiny, unmarketable heads that formed prematurely, properly sized but poorly formed crowns, crowns that have some beads that are starting to open and flower when other beads are still undersized, and a seemingly unlimited range of other disorders that reduce yield and marketability in brassica crops.

Broccoli and cauliflower are very sensitive to the wrong climatic conditions, which is why over 90% of the broccoli consumed in the USA is grown in coastal California, where the conditions are particularly good for broccoli. Though because, by definition, local, direct-market vegetable growers cannot all be in California, nor are all areas of California equally great for broccoli, direct market growers need to figure out how to grow in a range of climates.

Jan, however, is based in a region that is much less naturally kind to broccoli: the Northeast US, where unpredictable weather and wide temperature fluctuations can make getting a good broccoli crop difficult. In fact, Bejo is working with Cornell University and other collaborators in what is called the Eastern Broccoli Project in order to identify varieties that will do well with the variable weather east of the Mississippi. We discuss everything from scheduling to variety selection to similar crops that can be grown instead of broccoli, in order to meet customer demand without putting too much risk on the grower.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm @neversinkfarm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss tray dibblers, why Conor dibbles all his flats, and the advantages of a good dibbler. We talk about why he doesn’t cover his flats after seeding, and how this helps him get flats out of the germinator when the seed has just cracked, before the shoot has any chance to get leggy, and how a good dibbler can also be used to pop seedlings out of a flat.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: j.vanderheide@bejoseeds.com

Website: www.bejoseeds.com www.bejo.com

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Jeff Poppen, longtime farmer and owner of Long Hungry Creek Farm in Tennessee, discusses his farming journey and the principles of biodynamic farming which led to his new book, Barefoot Biodynamics. Jeff shares his approach to farming, including the use of compost, cover crops, and crop rotations. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific needs of the soil and the benefits of incorporating diverse elements into the farm. He shares how he got started in farming and the transition to organic and biodynamic methods.

Jeff emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the accumulated wisdom of farming and studying pre-chemical farming practices. He also talks about the unique aspects of his farm, including the diverse landscape and the role of animals in maintaining fertility. Jeff explains the climate in Tennessee and how he manages without irrigation. He delves into the philosophy of biodynamics and Rudolf Steiner's teachings, highlighting the importance of observation, consciousness, and the connection between humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Throughout the conversation, Jeff's down-to-earth and accessible style shines through.
 

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://barefootfarmer.com
Instagram: @barefootfarmer
Facebook: Barefoot Farmer
Jeff's Book: https://chelseagreen.biz/product/barefoot-biodynamics/

Podcast Sponsors:
Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop destination for customizable and eco-friendly packaging, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Enjoy an exclusive 10% discount with code "GFM10" for Growing for Market Podcast listeners at shop.a-roo.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:
Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Alex Ball started his farm when he was 14, so he’s had a lot of opportunities to refine the model over the years! He shares how and why he has moved the farm many times, and how he landed on the flexible CSA model he’s now using. This model allows for flexibility for the farmer by sourcing some of the produce from other growers. Plus, the credit-based system allows a wider group of people to participate, who might not otherwise be able to commit to a full box of food every week.

We also talk about what last mile logistics is, and how Alex has used it to make CSA drop off efficient for him with out-of-home delivery, and efficient for the customer as well by finding dropoff sites in high-traffic locations. He tells us how he has made extensive use of plugins in a Wordpress website to get a customized CSA interface that lets his customers choose exactly what they want from week to week. Alex is also one of the hosts of the No-Till Market Garden Podcast, and we talk about how he found his voice as a podcaster interviewing fellow farmers.  

Connect with Alex:

Website: https://www.oldcityacres.com

Instagram: @oldcityacres

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support!

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. We work closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. BCS @bcs_america has select tractors and attachments on sale now through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at site.localline.ca/claim-your-offer-growing-for-market

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In this episode of the Growing for Market podcast, host Andrew Mefferd invites guests Billy Mitchell, Chris Callahan, and Andrew Chamberlin to discuss efficient systems and organization for packing sheds. We discuss the principles of good flow in a wash/pack situation and how to optimize cold storage in post-harvest handling. The guests emphasize the significance of creating a comfortable and efficient work environment by considering factors such as walking paths, space, lighting, and ventilation. They provide practical tips to improve work flow, such as identifying bottlenecks and rearranging workstations or introducing hanging shelving.

The episode also delves into the five-step cleaning and sanitizing process for wash pack areas, with the addition of a crucial fifth step: drying surfaces after sanitization. The concept of dry-cleaning (not like laundry) is discussed as an alternative to wet-cleaning surfaces, with brushes, brooms, vacuums, or compressed air for debris removal. The importance of cold storage in maintaining produce quality is highlighted, with recommendations for small CoolBot rooms and considerations for larger spaces. The conversation concludes with resources including tools, articles, and informative materials to help optimize post-harvest handling practices and create efficient and safe work environments.

In this episode we discuss:

0:03:11 - Improving the Design of Greens Bubblers

0:09:22 - Container Options for Efficient Farm Operations

0:14:01 - Cleaning Tools

0:22:26 - To Wash or Not to Wash

0:27:54 - Design Principles for Good Flow in a Wash Pack Situation

0:34:59 - The Five-Step Cleaning and Sanitizing Process

0:35:56 - Cold Storage as the Endpoint of Wash Pack

0:40:37 - Common Mistakes in Wash Pack Operations

0:42:33 - Cultural and Communication Challenges

0:43:17 - Investing in Quality Tools

0:45:19 - Continuous Improvement and Problem Solving

0:52:24 - Future Focus: Sustainable Packaging

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss strategies for using low tunnels in the shoulder seasons. Low tunnels are a cheaper way than greenhouses to nurture and hold crops when temperatures are outside of the ideal, stretching the season as temperatures climb in the spring or drop in the fall. We talk about how a little bit of extra temperature protection can make your farm much more competitive and profitable.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Free articles mentioned in show:

Beat the heat in postharvest handling

https://growingformarket.com/articles/beat-the-heat-postharvest-handling

Love is Love Cooperative Farm Profile

https://growingformarket.com/articles/love-love-cooperative-farm-profile

Connect With Guest:

https://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/2018/11/14/bins-buckets-baskets-totes/

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In today’s episode, hear about growing cut flowers six stories above the San Francisco Bay Area with Joanna Letz of Bluma Flower Farm @blumafarm. Hear what it’s like to grow flowers in a bustling metropolis, differences between field and rooftop growing, and some of Joanna’s favorite varieties. We discuss the advantages and challenges (yes, there are weeds up there) of farming on top of a building in the city. As both farmers and cities realize the benefits of urban agriculture, hopefully there will be more opportunities for growing crops on rooves, and we hope this episode will give growers the confidence to make the leap!

We were inspired by Joanna’s example of hyper local production, cutting the flower miles on her blooms down to almost nothing by growing in the city where many of them will be enjoyed. As we look for ways to cut down on the amount of transportation that goes into food and flowers, we want to encourage growing on rooftops and other city spaces that we don’t often think of as productive farmland. As an added bonus, green rooves can help mitigate urban heat islands and help reduce flash flooding by absorbing some of the water that would otherwise run off. Whether you’ve ever wondered how to get into rooftop growing, or just wondered what it’s like to grow cut flowers over a bustling metropolis, give this episode a listen.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm @neversinkfarm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. 

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to know when seedlings in paper pots are ready for transplanting. If they are planted too soon, seedlings may not be fully rooted and can fall out of the pots during transplanting. If you wait too long, the paper pots may start to break down before they are transplanted, and roots and tops may become tangled, making transplanting difficult. We talk about how to find the sweet spot for paperpot transplanting success in this Shop Talk segment.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Articles mentioned in the interview for show notes (all are already free/public):

Profile of Joanna and Bluma Flower Farm in June 2018 by Ellen Polishuk

https://growingformarket.com/articles/farmer-to-farmer-profile-bluma-flower-farm

Setting goals, taking risks and prioritizing your time in an unsettled season from 2020

https://growingformarket.com/articles/setting-goals-taking-risks-and-prioritizing-your-time

Rooftop farming on the rise: The mechanics of farming six stories up from 2021

https://growingformarket.com/articles/rooftop-farming-the-rise

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.blumaflowerfarm.com

Instagram: @blumafarm

Email: bluma@blumaflowerfarm.com

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

No one gets into flower farming because they love business analytics, however if you don’t know how to make sense of your business and make a profit, you’re not going to stay in business for very long. Luckily we’ve got Lennie Larkin of B-Side Farm to help us cut through the clutter and tell us how to plan to make a profit in our own flower farm businesses. She’s on the pod this week, telling us about her new book, Flower Farming for Profit, which will be out in January.

We talk about how to evaluate your whole enterprise from the close-up, such as whether an individual crop is making you money or not, to zooming out to tell whether an entire market is right for you or not. For example, we talk about how even though the same stem that sells for a dollar to a wholesaler might be worth many times more at a wedding, there are a lot of other costs associated with getting an individual stem to a wedding. So if you’re more of an enjoy-my-time-on-the tractor type of person, you might be more suited to wholesaling and foregoing the big markups associated with weddings and other events. We also talk about the process of moving Lennie’s own farm from CA to OR, how to avoid engaging in magical thinking, and how to get prices above the market average for your flowers.

Pre-order Flower Farming for Profit (magazine subscribers get 20% off):

https://growingformarket.com/store/products/252

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.flowerfarmingforprofit.com

Instagram: @flowerfarming.forprofit

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

If you’re an experienced vegetable farmer, don’t miss out on the 2024 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 8th year, this conference fills that “expert-level” niche you’re looking for. Farmer presenters share the nitty-gritty details of their production practices and also speak on a wide range of topics - from fertilizer injectors and pest management with beneficials, to seed saving and labor retention.With online sessions on January 25th and 26th and in-person sessions on February 2 and 3 in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at https://dane.extension.wisc.edu/organic-vegetable-production-conference/#link

Certified Naturally Grown - Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at naturallygrown.org.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. BCS has select tractors and attachments on sale now through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer - Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Vermont Compost Company - Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

The path from accountant to farmer is not the most commonly taken one, so hear how Keshaun Joseph came to reconsider the corporate life and start Mount Liamuiga Farm in Colorado on this week’s podcast. The first year of the farm included a car accident, negotiating water rights, and hungry packs of rabbits, all of which made this self-described “recovering perfectionist” slow down, ground himself, and build resilience and plan for the next year. Keshaun and host Katie Kulla discuss his family background in farming, growing unusual crops like hibiscus, the farm he worked on before starting Mount Liamuiga, and the innovative farm incubator that helped him gain experience and find the land to start his own farm.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.mountliamuigafarm.com

Instagram: @mountliamuigafarm

Facebook: Mount Liamuiga Farm

Free article:

Farm infrastructure: what and when to build by podcast host Katie Kulla

https://growingformarket.com/articles/Farm-infrastructure-What-and-when-to-build

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

If you’re an experienced vegetable farmer, don’t miss out on the 2024 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 8th year, this conference fills that “expert-level” niche you’re looking for. Farmer presenters share the nitty-gritty details of their production practices and also speak on a wide range of topics - from fertilizer injectors and pest management with beneficials, to seed saving and labor retention. With online sessions on January 25th and 26th and in-person sessions on February 2 and 3 in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at https://dane.extension.wisc.edu/organic-vegetable-production-conference/#link

Certified Naturally Grown - Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at naturallygrown.org.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer - Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In today’s episode, the second of two parts, hear Katie Kulla from Oakhill Organics in Oregon talk about how farmers who have just had a baby can smooth the transition into parenthood while keeping the farm running. This conversation is an elaboration on Katie’s article "Birth and postpartum healing for the farmer" from Growing for Market Magazine. Part 1 of the podcast (and the article) discusses how preparations in the lead up to a baby can help get farmers ready for the new arrival, as well as keep the farm running as smoothly as possible.

Katie has written 3 articles on the subject of farming and parenting for Growing For Market Magazine & interviewed many farmers on the subject. She brings her own experiences parenting & farming in Yamhill County, Oregon with her husband and two homeschooled kids to the conversation. This episode focuses on the time after the baby arrives, in order to help smooth the addition of a new member to the farm and family.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss the long history of wire weeders, and their recent resurgence in popularity. For beds that have been kept clean of deeply established weeds, they offer a less aggressive, more efficient way to get weeds at the germination stage, and quickly keep beds weed-free.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

GFM Articles Mentioned:

"Farming and pregnancy: Balancing the physical and emotional demands" By Katie Kulla

"Birth and postpartum healing for the farmer" By Katie Kulla

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.KatieKulla.com

Instagram: @katiekulla

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In today’s episode, hear Sara and Symbria Patterson talk about farming in Utah on Red Acre Farm and founding the Red Acre Center for Food and Agriculture. In addition to the challenges of farming at elevation, Sara and Symbria discuss how they have gotten over 15 bills passed through the Utah legislature. They highlight the relationship-building process they have used successfully with legislators to pass pro-local-farm legislation despite sometimes facing skepticism from both sides of the aisle. Sara talks about what it was like to found the farm at age 14, and how Sara and Symbria went on to found the Red Acre Center for Food and Agriculture in order to promote and protect local farmers.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. Shop talk is a segment in every episode of the Growing for Market Podcast.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm @neversinkfarm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss propagation house efficiency, specifically, efficiency of space with rolling greenhouse tables.

Greenhouses are the most precious real estate on most farms, and rolling tables help to minimize the amount of space wasted on pathways; because rolling greenhouse table tops can be moved, it cuts the need for pathways in a greenhouse down to one, and tables are rolled out of the way when a path is needed. We discuss how these work as well as the benefits of building them yourself vs buying a kit.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: Howdy@RedAcreFarmCSA.org

Website: redacrefarmcsa.org

Website: redacrecenter.org

Website: utahfarmconference.org

Instagram: @rerdacrefarm

Instagram: @redacrecenterut

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Finding and retaining good workers is a perennial issue on farms, and both sides of the labor equation have a lot to gain from getting the relationship right. When farm owners get it right they have loyal, returning workers, and if farm workers get it right they end up having a good work experience and contributing to the farm.

Luckily, Sarah Janes Ugoretz is working on the issue of how everyone can have a better farm labor experience with the FairShare CSA Coalition, where she supports the Organic Vegetable Farm Manager Apprenticeship. She also just finished her PhD focused on creating positive labor experiences on diversified vegetable farms. We have a lot to learn from Sarah, including how farm owners can find and retain good labor, what kind of support farm workers need, strategies for diffusing conflicts, and more.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to do a quick summer greens no-till bed turnover. We discuss how summer heat can be used to quickly decompose the residue from leafy greens crops and turn beds over without going through time-consuming steps like physically removing the plants.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: sarah@csacoalition.org

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Sophia Ngueyen Eng was a successful marketer in Silicon Valley, in March of 2020. When the world shut down Sophia immediately realized the importance of food security. She quickly expanded her garden and even ventured into raising chickens. As Sophia's connection to the land grew so did her connection to her heritage as she tapped into traditional Asian gardening practices. Within years she and her family adopted the homesteading lifestyle and moved away from the city and on to 7 acres.

Now, she pursues her passions for sustainable farming and nourishing Asian cuisine on her farm in Tennessee, where she employs regenerative practices to raise grass-fed dairy cows, beef cattle, laying hens, broilers, ducks, sheep, goats, turkeys, and traditional Asian practices to grow a variety of produce for her multi-generational family and local community.

She has put it all down in her new book, The Nourishing Asian Kitchen, which spotlights healthy recipes from several different Asian traditions that can be made with farm-fresh whole foods. Her book draws parallels between soil and human health, for example how she feeds the soil with the same kind of fermented microbes as we can feed ourselves, with foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, and lactic acid bacteria from Korean Natural Farming for the soil. Learn how to feed yourself as well as you do your soil with this podcast and her book, The Nourishing Asian Kitchen.

Connect With Guest:

Email: sprinklewithsoil@gmail.com

Website: https://www.freedomfundings.com

Website: https://www.homesteadingrealtor.com

Website: https://www.sprinklewithsoil.com

Instagram: @freedomfundings

Instagram: @homesteadingagent

Instagram: @sprinklewithsoil

Podcast: https://www.thecalltofarms.com

Substack: https://sprinklewithsoil.substack.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sprinklewithsoil

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Angela and Paul Neufeld have been farming vegetables and flowers in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, for 18 years. As Kingfisher Farm Market, they have been committed to regenerative, sustainable farming practices from the beginning. They’ve been slowly building up their farm business on land they share with other families. In a recent newsletter, Angela shared that in 2014 they made $977.50. Fast forward to 2023 and they made their main livelihood off the farm.

They now host a bustling one-day-a-week market at the farm as well as roadside sales throughout the week with a few restaurants that they supply with weekly lettuce mix and other veggies. They also sell flower bouquets from April-October at their roadside stand, through weekly flower subscriptions and through their DIY buckets. Listen to today’s episode to hear about the organic growth of their farm, living and farming in community and their many marketing outlets! 

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.kingfisherfarmmarket.com

Instagram: @kingfisherfarmmarket

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Since 1972 growers have been feeding their soil with organic inputs from Ohio Earth Food. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant and rest assured that your plants will have all of the nutrients and energy for whatever comes their way. These natural blends utilize compost, kelp, and humate and are low salt index safe for high tunnels and approved for organic production. Visit them at ohioearthfood.com and call for larger orders Ohio: 330-877-9356 and Wisconsin: 608-489-3600.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Today we’re talking about balancing farming, pregnancy & kids on the farm with Katie Kulla, who has written 3 articles on the subject for Growing For Market Magazine & interviewed many farmers on balancing farming & parenting. She brings her own experiences parenting & farming in Yamhill County, Oregon with her husband and two homeschooled kids to the conversation. This episode focuses on preparations before the baby comes, in order to smooth the addition of a new member to the farm family, and keep the farm running at the same time. It is an elaboration on Katie’s article "Farming and pregnancy: Balancing the physical and emotional demands" from Growing for Market Magazine.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this week's Shop Talk, we discuss how to maximize efficiency with the paperpot transplanter, including which crops are best suited to it, which crops don’t work as well, and how to get good stands of crops with poor germination using the transplanter.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

GFM Articles Mentioned:

"Farming and pregnancy: Balancing the physical and emotional demands" By Katie Kulla

"Birth and postpartum healing for the farmer" By Katie Kulla

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.KatieKulla.com

Instagram: @katiekulla

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In today’s episode, hear Lynn Byczynski talk about founding Growing for Market Magazine over 30 years ago in 1992. We’ll talk about how Lynn’s background in writing, combined with the lack of information about market farming in the early 1990s, pushed her to start Growing for Market. While researching solutions for issues on her farm in Lawrence, Kansas, she started publishing GFM as a way to connect market farmers to each other and hard-to-find information. We’ll also hear about her book, The Flower Farmer, passing the magazine on to current editor Andrew Mefferd after 24 years of running the magazine, and how her family came to run Seeds From Italy. Link to full podcast episode in profile.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss Seed to Plate- a new video series that Neversink Farm is releasing on YouTube. Each episode of the series, shot in high-definition video during the pandemic lockdown, documents the journey of one vegetable from seeding to eating on Neversink Farm. Check it out both for a slice of life on Neversink Farm, plus some farm tips along the way.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com
 

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.growitalian.com

Instagram: @lynnbyczynski_flowers

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

PFAS are toxic chemicals that are widely used and have accumulated to dangerous levels in agricultural soils in some areas. On tomorrow’s pod we talk with Caleb Goossen, an Organic Crop Specialist at MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) about why Maine may be the canary in the coal mine for this type of contamination, and how farmers in other areas can know whether their properties are at risk for contamination. As the Organic Crop Specialist for MOFGA he has been helping farmers deal with the repercussions of PFAS contamination, and we talk about the effects on human health, and how to deal with the situation if farm soils are contaminated.

Resources Mentioned In Episode:

Article: https://pubs.aip.org/avs/bip/article/18/3/030501/2894789/Evidence-of-compost-contamination-with-per-and

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.mofga.org/pfas

Instagram: @organiccropspecialist

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Tilth Soil was born out of a desire to keep some of the millions of pounds of food waste that is discarded every year out of landfills, with their mission to “feed people, not landfills.” Hear about how their sister company, Rust Belt Riders, started out hauling food waste in bicycle trailers, and has subsequently scaled up to trucks in order to handle just some of the scraps generated in Cleveland, Ohio- in 2023 they composted over 10 million pounds and that’s not even all the food waste generated by Cleveland!

Tilth Soil/Rust Belt Riders encourages and provides resources for others who want to divert food scraps from the waste streams of their own communities. So, whether you have interest in starting a similar business in your own community, or want to start collecting food scraps for your farm, listen to this interview to hear about what it’s like to build a business sourcing food waste for composting. Or, if you’re interested in the finished product, Tilth Soil offers a wide range of compost and soil blends for farmers and gardeners.  

Connect With Guest:
Website: tilthsoil.com
Instagram: @tilth.soil
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

PanAmerican Seed brings to market novel, high-quality vegetables for the fresh market grower and hobby farmer. This year, to help make choices for vegetable programs easier, we’ve grouped our assortment into four categories where these edible favorites perform their best. Look for our easy-to-identify symbols in our latest brochure! Visit panamseed.com/vegetables to learn more and find a seed supplier today.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

It's a new host special episode! We’re so excited to be welcoming April Parms Jones to the podcast as one of our co-hosts, we wanted to make sure and record an episode to properly introduce everyone to April. She has a wide range of agricultural experiences and interests that inform her perspective as an interviewer. In addition to founding a farmers market, April has contributed to publications including Growing for Market, Mother Earth News, The Natural Farmer, Grit and more.

Based in Akron, Ohio, April grows a variety of crops, is a member of the Ohio Farmers Union, and was a delegate for Ohio at the National Farmers Union Convention. In this interview she shares her passion for and activity in the movements for seed sovereignty and creating a more just food system. Much of her work focuses on the intersectionality of food, culture, and sense of place. There’s so much more than we have space for here, you’ll just have to listen to get to know your new podcast host!

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. We work closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. BCS @bcs_america has select tractors and attachments on sale now through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.
 

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at site.localline.ca/claim-your-offer-growing-for-market

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @pinehurstfarmersmarket

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

In this episode, we talk with Growing for Market Magazine editor and podcast co-host Andrew Mefferd about going from working on farms in six different states, to starting a farm (twice!) before taking over GFM and running it from his farm in Maine. We talk about becoming aware of the imbalances in the current farming system, what it was like traveling around the country working on farms and starting two, and what he learned doing vegetable trials for seven years at Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss using the Qlipr trellising system for cucumbers. We talk about how one of the main advantages of the Qlipr system, in addition to time savings, is the ergonomics- it keeps workers off ladders, and all the work can be done standing up between waist and shoulders, eliminating bending over.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @growingformarketmagazine

Facebook: @growingformarketmagazine

Website: https://growingformarket.com

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

On this week’s podcast we talk with Rowan Steele, farmer, farm advocate, and Manager of the Headwaters Farm Business Incubator Program for the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. Headwaters Farm is located just east of Portland, Oregon. As manager, Rowan supports experienced, conservation-forward farmers get their farm businesses off the ground. On this podcast we’ve interviewed several farmers who got their start via incubator farms, so we’re excited to hear more about how this concept works from someone who helps manage such a program.

The Headwaters Farm Business Incubator Program provides affordable land, infrastructure, and equipment, as well as training and technical assistance to beginning farmers. The goal is to address common barriers, such as access to capital, farm knowledge, networks and markets. The Headwaters Farm is a 60-acre site with irrigated crop land and shared facilities. The conversation covers the five-year program structure, the importance of financial viability, the criteria for selecting program participants, the transition process after graduation, the challenges farmers face today and more.

Connect With Guest:
Website: https://emswcd.org/farm-incubator/headwaters-farm/
Instagram: @emswcd

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Learn what consumers find the most compelling reason to join a CSA, what a CSA guest token is, and how changing weather is making farming more difficult for Megan Larmer and Nicole Scott at the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming. Megan and Nicole are both part of the large team of people supporting the work of Glynwood, a food and farming non-profit located on a 225-acre farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. They have a wide range of programs fulfilling their missions of training farmers and supporting future farmers, providing local food for every table, educating stakeholders to advance regional food, and building producer coalitions. And they do all this work with a guiding value of equity and inclusion.
 

Megan Larmer is the Senior Director of Programs for Glynwood. She leads projects that convene food and farming professionals to execute training, collective efforts, and creative projects that further the development of a regional food system in the Hudson Valley. Primary amongst these are Glynwood's Cider Project, the Hudson Valley CSA Coalition, and the Food Sovereignty Fund.
 

Nicole Scott first joined Glynwood in 2017 as a Livestock Apprentice, then returned in 2019 as the Assistant Livestock Manager and is now the Director of Livestock Operations and Farm Outreach. She is responsible for all aspects of Glynwood’s diversified, certified Animal Welfare Approved livestock operation. In this role she manages herd health and nutritional management of all stock, as well as teaching apprentices how to manage five different species in a pasture-based system. 

Connect With Guest:

Email: info@glynwood.org

Email: @glynwood.org

Website: www.glynwood.org

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America
 

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

In today’s episode, we discuss an innovative farm sale method that keeps the land in farming called a ground lease transfer with Jeremy Barker Plotkin of Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts. Simple Gifts Farm is currently up for sale via a ground lease transfer, and we talk about how this method works. We also discuss his experiences over 17 years at the farm, including several SARE grants, innovative no-till systems, nutrient balancing greenhouse tomatoes to control aphids, and sales growing 6X over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we discuss how to keep mice from eating germinating seeds in the propagation house. Since mice will hoard seeds for winter when they can get them, sometimes poor germination is actually due to mice stealing the seeds, or nipping them off shortly after germination. We discuss methods to keep mice from getting to your seeds while they are germinating in flats.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.simplegiftsfarmcsa.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplegiftsfarmamherst

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplegiftsfarmamherst/

Farm Sale Info: https://newenglandfarmlandfinder.org/property/simple-gifts-farm-farm-business-sale-33-acres-under-long-term-lease-amherst-ma

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Ultracrosses and tropical perennials grown as annuals are just two of the many innovative breeding strategies being used by Chris Smith and the Utopian Seed Project to help make local food systems more resilient in the face of climate change. Based in western North Carolina, they are pioneering unusual breeding strategies that can be used by farmers and breeders anywhere to help develop varieties that can adapt to our changing climate.

Underlying their work is the fact that many vegetable varieties are bred for specific regions, and need a high level of inputs for them to succeed. “The Utopian Seed Project is anticipating a less than utopian future as climate changes threaten crops and growing environments,” as Growing for Market Magazine writer Jane Tanner put it in her story about USP, which is linked below in the show notes. Learn how they are using these unusual breeding strategies, along with classical breeding and selection, and how you can access some of their varieties and use their strategies on your own farm in this fascinating episode.

Here's a link to an article from the Nov/Dec 2023 Growing for Market Magazine about Chris Smith and The Utopian Seed Project

https://growingformarket.com/articles/the-utopian-seed-project

Connect With Guest:

Website: theutopianseedproject.org

Instagram: @utopianseedproject

Facebook: The Utopian Seed Project

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

A-Roo - Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop destination for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 10% discount with code "GFM10" for Growing For Market Podcast listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Bruno Maciel is the third generation managing his family’s flower farm, Florista Lina Farm in Barcelos, Portugal. We hear how his experience working in the flower industry around Europe has guided the changes he is making to the farm, including adding greenhouse production, doing more winter production, dropping unprofitable crops and focusing on quality over quantity. Farmers in North America can learn a lot from Bruno and his data-driven approach to flower farming, and will probably recognize more similarities than differences between flower growing on the west side of the Atlantic and the east.

Bruno also explains how he has used biofumigation with mustards to control soilborne diseases that had been devastating in the past. This method has the advantage not only of controlling diseases without chemicals, but also feeds the soil with organic matter as the mustards are mowed and tilled into the soil to release the biofumigants. For all the details, you can read the article Bruno wrote for the May Growing for Market Magazine, Improving soil quality and treating root pathogens with biofumigation here.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @floristalinafarm

Facebook: @Florista-Lina

Read the article Bruno wrote for the May Growing for Market Magazine, Improving soil quality and treating root pathogens with biofumigation here.
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America
 

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial
 

Erin Benzakein pioneered connecting with people who want to support local farms through social media. In this podcast we talk about how to use your own story to connect with potential customers. Read more in an article she wrote for Growing for Market Magazine called “Become the face of your farm,” linked in the show notes.

We also talk about the years of work that went into breeding the first round of seeds for Floret Originals that were released this winter, including dahlias, celosia and zinnias. We discuss the mechanics of breeding, including converting many of Erin’s hoophouses to net houses, and filling the net houses with flies for pollination. In addition to details about how you can breed and save your own seeds, Erin will be releasing a free seed saving mini-course this summer!

Link to article: Become the face of your farm by Erin Benzakein

https://growingformarket.com/articles/become-the-face-of-your-farm

Connect With Guest:

Email: support@floretflowers.com

Website: https://www.floretflowers.com

Instagram: @floretflower

Facebook: Floret Flower Farm 

YouTube: @floretflowerfarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Johnny's Selected Seeds - Johnny’s Selected Seeds has provided superior seeds, tools, information, and service since 1973. Consider us your trusted growing partner when you need proven varieties you can count on and detailed guidance from seeding to harvest. Turning to Johnny’s means you can plant high-quality, trial-proven varieties with confidence, knowing that our expert staff is ready to help with first-hand knowledge—because we’ve grown them ourselves. We’re here to help you grow good food.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Neptune’s Harvest is a family company that makes organic fertilizers from the by-products of the fishing industry, in Gloucester, MASS. Products from cold, mineral rich, North Atlantic Ocean, contain all the nutrients to make your soil and plants healthy. Available in retail and bulk sizes.

Farmhand - Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Jacqueline Jackson, owner of Mattie's Garden, shares her journey from a successful banking career to establishing an urban farm in Birmingham, Alabama. She and host Katie Kulla discuss how Jacqueline started thinking about growing food instead of banking, and the careful planning that led to her leaving her job and starting her own farm. They also talk about the sustainable growing practices she uses, what a food desert is and how local farming can help reduce food insecurity.

They also discuss the joys and challenges of urban farming, the importance of community engagement, and Jacqueline’s approach to selecting crops based on market needs. The conversation highlights the evolution of her farming operation, soil and growing conditions in Alabama, and the lessons learned from her grandmother about food accessibility and generosity. Mattie’s Garden is named after Jacqueline’s grandmother, who had plenty of strategies for resilience to pass on after growing up as one of eleven children during the great depression.

Connect With Guest:
Instagram: @mattiesgarden
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 15% discount with code "GFM15" for Growing For Market listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.
 

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Adversity is something all farmers will have to overcome at some point in their careers, and on this podcast episode we talk with Anthonie Conner of 4A Market Gardens in Torrington, Wyoming, for a dose of inspiration. Anthonie overcame alcohol addiction, then threw himself into starting his market garden during the pandemic, in addition to holding down an off-farm job as a welder. We talk about perseverance, and how to stay motivated when you have weeds as tall as you are. We also talk strategies for building a farm business in a lightly populated rural area, including working with aggregators and finding ways to stand out at markets.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we discuss why, how and when to broadfork. We talk about how if you’re not tilling (or even if you are!), broadforking can be a great way to aerate the soil with a minimum of disturbance. We talk about why and how to use a broadfork, how much to broadfork, and when you may be able to decrease the amount of broadforking or stop completely.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

FREE Article discussed in the show:

An introduction to Korean Natural Farming

https://growingformarket.com/articles/an-introduction-to-Korean-Natural-Farming

Connect With Guest:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/4A-Market-Gardens-100076359093869

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Pick-your-own is an underused marketing channel for local vegetable and flower farms, one that could be transformative if PYO were implemented on anywhere near the scale of farmers markets or CSAs. Megan Neubauer of Pure Land Farm in McKinney, Texas is here to tell us how, after struggling with farmers markets, she made PYO more profitable and efficient for her farm. She used these experiences to write the book, Pick-Your-Own Farming: Free Yourself from Farmers Markets and Join the Agritourism Revolution. 

Learn how to deal with “customer blight,” why she charges admission, how they choose good PYO crops, and what veg and flower crops those are. It all adds up to making double or triple what they made at farmers markets in just eight weeks of PYO (though of course it takes more than eight weeks of farm work to make that happen).

Megan didn’t start her career in farming — she has a BS in Biology from Boston University and worked for several years in biotech and scientific research. But in 2012, Megan and her father started their farm together using regenerative growing methods on three acres of thornless blackberries and two acres of diversified fruits and vegetables, exclusively marketing their products using agritourism. They offer their local customers a uniquely diverse pick-your-own or u-pick experience, which you can hear about on this week’s Growing for Market Podcast.
 

Connect With Guest:

Read her book: Pick-Your-Own Farming: Free Yourself from Farmers Markets and Join the Agritourism Revolution

Email: megan@purelandorganic.com

Website: www.purelandorganic.com

Facebook: @purelandfarm

Instagram: @purelandfarm

TikTok: @purelandfarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America
 

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Learn how Ben Hartman cut his farm down to 1/3 of an acre from an acre without taking a pay cut on this week’s pod. Ben Hartman is well known for adapting LEAN principles from manufacturing to his farm in order to cut out waste and maximize efficiency; that is the subject of his previous two books, The Lean Farm and The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables. However, even after LEANing up his previous two farms, he found he was working too much at the expense of family, friends and community.

So he and his wife and farming partner Rachel embarked on a quest to radically LEAN up their farm, and that is the story of his new book, The Lean Micro Farm, and this podcast. Hear how, though skeptical at first, he was able to make as much income and support the family off of 1/3 of an acre instead of the one acre they were previously farming, which in itself is a big reduction from the 400 acres his family was farming when he was growing up.

In addition to the ideas underlying efficient micro-farming, this episode is packed with practical information for how to maximize efficiency on a farm of any size, including a simple plan for farm-based fertility, how to find markets for all your produce within a few miles of the farm, quick two-step bed flips, and crops to focus on to maximize income from a small area. Growing for Market Magazine subscribers always get 20% off all books, including The Lean Micro Farm, at growingformarket.com.

Buy One Of Ben Hartman's Books:

Book 1: The Lean Micro Farm (Preorder now- available late Nov 2023)

Book 2: The Lean Farm: Guide to Growing Vegetables

Book 3: The Lean Farm: How to Minimize Waste, Increase Efficiency, and Maximize Value and Profits

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.ClayBottomFarm.com

Instagram: @claybottomfarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS America - BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America. Tractors and Attachments are on sale through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

January 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Johnny's Selected Seeds, and we talk with founder Rob Johnston about the need the company was born from, developing overseas contacts in the early days when there was little variety in the US seed market, and changes and surprises in the seed industry over the years.
 

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

We discuss the years of development went into the Subversive, Neversink Tools’ modernized version of the paperpot transplanter, and we discuss some of the improvements that were engineered into it in this Shop Talk episode.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com
 

Connect With Guest:

Email: robj09500@outlook.com

Website: www.johnnyseeds.com

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

On this week’s podcast, we draw on Lisa’s years of flower farming experience to talk not just about growing flowers, but the business and practical tips needed to grow a profitable flower business. Lisa’s new book, The Cut Flower Handbook, is full of information on the growing side, and in our interview we talk about how to put it all together to sustain the passion with a profitable business. We discuss workhorse flower crops, when to harvest, how to ensure the best vase life, and the practical tips that will build a cut flower business and keep it going.

Over the years, Lisa’s farm, The Gardener’s Workshop, has grown to include online courses, seeds, and flower growing tools and supplies. Lisa is also the author of the books Cool Flowers, Vegetables Love Flowers, and The Cut Flower Handbook. She has been selling cut flowers since 1998, including to Colonial Williamsburg, florists throughout the Hampton Roads region, supermarkets, farmers markets, a members-only on-farm market, and a bouquet drop-off subscription service.

Connect With Guest:

Website: thegardenersworkshop.com

Instagram: @gardenersworkshopfarm

The Cut Flower Handbook

Order the book from Growing for Market- magazine subscribers always get 20% off all the books we sell.

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

For 33 years, Growing for Market Magazine has been the only publication focused solely on news and information for vegetable and flower market farmers. Published ten times a year with articles written by farmers, for farmers, whether you do farmers markets, CSA, farmstand, local wholesaling, or florist sales, subscribe to Growing for Market Magazine to learn from other farmers about growing, marketing, and the business of local farming.

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Hear how Zoe Bradbury DeSurra of Valley Flora Farm balances four different farming enterprises between herself, her sister and her mom on one farm. The farm started in an unorthodox way- with a property trade- and overcame a healthy sense of skepticism about whether its rural Oregon location could support a vegetable farm at all, to become the multi-enterprise, matriarchal farm, where everything from the coolers to the draft horses run on solar power today.

Zoe shares the story of how the farm grew over the years, how the different businesses on the farm split revenue, and how she overcame self-imposed limitations to make her farm what it is today. She discusses with host Katie Kulla how she got interested in and learned to use draft horses for farm work, how they have struggled with and solved labor shortages, and how their markets have evolved over the years. Beginning and experienced farmers alike a lot to learn from the evolution of this unique farm in Southern Oregon.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.valleyflorafarm.com

Instagram: @valley.flora

Facebook: Valley Flora Farm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at the link!

https://www.naturallygrown.org

Organic Vegetable Production Conference - If you’re an experienced vegetable farmer, don’t miss out on the 2024 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 8th year, this conference fills that “expert-level” niche you’re looking for. Farmer presenters share the nitty-gritty details of their production practices and also speak on a wide range of topics - from fertilizer injectors and pest management with beneficials, to seed saving and labor retention.With online sessions on January 25th and 26th and in-person sessions on February 2 and 3 in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at https://tinyurl.com/26285ax5

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at site.localline.ca/claim-your-offer-growing-for-market

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

On this week’s podcast we hear from Virginia Herrera about what it’s like to own the farm she worked on for so many years. After working on Spring Hill Farm in Oregon for 20 years, Virginia got the opportunity to buy the farm when the owner retired, and she christened the operation Eloisa Organic Farm, named after her mother.

Virginia shares her farming journey- she grew up farming in Oaxaca, Mexico, and started working at Spring Hill Organic Farm in Oregon when she moved to the United States. When the owner of Spring Hill retired, he offered Virginia and her husband the opportunity to rent the land and equipment, and Eloisa Organic Farm was born. They grow a wide range of certified organic vegetable crops and sell through their CSA, farmers markets, and wholesale relationships, and talk about some of the growing strategies that make their produce exceptional.

Virginia discusses the surprises and difficulties of being a farm owner and the changes she has made to the farm. She emphasizes the importance of following the laws and regulations of starting a business and saving money to overcome the challenges of obtaining bank loans. She shares their marketing strategies including participating in farmers markets, expanding the CSA program, and differentiating themselves through branding and product variety. Virginia discusses the need for more flexible loans for farmers and the limitations faced by those without social security numbers. She also emphasizes the importance of valuing the work of farmers and appreciating the labor behind the produce.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @eloisaorganicfarm

Email: eloisaorganicfarm@gmail.com

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Rebecca owns Moonshot Farm, a specialty cut flower farm in East Windsor, NJ. She and her husband Mark started the farm in 2019 with big goals of providing sustainably grown flowers year-round — literally 52 weeks of the year. They thought their goals were so lofty that it informed their farm’s name — they are trying to “shoot the moon,” as they say. However, it must be working, because they do in fact grow flowers year-round, including in a geothermal greenhouse, for retail markets in and around New York City.

Rebecca clearly has tons to share with our audience and we were excited to hear about growing flowers, how they are making this work to harvest year-round in their climate, and also her recent shift to quitting her off-farm job so that both she and Mark could work full-time on the farm. Rebecca wrote a great article for the September 2023 Growing for Market about that move, including interviewing many other farmers who have made the same leap. It’s a big decision, and we talk about the successes and challenges she and others have faced.

The link to the article “Making the leap to farming full-time” is available below; Rebecca’s other articles are available in the archive and in back issues for Growing for Market Magazine subscribers.

Free article by Rebecca Kutzer-Rice from Growing for Market Magazine:

Making the leap to farming full-time

Connect With Guest:

Email: info@moonshotfarm.com

Website: www.moonshotfarm.com

Instagram: @moonshot_farm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at the link! www.naturallygrown.org

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Today we hear from Cole Mazariegos-Anastassiou, who is a co-owner-operator of Brisa Ranch along with his wife Veronica and their friend Cristóbal Cruz Hernández. They started Brisa Ranch in 2018 and now grow about 40 different organic crops on 30 acres in Pescadero, California, which is 45 miles from the Bay Area. The sell 90% of their produce directly to businesses and institutions throughout Northern California. They were named California New Farmers of the Year by CAFF (the Community Alliance with Family Farmers) in 2021.

Growing on 30 acres might seem like a big farm to many members our audience, but by California standards, Brisa Ranch is still relatively small. We hear from Cole how Brisa Ranch got their foot in the door in what is a packed California farming landscape and market, and how they’ve shaped their farm through their core values.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.brisaranch.com

Instagram: @brisaranch

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at the link! www.naturallygrown.org

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Vermont Compost Company Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Farming can be very stressful, and as we’ll discuss today there are recent studies that back this up. Chronic farm-related stress can lead to or exacerbate existing mental illnesses, and mental health care is harder to find in the rural areas where many farmers live. This is a huge topic, one that the USDA and others are actively tackling through multiple arms, and in this episode, host Katie Kulla has on two guests who can provide us some specific insight into farm stress, farmer mental illness and resources.

Anne Schwartz is a lifelong farmer. In 1979, she started Blue Heron Farm in Rockport, Washington, where she has grown a wide range of certified organic vegetables and fruits with a focus on berries. She has also served as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for over 40 years.

Our other guest, Rachel Van Boven, has worked as a hotline operator with Farm Aid since 2021. She comes from a long line of farmers and worked on a handful of small farms and completed Viva Farms’ farmer training. She also trained to be a chaplain and completed a Masters in Theology with a focus on food justice and farming. She also coordinates a small community garden growing food for a mutual aid food justice project in Bellingham, Washington. 

In this episode of Shop Talk, we talk about how to get perfectly clean cut greens as quickly as possible without bruising them and compromising shelf life. We discuss how to use a jacuzzi motor to make your own cut greens washer, and then how to move them and dry them efficiently.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. Shop talk is a segment in every episode of the Growing for Market Podcast X Neversink Farm.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: rachel@farmaid.org

Website: www.farmaid.org/resources

Farm Aid Hotline: 1-800-FARM-AID (1-800-327-6243)

Farm Aid Farmer Resource Network: https://www.farmaid.org/our-work/resources-for-farmers/

Crisis Lifeline (24 hours): call or text 988

Crisis Lifeline website: www.988lifeline.org

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Just your typical CIA to honey farmer story on this podcast! Tara Chapman of Two Hives Honey talks with host Katie Kulla  about starting and scaling a honey business, with education and agritourism as important parts of the plan. After a decade of working for The Agency, Tara quit her government job to work for a beekeeper in East Texas, and was inspired to start her own unique honey business.

Two Hives Honey sells raw honey direct to consumers through its online store and a monthly subscription program. They also offer multiple education opportunities through on-site honey tasting, tours, and beekeeper classes. In addition to an interesting story, we learn a lot along the way about pitching an ag business in a tech world, operating a lean business and scaling up only as needed, and incorporating education and agritourism into a farm business model.

Tara also has a lot of insight to share with our listeners on how she built a business out of honey and beekeeping through an innovative combination of farming and marketing. Two Hives Honey has quickly evolved and has grown into a socially conscious business and team that aims to educate their community, provide unique honey and bee experiences, and share why real, raw honey is the best honey!
 

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we discuss how to get the right spacing for different crops with paperpot transplanters is the subject of this episode of Shop Talk. We talk about what spacings are possible with paper chain pots and learn when it is appropriate to use techniques like skipping cells for spacings outside of what is sold off the shelf, to get the right spacing for any crop.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Website: twohiveshoney.com

Instagram: @twohives

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Cole Jones tells us how he went from selling potatoes from local farmers out of his car for chefs to founding Local Line, which now helps thousands of farmers sell food and flowers online. Though Local Line was founded in 2015 as a matchmaking service connecting local farms with chefs, we discuss how the COVID-19 Pandemic accelerated their business overnight as farmers tried to cope with disrupted markets. Cole tells us how most of the farmers who went online during the pandemic have maintained their online storefronts post-pandemic, because selling online has opened up so many more opportunities for local farmers.

We discuss how one of the highest-profile opportunities for local farmers to sell to a large chain exists with Chipotle, who uses Local Line to buy from farmers close to their restaurants. Whether you’re already selling online or thinking about it, this interview is a must-listen for local growers to understand the full range of opportunities for selling to other businesses and directly to consumer. As it has grown, Local Line has developed a wide range of services that are customizable to an individual farm’s needs, including online sales, marketing, and multiple price lists to serve customers from individuals who want local delivery, to grocery stores and restaurants.

Connect With Guest:

Email: info@localline.ca

Website: www.localline.ca

Instagram: @locallineinc

Facebook: Local Line

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. We work closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In case you’re wondering — this sounds cool, but why are we talking about falconry on a farming podcast? That’s part of what we’re going to talk about today, but the short answer is that one of the services Alina and other modern falconers offers is agricultural abatement — that is, using falcons and raptors to protect crops from bird damage. This is something that Oregon’s wine industry is beginning to embrace but there are potential applications for many crops. We’re going to talk about that and more today.

Alina is an Oregon Master Class Falconer and has been flying falconry abatement for 8 years. Her 501(c)(3) PERCH provides public education using raptors to teach about their unique ecology and physiology as well as to financial and logistic support for wildlife rehabilitators. Birds of prey are one of the best ways to guard against birds that can wipe some crops out in a very short amount of time. This interview is a fascinating combination of ecology and psychology, since it’s important to understand both the pest birds and which birds of prey can be most effective against them.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://skyguardianfalconry.com/

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

This week we hear from Sarahlee Lawrence, who runs a full-diet CSA plus events like longtable dinners on the farm she grew up on in the town of Sisters, Oregon. She took the livestock elements her parents pioneered, and added vegetables and more, so they can fill out the menu year-round for their full-diet CSA members and farm-to-table dinner events. Which is all the more impressive due to the fact that the central Oregon high desert climate is not an easy one to grow in, with little precipitation and frost a possibility almost any day of the year.

Sarahlee emphasizes the role of her team and apprentices in managing the diverse operations of the farm, as well as the unique culture that has developed around it. She discusses the challenges and realities of farming in a frequently smoke-affected region, the complexities of navigating regulations for animal products, and the management of dairy production, in addition to many greenhouses of vegetables and field production. She also shares insights into their unique full diet model that emphasizes community engagement and sustainability, as well as the evolution of hosting events on the farm to foster connections through food. In this conversation, Sarahlee discusses the intricacies of managing events on her farm, the importance of creating memorable dining experiences, her journey in writing a book, the challenges posed by climate change, and her deep love for farming.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @rainshadoworganics

Website: rainshadoworganics.com

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and box builder. As a GFM podcast listener, Local Line is offering a free premium feature for one year with your subscription using the coupon code GFM2025 at localline.co.
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.
 

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Today we discuss the Scrum project management framework with certified Scrum Master and recovering farmer Andrea Heim. We elaborate on her article from the May 2022 Growing for Market Magazine, "Increase personal sustainability and productivity on farm teams with Scrum project management." Andrea draws on her experience managing farms to talk about how Scrum can help keep us on track by identifying obstacles standing between us and our goals and how to continuously improve our management so we can strike a work/life balance and hopefully not burn out.

Shop Talk with Neversink Farm - we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how important plant spacing is, so each plant gets the same amount of light and airflow; the pitfalls of some plant spacing systems; and how to simplify planting so seedlings can be transplanted quickly with perfectly even spacing.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com
 

Other Resources:

Here's a great information page that contains a myriad of resources, including the two links below- https://u.osu.edu/agility/resources/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRcReyRYIMg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vt7Ik8Ublw

Connect With Guest:

Email: encouragemint.owner@gmail.com

Instagram: encouragemint.owner

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

We step back and look at the big picture in this wide-ranging conversation with Jean-Martin Fortier, talking about the systemic barriers to local food and farmers and strategies to overcome them. We also talk about Jean-Martin’s many projects, including the recently-released Heirloom farm planning software, and his forthcoming podcast.

We also catch up on his other projects, including the Old Mill farm-to-table restaurant in Quebec, which was named one of the top ten new restaurants in Canada, the Market Gardener Masterclass, Growers and Co. tool and clothing company, and how he works with a team to keep all those plates spinning!

Connect With Guest:

Websites: https://themarketgardener.com/

https://growers.co/

https://heirloom.ag/

https://www.espaceoldmill.com/en/

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Johnny's Selected Seeds - Johnny’s Selected Seeds has provided superior seeds, tools, information, and service since 1973. Consider us your trusted growing partner when you need proven varieties you can count on and detailed guidance from seeding to harvest. Turning to Johnny’s means you can plant high-quality, trial-proven varieties with confidence, knowing that our expert staff is ready to help with first-hand knowledge—because we’ve grown them ourselves. We’re here to help you grow good food.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand - Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM

Neptune’s Harvest is a family company that makes organic fertilizers from the by-products of the fishing industry, in Gloucester, MA. Products from the cold, mineral rich, North Atlantic Ocean contain all the nutrients to make your soil and plants healthy. Available in retail and bulk sizes at neptunesharvest.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

On this week’s pod we talk with Brian Campbell and Crystine Goldberg. They own Uprising Seeds, the Certified Organic, farm-based seed business in Bellingham, WA. Brian and Crystine started as fresh market growers in 2004, growing specialty produce for local restaurants, food coops, and farmers markets. During that time they also started one of the country's first food-stamp based CSA programs. 

Brian and Crystine launched Uprising Seeds in 2007 as a small threefold catalog of primarily farm-grown seeds and eventually transitioned entirely to seeds as their market crop by 2011. Now in their 17th year, they maintain and sell a catalog of over 450 varieties of organic vegetable, flower, and herb seeds, growing on about 5 leased acres of cultivated space and working with a network of about a dozen additional seed growers around the Pacific Northwest. Uprising Seeds’ catalog highlights the capacity of varieties with cultural and culinary significance to create community around food and farming, and their seed work is very much rooted in social justice.

Photo by Shawn Linehan

Connect With Guest:

Website: uprisingorganics.com

Want to give seed saving a try? Here's a link to a GFM article, Wet seed processing and saving

https://growingformarket.com/articles/wet-seed-processing-and-saving

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Neptune’s Harvest is a family company that makes organic fertilizers from the by-products of the fishing industry, in Gloucester, MASS. Products from cold, mineral rich, North Atlantic Ocean, contain all the nutrients to make your soil and plants healthy. Available in retail and bulk sizes.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Johnny's Selected Seeds - Johnny’s Selected Seeds has provided superior seeds, tools, information, and service since 1973. Consider us your trusted growing partner when you need proven varieties you can count on and detailed guidance from seeding to harvest. Turning to Johnny’s means you can plant high-quality, trial-proven varieties with confidence, knowing that our expert staff is ready to help with first-hand knowledge—because we’ve grown them ourselves. We’re here to help you grow good food.

Farmhand - Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM

Give Growing for Market Magazine a try with a FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

We go deep on greenhouse control and automation in this second conversation with Guillaume Lambert. The first time we talked it took us a whole episode to cover the basics, but season extension is so important to market farmers, we decided to have him back to make sure and get to advanced greenhouse growing. We discuss how to use automation to control pests and diseases, how to use automation to conserve heat and save money, and how to use climate control for vegetative/generative steering of vining/fruiting crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant.

Guillaume Lambert is one of the founders of Orisha, a company that is democratizing greenhouse systems control through software that growers can manage from a smartphone or computer. By bringing the cost down and increasing the precision, Orisha is making high-level greenhouse control accessible to smaller growers. In this interview, we discuss how systems including temperature, irrigation, fans, roll-up sides and more can be automated.

Through the use of the Orisha software, more complex goals can be achieved than with human control alone, including humidity, watering in response to solar radiation, optimizing for cloudy days vs. sunny days, and more. Though benefits of computerized automatic climate control include increased production, better crop health, and time savings, we were surprised to find out that the number one benefit Orisha customers report is the peace of mind of not having to worry about their greenhouses. Regardless of what crop you grow, listen to this interview to hear how and why to get the benefits of greenhouse automation.
 

Connect With Guest:

Email: guillaume@orisha.io

Website: orisha.io

Instagram: @orisha_auto
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Vermont Compost Company Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.
 

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

For 33 years, Growing for Market Magazine has been the only publication focused solely on news and information for vegetable and flower market farmers. Published ten times a year with articles written by farmers, for farmers, whether you do farmers markets, CSA, farmstand, local wholesaling, or florist sales, subscribe to Growing for Market Magazine to learn from other farmers about growing, marketing, and the business of local farming.

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Don Tipping stewards over 700 open-pollinated varieties of seeds at Siskiyou Seeds in Oregon, and we discuss the importance of having a bioregionally adapted seed system, and how farmers can get involved in their regional seed system in this week’s podcast. We also talk about Don’s North Star vs. his mission, and how farmers can clarify their goals by understanding the difference between the two.

Siskiyou varieties are selected for resilience to pest and disease pressure, and we discuss how market farmers can decide whether or not seed growing is something they should add to their farms. This is particularly important since, as Don points out, with climate change it’s not only the weather that is changing, but the pests that are active in a given region are changing along with the climate. See the linked article below about dry seed processing and saving if you’re interested in saving your own seeds.

Here's a link to an article from Growing for Market Magazine about dry seed processing and saving

https://growingformarket.com/articles/dry-seed-processing-and-saving

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.siskiyouseeds.com

Instagram: @siskiyouseeds
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.
 

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.
 

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

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Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Bevin Cohen of Small House Farm shares his unexpected journey into seed production, the importance of rare and unusual seeds, and some of the unusual value-added products they take to market, including seed oils and apothecary products. The discussion with host April Parms Jones highlights the connection between seeds and community, the significance of regionally adapted seeds, and the value of growing unusual varieties. He also talks about the significance of seed saving for his farm, the cultivation of local food, and the journey of producing sunflower oil.

Bevin emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature and the community through food and herbal products. The discussion also covers the creation of herbal remedies and the value of understanding seasonal herbs. You can read more about it in Bevin’s brand new book, Herbs in Every Season!

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @small_house_farm
Website: smallhousefarm.com
Bevin's new book: Herbs in Every Season

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and box builder. As a GFM podcast listener, Local Line is offering a free premium feature for one year with your subscription using the coupon code GFM2025 at localline.co.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

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Pete Russell used his experience in the food industry to design Ooooby, a sales platform for farmers to sell directly to the public. Their goal is to put local, ecologically sound growers back at the heart of the food system. Ooooby integrates all the apps one would use to build an online farm store into their software to simplify the process for farmers and offer a seamless experience for the customer.

The platform has been available in Australia, New Zealand and the UK and is now becoming available in North America. One of the ways they keep the platform true to its values is by steward ownership- where the people who work for the company and the users all have buy-in. Learn how it works in this week’s podcast interview!

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.ooooby.com

Instagram: @oooobyhq

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

There are a lot of farm sales platforms out there, but there’s only one that’s cooperatively owned by farmers. That’s GrownBy — your all-in-one solution to simplify farm sales. From start-up market farms to complex and scaled-up CSAs, GrownBy makes online farm sales easy and affordable; setting up your shop is free, and you only pay when you sell. Join over 900 farms who have already signed up for GrownBy, and you’re eligible to join the co-op and become a member-owner after your first sale. Visit grownby.com to get started.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

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On this week’s podcast we talk with with Addie Candib, who oversees American Farmland Trust’s programs and policy advocacy in the Pacific Northwest. You might be familiar with American Farmland Trust from their “No Farms No Food” message that shows up on bumper stickers throughout rural America. But their work is much bigger than just that campaign, as we will learn from Addie.

In addition to their other projects, American Farmland Trust has protected in perpetuity over 6.8 million acres of farmland and ranchland using agricultural conservation easements. Addie explains how conservation easements work and ways farmers can preserve their own farmland or gain access to preserved land. Along the way we cover topics such as diverse as intergenerational land transfer, policy advocacy, and the challenges farmers face today, including climate change and the emotional toll it takes, emphasizing the importance of community, resilience, and addressing the social and emotional aspects of farming in the face of climate change.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://farmland.org

Instagram: @americanfarmlandtrust

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

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Dan Brisebois has over 20 years of market farming and seed growing experience as a founding member of Tourne-Sol Cooperative farm in Quebec, Canada. In this interview and discussion of his new book, The Seed Farmer, we hear how his interest in seed growing goes all the way back to the beginning of his farming career. Now, he can tell us from experience what it’s like to grow many seed crops, since roughly half of the farm income derives from seed sales, with the other half coming from a 500-member CSA.

This interview and Dan’s book cover the practicalities of how to grow a seed crop, whether for your own use or for sale. Topics covered include choosing a crop, pollination, isolation distances, inbreeders vs outcrossers, harvest and processing for good germination, storage and more! This interview gives an overview of the differences between growing for a crop of fresh vegetables vs. for seed. For the nitty-gritty details, order The Seed Farmer, which is now shipping from Growing for Market; magazine subscribers always get 20% off all books, including The Seed Farmer. Dan is also the author of the book Crop Planning for Vegetable Growers and founder of the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy that offers courses in farm planning, including a seed farmer mentorship.

Connect With Guest:

Dan’s book The Seed Farmer: https://growingformarket.com/store/products/262

Website: https://www.fermetournesol.qc.ca/en

Farmer spreadsheet academy: http://spreadsheet.farm/bcp

Instagram: @danbrisebois.farm

Instagram: @fermetournesol

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

There are a lot of farm sales platforms out there, but there’s only one that’s cooperatively owned by farmers. That’s GrownBy — your all-in-one solution to simplify farm sales. From start-up market farms to complex and scaled-up CSAs, GrownBy makes online farm sales easy and affordable; setting up your shop is free, and you only pay when you sell. Join over 900 farms who have already signed up for GrownBy, and you’re eligible to join the co-op and become a member-owner after your first sale. Visit grownby.com to get started.

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 seed starter pre-sale for the best prices of the season at tilthsoil.com/gfm.

PanAmerican Seed brings to market novel, high-quality vegetables for the fresh market grower and hobby farmer. This year, to help make choices for vegetable programs easier, we’ve grouped our assortment into four categories where these edible favorites perform their best. Look for our easy-to-identify symbols in our latest brochure! Visit panamseed.com/vegetables to learn more and find a seed supplier today.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com. 

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Despite growing up farming, Jenny Marks didn’t think she could make a living at it. So she worked in agriculture supporting other farmers, where she learned more about the business of farming; that led her to start her own Trademarks Flower Farm in New York State. Now, in addition to her own farm, she teaches the business of flower farming to other growers with her business Trademark Farmer. She’s doing a free masterclass the first week of January, for more info go to her website trademarkfarmer.com.

In this interview with host and fellow flower farmer Rebecca Kutzer-Rice, Jenny discusses the importance of focusing on a few key crops, and the strategies she employs to maximize efficiency and profitability. Jenny also delves into the structure of her flower CSA, the significance of partnerships with local businesses, and her approach to dahlia tuber sales. Jenny also goes into the business aspects of flower farming, including budgeting and marketing strategies, while offering advice on how to succeed in the industry.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://www.trademarksflowers.com

Instagram: @trademarkfarmer

Free article mentioned in interview: Managing gray mold in cut flowers

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

There are a lot of farm sales platforms out there, but there’s only one that’s cooperatively owned by farmers. That’s GrownBy — your all-in-one solution to simplify farm sales. From start-up market farms to complex and scaled-up CSAs, GrownBy makes online farm sales easy and affordable; setting up your shop is free, and you only pay when you sell. Join over 900 farms who have already signed up for GrownBy, and you’re eligible to join the co-op and become a member-owner after your first sale. Visit grownby.com to get started.
 

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 seed starter pre-sale for the best prices of the season at tilthsoil.com/gfm.

PanAmerican Seed brings to market novel, high-quality vegetables for the fresh market grower and hobby farmer. This year, to help make choices for vegetable programs easier, we’ve grouped our assortment into four categories where these edible favorites perform their best. Look for our easy-to-identify symbols in our latest brochure! Visit panamseed.com/vegetables to learn more and find a seed supplier today.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

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This conversation is an elaboration on Gretel's article "Demystifying the H-2A program" from Growing for Market Magazine, which is available to read for free on the website (see link in the show notes below). The H-2A "guestworker" visa is a program of the US government so farmers can hire workers from other countries to fill temporary/seasonal positions on farms when local workers aren't available. In this interview, Gretel and Steve talk about how the H-2A program has worked on their flower farm, where approximately a third of their 24 person crew was H-2A workers this past year. They talk about who the program is for, how to enroll, whether to do the paperwork yourself or hire someone to do it for you, and the benefits, commitments and responsibilities of having H-2A workers.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how and when ranunculus is planted on Neversink Farm, and why it is such an important crop for one of the biggest days for cut flower sales- Mother’s Day.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

GFM Articles Mentioned:

Demystifying the H-2A program

Early season income with ranunculus and anemones

Connect With Guest:

Facebook: Sunny Meadows Flower Farm

Instagram: @sunnymeadowsflowerfarm

Instagram: @flowerfarmette

Instagram: @flowerfarmer

Website: www.sunnymeadowsflowerfarm.com

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Virtual assistants have been around for a while in fields like business and marketing, but until recently there hasn’t been a VA built specifically for farmers. Farmhand changed that, with a combination of automations and a team of humans streamlining operations and doing many of the things a back-office staff would do for farmers.

We were curious how farmers were using Farmhand, so we invited back Ari Memar, founder and CEO of Farmhand, along with Carolyn Givens of Something Good Organics and Melanie Cunningham of Shakefork Community Farm, to hear how they are using Farmhand on their farms. Carolyn and Melanie tell us how Farmhand has made an impact, from CSA management to customer communications, web design, help with newsletters and more. In addition to getting more done with less of the farmer’s time, Carolyn and Melanie tell us how ultimately Farmhand helps them build stronger customer relationships so they have more time to focus on growing exceptional produce.

Melanie Cunningham runs Shakefork Community Farm in Humboldt County, California. Carolyn Givens runs Something Good Organics in Santa Barbara County, California. Ari Memar is the founder and CEO of Farmhand; for more on Ari and Farmhand, listen to the Growing for Market Podcast episode #74 “Building a virtual assistant for market farms with Ari Memar of Farmhand.”
 

Connect With Guests:

Email: hello@gofarmhand.com

Website: https://www.farmhand.partners/gfm

Instagram: @gofarmhand

@somethinggoodorganics

@shakeforkcommunityfarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers.Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Corinna Bench learned digital marketing by doing the marketing for her family’s farm, Shared Legacy Farms. They grow certified organic vegetables for a 400-member CSA in Ohio, and Corinna offers classes and coaching for farm marketing through MyDigitalFarmer. Whether your goal is to get more people to your market stand or sell out your CSA by the New Year, don’t underestimate the importance of marketing to grow your business! In this interview, we talk about what she has learned from running her own farm’s marketing campaigns.

Corinna tells us how to identify products ripe for a promotion, plan around important dates, set revenue goals, and create marketing peaks to maximize sales. The discussion also covers nurturing customer relationships through engaging content and using lead magnets to attract and retain customers. Since this is the first episode of the new year, Corinna tells us how to plan out a promotion calendar for the whole year. Corinna offers marketing classes and coaching at mydigitalfarmer.com.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://mydigitalfarmer.com

Instagram: @mydigitalfarmer

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Since 1972 Ohio Earth Food has been the go-to source for soil testing, consulting as well as the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. All approved for use on organic farms. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant. Learn more at ohioearthfood.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

If you're an experienced vegetable farmer, don't miss out on the 2025 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 9th year, this conference fills that "expert-level" niche you're looking for. With online sessions on January 23rd and 24th for only $75 and in-person sessions on January 31 and February 1, in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at bit.ly/ovpc-2025.

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With thousands of farmers dealing with the uncertainty of the federal funding freeze, we wanted to hear from farmer Gale Livingstone about how the freeze has affected her farm, and some strategies she’s employed to deal with the disruption. She’s been able to leverage her CSA network and extended farm family through her farm store and email newsletter which are managed by Farmhand. Ari Memar, founder and CEO of Farmhand, tells us about how the Farmhand network has been able to help farmers deal with all kinds of disruptions, from the funding freeze to natural disasters.

Gale tells us about how her CSA network stepped in and donated funds to cover some of the shortfall created by the uncertainty. We also hear how people in her community created a new CSA “porch pickup” location with at least 17 new members after hearing the story of how her farm was affected. Ari explains how keeping in contact with CSA members on a regular basis can help them feel more connected to the farm, so they are more likely to want to help out in difficult times. We also hear about how Gale is launching a seedling sale for the first time through her Farmhand store to help with spring cashflow.

Connect With Guest:
Instagram: @deeprootsfarm
Website: deeprootsfarm.us
 

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.

Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 15% discount with code "GFM15" for Growing For Market listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and box builder. As a GFM podcast listener, Local Line is offering a free premium feature for one year with your subscription using the coupon code GFM2025 at localline.co.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

REKO rings gained popularity during the pandemic as a way to keep selling direct to the public when markets were shut down. One of the obstacles to more widespread adoption of the REKO system- reliance on closed Facebook groups to communicate with customers- has been eliminated by Tyler Taggart and REKO Hub. They have developed software to facilitate REKO rings without using Facebook, plus the software is free for producers to use. Instead of charging producers, a small fee is charged to customers when they place an order through REKO Hub.

In case you aren’t already familiar with REKO rings, REKO took the farmers market model and moved the advertising and ordering to a closed Facebook group. Rings correspond to producers in a given geographic area, so during the pandemic, growers from a farmers market that was shut down might have started their own REKO ring to duplicate the farmers market, but in a prepaid format. Buyers perused grower offers and placed orders through the Facebook group, the transactions took place online, and the group of producers in any given REKO ring show up at a predetermined place and time to deliver the pre-ordered goods (think of it like a pre-order farmers market).

For more on the REKO model, click here to read the article from Growing for Market Magazine about REKO rings. And to hear more about how REKO Hub has taken much of the friction out of the REKO model for producers and customers, listen to our interview with Tyler Taggart! We talk about how the model is paid for by customer fees, how making a product posting is as simple as making a social media post, and how REKO Hub can help customers find local food and flower growers.

Here's a link to the GFM article about REKO rings mentioned in the podcast-

Reko Ring: A new way to pre-sell online

https://growingformarket.com/articles/reko-ring-new-way-presell-online

Connect With Guest:

Email: tylert@thefoodapp.org

Website: www.RekoHub.com

www.RekoNow.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TylerTaggart1

Text: 801.404.4307

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Johnny's Selected Seeds - Johnny’s Selected Seeds has provided superior seeds, tools, information, and service since 1973. Consider us your trusted growing partner when you need proven varieties you can count on and detailed guidance from seeding to harvest. Turning to Johnny’s means you can plant high-quality, trial-proven varieties with confidence, knowing that our expert staff is ready to help with first-hand knowledge—because we’ve grown them ourselves. We’re here to help you grow good food.
 

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Farmhand - Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM
 

Neptune’s Harvest is a family company that makes organic fertilizers from the by-products of the fishing industry, in Gloucester, MA. Products from the cold, mineral rich, North Atlantic Ocean contain all the nutrients to make your soil and plants healthy. Available in retail and bulk sizes at neptunesharvest.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Kristin Graves shares her journey as a fifth-generation farmer in Alberta, focusing on her passion for garlic and the importance of female representation in farming. She discusses her transition from a career in healthcare to farming, growing garlic and other crops in Alberta, and her new book, 'The Garlic Companion,' which combines growing advice with recipes. Kristin emphasizes the significance of embracing femininity in farming and the supportive environment she has experienced, while also addressing the pushback she faces as a female farmer.

Kristin also shares her extensive knowledge and experience in garlic farming, covering everything from the harvesting process to innovative planting techniques, weed and pest management, and marketing strategies. She points out the importance of adapting to challenges in agriculture, such as weather conditions and market demands, while also discussing the role of social media in connecting with customers and promoting her products. She also discusses the sustainability and conservation goals of her family farm, and the economic challenges faced by farmers today, emphasizing the value of local food systems and the potential for a resurgence in gardening and local food purchasing as consumers navigate financial uncertainties.

Connect With Guest:
Instagram: @fifthgengardens
Website: fifthgengardens.ca
Book: The Garlic Companion
 

Podcast Sponsors: Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Farmhand is the all-in-one virtual assistant created for CSA farmers. With five-star member support, custom websites, shop management, and seamless billing, Farmhand makes it effortless to market, manage, and grow a thriving CSA. Learn more and set up a demo with the founder at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Harnois has been pioneering greenhouse design since 1965, working with farmers across North America to deliver turnkey greenhouse solutions. Designed to withstand high snow and wind loads, their greenhouses optimize brightness, boost yields, and offer a rapid ROI. And in 2025, they’re introducing a new tunnel starting at just $2 per square foot- and as a GFM listener, you’ll receive an exclusive 5% discount on all new structures at Harnois.com.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and box builder. As a GFM podcast listener, Local Line is offering a free premium feature for one year with your subscription using the coupon code GFM2025 at localline.co.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Romondo Woods of the Urban Youth Agriculture Farm in Detroit, Michigan, tells us about how he is producing food for the city, while at the same time giving children hands-on experiences at the farm. Romondo started the farm a decade ago and has been scaling up ever since in order to make it a growing source of produce for the city. In addition to letting kids know where their food comes from, they are helping make Detroit a leading example of how cities can implement natural farming practices that make the city a healthier place for people to live.

Romondo was interviewed by host April Parms Jones while he was attending the 2024 Slow Food Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy, where he was serving as a delegate for Slow Food USA. Romondo recently got certified as a produce safety teacher so he can help train other farmers in how to keep their produce safe through postharvest handling as they expand their farms. Lots of ideas and inspiration in this podcast for both how to run the educational as well as the food production aspects of a farm!

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://uyadetroit.com

Instagram: @u.y.a.detroit

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Nobody gets into farming for the spreadsheets, however almost no one will stay in business if they don’t get good with the business of running a farm. Even with farm businesses we are passionate about, it’s important to do more than just survive from year to year. The difference between gardening and farming is making a profit, and that’s necessary to pay everyone including the farmer, plan for retirement, and have a little extra for a “rainy day,” like when the tractor breaks down, someone gets injured, or the farm needs to grow.

Luckily, we have Julia Shanks to help us plan for our farms to be profitable businesses. She has used her background in the food industry and accounting to help hundreds of farmers make sense of their numbers. On this week’s pod, we pick up on the trends she has noticed over the years and talk about important ways to understand farm business metrics, like calculating the breakeven point, figuring out cost of production, profit per hour, whether growth or specialization is the right strategy for profitability, and more! We cover everything from pivoting, to the entrepreneurial mindset, to how to get excited about digging into your numbers, even when you aren’t.

Buy one of Julia's books:

The Farmer's Office

https://growingformarket.com/store/products/177

Read Julia's article that was discussed in the pod, "The magic of breakeven and how it can help set sales goals," in Growing for Market Magazine:

https://growingformarket.com/articles/the-magic-breakeven-and-how-it-can-help-set-sales-goals

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.juliashanks.com

Website: www.thefarmersoffice.com

GFM Podcast listeners can get a discount on Julia's farm business course starting December 4, The Farmer's Edge:

https://juliashanks.com/thefarmersedge/
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Hear how “The Ecological Farm” author/farmer Helen Atthowe developed a minimalist no-till, no-spray, grow-your-own fertilizer method over decades of research and application on her own farms. Helen has been applying and refining the principles of soil, plant, and whole farm ecosystem health for decades, and we’re glad she finally wrote it all down in one place!

This interview is of personal interest for interviewer Andrew Mefferd, as he had the pleasure of visiting her Woodleaf Farm in California 20 years ago when he was a farm apprentice. For farmers who aspire to “close the circle” and stop relying on off-farm inputs, this conversation has a lot of ideas for how growers can farm more self-sufficiently, as well as ecologically. It is also a realistic book, acknowledging that developing an ecological farm may in many cases take years of development; in the meantime there are recommendations for interventions for pests, diseases and other problems so growers can stay in business until ecosystem-based solutions are fully functioning.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we discuss methods and timing for stale seedbedding. Stale seedbedding is a technique to intentionally let weeds germinate before a crop has emerged, in order to eliminate them using quick methods like flame weeding or blind cultivation without risk of damaging the crop. Though stale seedbedding can be done multiple times over the course of a season, we discuss a simple method for knowing when to time your last weeding pass just before the crop emerges, to reduce competition as much as possible.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Order The Ecological Farm book- GFM magazine subscribers always get 20% off books:

https://growingformarket.com/store/products/246

Connect With Guest:

Website 1: http://woodleaffarm.org/

Website 2: http://veganicpermaculture.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AgrarianDreams/videos

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

We’re so excited to be welcoming Rebecca Kutzer-Rice to the podcast team as one of our co-hosts, we wanted to make sure and record an episode to properly introduce everyone to her! Growing for Market Magazine readers will recognize Rebecca from her articles in the mag, including many about flower growing written from her experience running Moonshot Farm, a specialty cut flower farm in East Windsor, NJ. She grows flowers year-round including in a geothermal greenhouse, for retail markets in and around NYC.

She has also written about topics as varied as cybersecurity, tillage vs. no-till, farm profitability and more. Her article from the magazine, “Eleven things we did to make our farm profitable (finally)” is linked below. Podcast listeners will remember her from episode 50 where she talked about quitting her job to grow flowers full-time, which is also linked below. In this interview, she and host Katie Kulla discuss her farm’s markets, how other growers can find grants like the ones that have helped Rebecca grow her farm, how they are making use of the H-2A guestworker program to meet farm labor needs, and more!

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.moonshotfarm.com

Instagram: @moonshot_farm

Rebecca’s previous GFM pod appearance:

Quitting your job to grow flowers 52 weeks of the year

One of Rebecca’s articles from Growing for Market Magazine:

Eleven things we did to make our farm profitable (finally)

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Eli Wheat is both a farmer and a teacher, splitting his time between SkyRoot Farm on Whidbey Island, WA and teaching at the University of Washington. On this week’s podcast, we get to hear how he balances both, taking the ferry back and forth between the island and the city, and how different the University of Washington urban farm is from his farm! We love this interview where Eli and host Katie Kulla talk about how working with new people has shrunk the farm’s footprint to roughly half of what it was without reducing revenue, how going no-till has changed the farm, innovative ways to market your produce, what an amazing place Whidbey Island is to farm, and more!

Connect With Guest:

Email: wheat@skyrootfarm.com

Facebook: SkyRoot Farm

Instagram: @skyroot_farmers

Website: http://www.skyrootfarm.com/

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Josh Volk talks about how his background in mechanical engineering led him to Silicon Valley, and then a valley over to where the vegetables and flowers are to lend his talents to DIY tools and farm design. He talks about the experimental elementary school where he got his start making things, and how he has applied the ideas to his own farm, Cully Neighborhood Farm in Portland, OR, and his two books: Compact Farms and Build Your Own Farm Tools. Josh is one of the most frequent contributors to Growing for Market since the magazine's inception in 1992, with many bylines on the subject of farm design, tools and planning.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss the three types of irrigation Conor uses on Neversink Farm, and when to use sprinkler vs drip vs hand watering.
 

Thanks to Neversink Farm, our collaborator on this podcast. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.neversinktools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: josh@slowhandfarm.com

Website: slowhandfarm.com

Instagram: @slowhandfarm

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

The good news is that local farms are reaching more customers than ever through their websites, email, text messaging, search engine optimization and more. The rub is that most small farmers already wear so many hats, it’s unlikely they’re making the most of all those platforms for finding and communicating with customers. That’s why founder and CEO Ari Memar created Farmhand- so their team can handle the digital side of the business, and you can stay outstanding in your field.

With his background in tech, Ari knew the potential these new technologies could have to elevate local farms and how to maximize it. But from his hobby farm in California and seeing the farms around him, it was clear most market farms were not getting the most out of these new technologies. Which is why Ari created Farmhand- to take care of the digital side of the business for farmers. Hear how Farmhand can streamline operations for farmers with website design, SEO, email newsletters, text messaging, CSA management, communications with wholesalers, and more in this week’s interview with host April Parms Jones.
 

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @gofarmhand

Website: gofarmhand.com

Email: hello@gofarmhand.com
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. We work closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Dr. Surendra Dara brings over 25 years of experience to his work as an Oregon State University professor and director of NWREC, the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, Oregon. In this podcast, we talk about integrated pest management (IPM) tactics growers can use to keep pests and diseases in check without getting to the point of spraying, even if the sprays are organic. We discuss controls as diverse as physical barriers, irrigation, nutrient management, biostimulants, biological soil amendments and more to develop sustainable agricultural solutions.

Before moving to Oregon, he was based in California where he worked with strawberry and vegetable growers. Throughout his career, he has worked on numerous invasive and endemic species of arthropods and plant pathogens. His research and extension covered commodities such as alfalfa, cassava, cotton, small fruits, and vegetables serving agricultural communities locally, regionally, and internationally. Dr. Dara has authored/co-authored more than 400 scientific and extension articles, which include three co-edited books, four co-edited special issues of journals, 25 book chapters, and more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has extensive international outreach experience training farmers in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, and Zimbabwe.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surendra-dara-7529778

Website: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/users/surendra-dara

Website: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/people/surendra-dara

Website: https://ucanr.edu/JEB

Website: https://ucanr.edu/PestNews

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

If you’re an experienced vegetable farmer, don’t miss out on the 2024 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 8th year, this conference fills that “expert-level” niche you’re looking for. Farmer presenters share the nitty-gritty details of their production practices and also speak on a wide range of topics - from fertilizer injectors and pest management with beneficials, to seed saving and labor retention.With online sessions on January 25th and 26th and in-person sessions on February 2 and 3 in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at https://dane.extension.wisc.edu/organic-vegetable-production-conference/#link

Certified Naturally Grown - Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) offers peer-review certification to ecological farmers and beekeepers producing food, flowers, and fiber for their local communities. Demonstrate your commitment to sustainable growing practices with a certification that fits your farm’s scale, budget, and community values. Learn more and apply at naturallygrown.org.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. BCS has select tractors and attachments on sale now through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer - Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

Vermont Compost Company - Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

This week we hear from Graham Christensen about the wide range of regenerative practices he’s using on his family’s farm in Nebraska. Graham and host April Parms Jones discuss the importance of ecological farming practices for profitability as well as sustainability, the legacy of family farming, and the methods he is implementing on his family’s 800-acre farm that was founded in 1867. He shares insights on keeping farms in the family, the challenges faced by farmers today, and the work being done through Regenerate Nebraska to build community connections and advocate for sustainable food systems.

They also touch on the importance of global collaboration in regenerative agriculture, emphasizing the need for farmers to connect directly with consumers. They explore the role of solar energy in enhancing food security and the significance of organizations like the Nebraska Farmers Union in empowering farmers, as well as Graham’s businesses GC Resolve and GC ReVolt. GC Resolve was founded in 2015 and is a consulting and communications company focused on environmental and equity issues. Key issues for GC Resolve include regenerative agriculture, agriculture competition and concentration, agricultural market development, rural socio-economic trends and pressures, agricultural workforce inequality, intergenerational land transition, biologicals vs biotech, water and air quality, and living soil. GC ReVOLT is a solar and alternative energy development company designed to both educate the public about alternative energy and develop renewable energy projects in and around Nebraska.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @grahamchristensen11

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop shop for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 15% discount with code "GFM15" for Growing For Market listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

How does one go from Shakespearian acting to starting a company making regeneratively-grown heirloom-grain pancake mixes? Well, it involves an appearance on Shark Tank, eating pancakes five times a week for years, the pandemic, and so much more than we have room for here. 

Listen to this episode for some great ideas on how to build a local foods brand, why they use popped popcorn for their pancake mixes and how they gauge customer demand in order to get their products into new stores, in this interview with host April Parms Jones.

Connect With Guest:
Website: https://longtablepancakes.com
Instagram: @longtablepancakes
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.
 

Since 1972 Ohio Earth Food has been the go-to source for soil testing, consulting as well as the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. All approved for use on organic farms. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant. Learn more at ohioearthfood.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.
 

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Fish fertilizer is one of the oldest natural fertilizers out there. On this week’s podcast, hear how it’s made, and what sets hydrolyzed fish fertilizer apart from fish emulsion. Ann Molloy of Neptune’s Harvest in Gloucester, Massachusetts, tells us how her dad realized waste from the fishing industry that was being thrown away could be made into natural fertilizer.

We also talk about best practices with fish fertilizer, how to apply it and how to get the most out of fish fertilizer. Understanding the manufacturing process explains why fish hydrolysate, which is stabilized with an organically-approved nutrient that plants need, doesn’t smell as bad as fish emulsion, until you mix it with water. Which is why you have to use what you mix with water within a few hours, otherwise it will start to smell like fish again!

Connect With Guest:

Email: ann@neptunesharvest.com

Website: https://www.neptunesharvest.com/

Instagram: @neptunesharvest

Facebook: Neptune's Harvest

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

A-Roo- Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop destination for customizable and eco-friendly packaging across various industries, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 10% discount with code "GFM10" for Growing For Market Podcast listeners. When it comes to quality and innovation, A-ROO Company is the name you can trust.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.
 

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In today’s episode, the second of two talking with Growing for Market Magazine editor and podcast co-host Andrew Mefferd, we discuss what he learned from his own farm, and the “green greenhouse” project he was preparing for before taking over GFM. We talk about mistakes made while trying to do too much as a young farmer, why he decided to take over Growing for Market from founder Lynn Byczynski, and why we have to be deliberate as we steward our farms into the future.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. 

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to ensure good germination when starting seeds in flats. Even though the factors for good germination are simple- heat and moisture- just one day with the wrong conditions can throw off the whole process. We talk about how a germinator can ensure good germination every time.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @growingformarketmagazine

Facebook: @growingformarketmagazine

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Today we talk with Charley Jordan about making the move from the military into farming. Charley is the owner/operator of Jordan Farms, in Indian Mound, Tennessee. After serving nearly 30 years in the Army, flying Chinook helicopters with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Charley retired in 2017 and found a new mission in agriculture and has devoted himself to helping other veterans and beginning farmers find their purpose in agriculture. Charley was also in the inaugural cohort of a horticulture therapy certificate program launched at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Jordan Farms specializes in fresh-cut flowers, forest-grown mushrooms, and other farm-fresh products. Charley is a nationally featured advocate for veterans transitioning to agriculture and the mental health benefits of therapeutic horticulture. We think it would be great if we had more farmers in more communities; and at the same time, with over a million people in the active-duty military, when they decide to leave the military, veterans are an important demographic that could contribute to the numbers of farmers.
 

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss soil blocks, what makes them such a good medium for seedlings, their difficulties, and the alternatives with the same benefits and fewer drawbacks, such as Winstrip trays and paper chain pots.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Internet search: Charley Jordan Veteran Farmer

Website: www.jordanfarmstn.com

Instagram: @jordanfarmstn

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In this conversation, host Rebecca Kutzer-Rice speaks with Matt Dell, co-owner of Treadlight Farm, about their journey into organic flower farming, the transition from retail to wholesale, and the unique challenges and strategies involved in scaling their business. Treadlight Farm focuses on uncommon flower varieties, and Matt discusses how they built relationships with wholesalers, and the techniques they use to manage production effectively. This covers quite a transition since Treadlight Farm started with hand tools and a small greenhouse, and they now manage about 20 acres with a number of greenhouses.

Matt talks about how being certified organic affects their production, the importance of sustainable practices, and the role of native plants in horticulture. He explains the mechanics of organic certification, and shares practical tips for small and mid-sized farmers and, as he puts it, making a name for themselves by “growing weird stuff that you can’t find anywhere else.” The discussion highlights the environmental impact of flower farming and the potential for a shift towards organic ornamental plants.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://www.treadlight-farm.com

Instagram: @treadlightfarm

Link to free article about starting lisianthus from seed, by host Rebecca Kutzer-Rice, that was mentioned in the episode

https://growingformarket.com/articles/planning-and-starting-lisianthus-from-seed

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

If you're an experienced vegetable farmer, don't miss out on the 2025 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 9th year, this conference fills that "expert-level" niche you're looking for. With online sessions on January 23rd and 24th for only $75 and in-person sessions on January 31 and February 1, in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at bit.ly/ovpc-2025

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

How farmers can integrate solar panels with growing crops, so they can effectively harvest the sun in two different ways, is the subject of this week’s podcast with Elise Couillard and host April Parms Jones. 

They explore the benefits of solar for farmers, including financial savings, sustainability, and the ability to create microclimates that may improve the growth of certain crops. Elise shares her journey into the solar industry, the importance of tailoring solar solutions to individual needs, and the economic advantages of solar energy. The discussion also highlights the significance of community support and collaboration in adopting solar technology, as well as the integration of minimalistic living with solar energy.

Elise is a consultant focusing on renewable energy, agrivoltaics and sustainability and the treasurer and a board member of the Couillard Solar Foundation. She uses her degree in behavioral ecology and past experiences in environmental science to inform her work advising conservation organizations about how to incorporate solar energy and energy efficiency into their operations. Elise advises clients on planning, designing, financing, and monitoring solar projects, especially nonprofit projects. 

Elise holds a Masters in Biology and a PhotoVoltaic (PV) Associate Certificate from NABCEP. In addition to her consulting work, Elise takes on grant writing services and has won, oftentimes as part of a team, over $800,000 in grants for clients. Elise lives in a tiny house and is an advocate for minimalistic and sustainable living.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://couillardsolarfoundation.org

Instagram: @couillardsolar
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Since 1972 Ohio Earth Food has been the go-to source for soil testing, consulting as well as the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. All approved for use on organic farms. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant. Learn more at ohioearthfood.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

We cover a lot of ground in this interview, including how Sarah and Tom decided to leave their careers to start a flower farm, how Grateful Gardeners is the only cut flower farm we know of to be incorporating aquaponics, and what the heck aquaponics even is. We talk about the ups and downs of raising money from investors to help establish a farm- and how this is routine in Silicon Valley but in farming, not so much. We discuss how outside investment could accelerate the development of local farms; however one of the barriers to attracting investors to farming is that the returns are not typically as high as from the tech sector. So investors have to have a desire to help advance regenerative farming in addition to the capital to get investment to work in farming.

We also talk about how the Grateful Gardeners’ business and markets have changed as their farm has grown, and their work to incorporate aquaponics into the farm. Aquaponics is a soilless growing system, where the fertility is provided by fish living in tanks connected to the water for the plants. Instead of adding fertilizer, the fish provide the fertility through their natural biological processes moderated by bacteria that naturally occur in the environment, though there is an art and a science to managing the system. Hear all about it on this week’s pod!

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.gratefulgardeners.co

www.floraponics.co

Instagram: @grateful_gardeners

Facebook: Grateful Gardeners

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Ball Seed and Ball ColorLink are your complete source for quality cut-flower seeds, plugs, liners, and bulbs. Ball works closely with the world's top breeders to bring you a wide selection of all the best genetics in the top-selling classes. Connect with Ball Seed today at ballseed.com/cutflowers or call 800-879-BALL.

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Farming can take a toll on the body, and this week’s podcast guest Cynthia Flores founded Labor-Movement to help farmers stay healthy through many seasons of farming. That’s because after 20 years of farming herself, she has felt the toll it takes on the body, and decided to do something about it! As a certified personal trainer and licensed massage therapist, we have a lot to learn from her about how to stay healthy through seasons of farming, including how to move to reduce injuries, how to recover from injuries, and how to get stronger in the off-season. Podcast host Katie Kulla and Cynthia discuss common farm injuries, ways to make our bodies more resilient, and farm systems and equipment to reduce injuries in the first place.

Connect With Guest:

Email: cynthia@labor-movement.com

Website: https://www.labor-movement.com

Instagram: @labor_movement_

Free 28 Day Trial - Cancel Anytime:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Farming and parenting can each be demanding jobs by all by themselves, so it can be a real challenge to do both at the same time! Katie Kulla talked to over 25 farmers about their experiences and how they strike a balance between the two, and it’s all in her new book, Farm Raised Kids: Parenting Strategies for Balancing Family Life with Running a Small Farm or Homestead! The book will be available at the end of October, and you can pre-order it from Growing for Market Magazine’s online store now (subscribers always get 20% off all books).

Katie shares her own experience as a farmer and parent, as well as insights from interviews with a diverse range of farm families. The book covers topics such as involving children in seasonal traditions, bringing kids into farm work, ensuring their safety on the farm, the challenges and joys of raising children on a farm, managing the needs of older children, and making educational choices. Katie and host Rebecca Kutzer-Rice discuss the importance of prioritizing family time, finding a balance between work and parenting, and the unique experiences and opportunities that come with farming, as well as the benefits of having children on the farm.

Growing for Market podcast listeners will recognize Katie as one of the hosts of this podcast, and magazine readers will recognize her as a long-time contributor to the magazine. Here’s a link to an article Katie wrote for the magazine on the topic, “Strategies for balancing parenting and farm work.”  Photo © Shawn Linehan. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

Connect With Guest:

Buy the book- GFM subscribers get 20% off: Farm-Raised Kids: Parenting Strategies for Balancing Family Life with Running a Small Farm or Homestead

Website: katiekulla.com

Instagram: @katiekulla

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Discover innovative packaging solutions at A-ROO Company, your one-stop destination for customizable and eco-friendly packaging, including floral, produce, and specialty packaging. Explore stylish and eco-friendly Kraft Paper Sleeves and sheets at shop.a-roo.com today and enjoy an exclusive 10% discount with code "GFM10" for Growing for Market Podcast listeners.

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Mimo Davis and Miranda Duschack grow flowers at Urban Buds City Grown Flowers in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and we love this interview where we talk about rehabbing a legacy farm property including an old glass greenhouse, what it’s really like to grow flowers in the city, and what their markets are with so many potential customers nearby. We talk about how to get the most out of a small area, favorite floral crops and growing tips, why they keep growing ginger along with all the flowers, the impact of urban farms, and so much more!

We’d like to thank the sponsors of this podcast, BCS America and the Vermont Compost Company. It’s with their generous support that we can bring you this podcast for free so show them some love. They’re making it easy right now as both sponsors are having sales- Vermont Compost is doing their annual prebuy program now through the end of October to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. You can receive 20% off orders placed, paid for, and shipped by October 31st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will also receive a free 60 quart bag of Compost Plus container and transplant booster mix with your order. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order. And, BCS has select two-wheel tractors and attachments on sale now through the end of the year. Visit bcsamerica.com to find sale pricing and your nearest dealer.

Connect With Guest:

Email: citygrownflowers@gmail.com

Website: www.citygrownflowers.com

Instagram: @urbanbuds

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

BCS America - BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Diversity of crops is one way to spread the risk in farming, and on this week’s podcast we talk about what Noah Poulos of Wild East Farm grew in this first year on his farm outside of Asheville, North Carolina. In addition to vegetables, crops include pastured meats and agroforestry, and we discuss how the short-term crops help them get into farmers markets and generate income while the longer-term crops grow. We also discuss their unusual lease that was set up to keep the property in farming, recap how the first year on the property went, what he learned managing other farms, and more!

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.wildeastfarm.com

Instagram: @noahthefarmer

Instagram: @wildeastfarm

YouTube: @wildeastfarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. You can receive 20% off orders placed, paid for, and shipped by October 31st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will also receive a free 60-quart bag of Compost Plus container and transplant booster mix with your order. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Want to learn more about going full-time into your life's passion? Here is a link to September's article "Making the Leap to Farming Full-Time" By Rebecca Kutzer-Rice, from the Growing for Market Magazine.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Nina Planck tells us about doing farmers markets as a kid growing up on Wheatland Vegetable Farms in Northern Virginia in the 70s and 80s, and how that experience led to her starting a series of farmers markets in London, England. We talk about how growers can optimize their own farmers markets, emphasizing the need for them to expand their offerings beyond fruits and vegetables to include meat, dairy, seafood, wine, and anything else produced locally.

We also talk about how ideas and recipes from some of Nina’s books, including The Farmer’s Market Cookbook and The Real Food Cookbook, can help market shoppers who are not used to cooking with whole foods break out of the routine of using processed foods. Zooming out, we discuss the impact of agricultural subsidies on the food system, and talk about how to re-make the industrial food chain with local foods values.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.LFM.org.uk

Website: www.NinaPlanck.com

Instagram: @NinaPlanck

X: https://x.com/ninaplanck
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

You may know Lindsey Lusher Shute from co-founding the National Young Farmers Coalition, but what we talk about on the pod this week is her work with GrownBy: the only cooperatively farmer-owned farm marketplace app. During her decade as the Executive Director of the NYFC, one of the needs that was identified was a flexible way for farmers to sell a wide variety of products online. That need is what led to her founding the Farm Generations Cooperative that runs GrownBy.

Now, over 900 farms use GrownBy to sell vegetables, flowers, goat petting sessions (listen to the interview!) and more, straight to the public. Very competitive selling fees are made even more attractive by the fact that as soon as farmers make a sale through the platform, they are invited to join the Farm Generations Cooperative, and potentially get some of their fees back as a coop co-owner. You can also run a CSA through GrownBy; for all the details, listen to this week’s Growing for Market Podcast!

Connect With Guest:
Website: https://grownby.app
Instagram: @grownbyapp

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial
 

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 seed starter pre-sale for the best prices of the season at tilthsoil.com/gfm.

PanAmerican Seed brings to market novel, high-quality vegetables for the fresh market grower and hobby farmer. This year, to help make choices for vegetable programs easier, we’ve grouped our assortment into four categories where these edible favorites perform their best. Look for our easy-to-identify symbols in our latest brochure! Visit panamseed.com/vegetables to learn more and find a seed supplier today.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Strategies to create a clean wash/pack environment that guarantees good food hygiene and workflow is the topic of this week’s pod, and for the first time ever we have three guests! With three guests and such an important topic, it’s no surprise this became the first of a two-part episode, with the second part following next week. In addition to getting produce clean and safe from pathogens, a good packing shed will facilitate workflow that keeps the produce moving and people comfortable. In this episode, we have the privilege of hosting Billy Mitchell, Chris Callahan, and Andrew Chamberlin, who share their expertise and insights on the importance of hygienic design in wash-pack systems.

In this episode we discuss: 

00:01:00 - Importance of Food Safety,

00:05:13 - Ensuring Good Wash/Pack Production Flow

00:14:05 - Basics of Food Safety for Growers

00:15:10 - Key Points for Food Safety

00:15:58 - Simplifying Food Safety

00:20:12 - Importance of Cleaning

00:24:59 - Water Safety for Washing Produce

00:27:31 - The Use of Sanitizers in Wash Water

00:30:48 - Hygienic Design Principles

00:35:51 - Inspection vs. Audit

00:37:43 - Food safety starts in the field

00:41:30 - Color Coding for Organization and Cross-Contamination Prevention

00:42:05 - Using Shallow Totes and Mini Pallets for Field Efficiency

00:43:33 - Mobility Solutions in the Wash Pack Area

00:44:45 - In-field Cooling Strategies

00:48:25 - Forced Air Cooling for Extended Shelf Life

00:55:09 - The Importance of Cooling Methods

00:56:26 - Scale and Applicability of Hydrocooling

00:57:32 - Low-tech Cooling Techniques

00:58:29 - Water Quality Considerations

01:00:06 - Conclusion and Resources

Chris Callahan is the Extension Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Vermont- he works with food producers, processors, and distributors to improve the efficiency, quality and safety of post-harvest practices and storage processes like water management, environmental control, drying, humidification, and refrigeration systems. Andy Chamberlin is also with the U of VT, farmers with their post-harvest processes to increase efficiencies and profitability while maintaining safe food handling processes. Billy Mitchell is with the Southeast Region of the USDA's Transition to Organic Partnership Program and works with partners across the Southeast and nationally to provide educational opportunities to organic and transitioning to organic producers and the workforce that supports them.
 

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.
 

In this episode of Shop Talk with Neversink Farm, we discuss how to use low tunnels in the summer. Though it’s common to associate low tunnels with winter production, we talk about the strategies that make low tunnels effective in the hotter part of the season, most notably with shade cloth, which has the advantage that it can be watered through, unlike floating row cover and many of the other commonly used coverings. We also discuss how not using weights to hold down row cover saves time and offers more flexibility than having to move weights every time you need to access the crop.
 

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Free articles mentioned in show:

Beat the heat in postharvest handling

https://growingformarket.com/articles/beat-the-heat-postharvest-handling

Love is Love Cooperative Farm Profile

https://growingformarket.com/articles/love-love-cooperative-farm-profile

Connect With Guest:

The guests' food safety resources are available at:

https://blog.uvm.edu/cwcallah/

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Talk about leveraging constraints, Michael Bell runs Dallas Half Acre Farm without running water or electricity, with a full-time job, on about half an acre. On this week’s podcast, we talk about how he makes it all work. We discuss why almost all his crops are grown under cover, and how he makes that work with the intense summer heat in Texas. We also talk about why he harvests and delivers produce almost every day of the week, and how that works with his job as a teacher.

We also discuss some of the difficulties of farming in a neighborhood where the authorities don’t always understand agriculture, and how Michael has worked with local officials to keep growing. His modified CSA is a great model for those looking to get a lot out of a small space or start farming in an urban/suburban area. Michael is also a big advocate for urban farming- hear his advice for aspiring urban farmers, and how he helps them get started.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @dallashalfacrefarm
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Today we talk about what makes good compost with Robert Pavlis. Robert is a well-known speaker and educator with over 40 years of growing experience. He is the author of several books, including a whole series demystifying important growing topics, including Soil Science for Gardeners, Microbe Science for Gardeners, Garden Myths and Compost Science for Gardeners. He has a background in chemistry and biochemistry which allows him to research topics and explain the underlying science. He uses that understanding to present complex growing topics in an easy-to-understand style that is both informative and fun to read.

Robert’s books do a great job explaining the background and mechanics for a lot of the aspects of plant care that are important for market farmers. He will help you understand the why behind how to take care of plants.  As the owner and head gardener of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden in Southern Ontario, Canada, he grows over 3,000 varieties of plants.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm @neversinkfarm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. 

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss the history of tilthing that goes back hundreds of years. Tilthing refers to a very shallow cultivation action that can help smooth out a compost layer and work amendments into the top inch or so of soil. After losing popularity to deeper cultivation methods, like rototilling and spading, tilthing is gaining ground again as a way to even out fertilizer and compost applications on top of a bed and get it ready for gridding, transplanting or seeding. We also discuss how tilthing fits into the order of bed preparation.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Magazine Articles Mentioned In This Podcast:

"Making great compost at scale: The tried and true windrow system" by Ellen Polishuk

Connect With Guest:

Published Books: Garden Myths, Plant Science for Gardeners, Soil Science for Gardeners, and Building Natural Ponds

Blogs: Garden Myths and Garden Fundamentals

YouTube Channel: Garden Fundamentals

Facebook Groups: Garden Fundamentals and Building Natural Ponds

Owner of Aspen Grove Gardens

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

One perennial problem for market farmers is how to make local food and flowers available to customers every day, without having to spend seven days a week standing behind a table or giving up most of the value to a wholesaler. The farm stop is the most innovative answer to this problem we’ve heard of in years, and Kathy Sample & Bill Brinkerhoff of Argus Farm Stop are on the pod this week to tell us about it.

Billed as a “year-round, everyday farmers market,” it isn’t a replacement for farmers markets, but a complement to them. In fact, many farmers make deliveries to the farm stop on and between market days. The Argus Farm Stop is a local food grocery store, stocked with products from over 200 farms and producers, where farmers own the produce, set the prices, and keep 70% of the sale, and customers know who grew the food and flowers. Hear how the model works, where they got the idea, how they minimize waste, how they work with farmers, and more on this week’s Growing for Market Podcast.
 

Connect With Guest:

website: www.argusfarmstop.com

Instagram: @argusfarmstop

Facebook: Argus Farm Stop
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at site.localline.ca/claim-your-offer-growing-for-market

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Vermont Compost Company - Each fall, Vermont Compost offers a prebuy program to incentivize ordering your spring soil before the snow flies. With Vermont Compost’s prebuy program, you can receive 15% off on orders placed, paid for, and shipped by December 21st. Listeners of the Growing for Market podcast will receive an additional 5%, bringing the total discount to 20%. Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for more details, or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Driftless Seed Company is part of an encouraging trend we are seeing with regional seed companies producing seed in and with adaptations to their specific region. On this week’s podcast, we have Cody Egan and Dylan Bruce of Driftless Seed Company, telling host April Parms Jones how they went from farming and working for a seed company to founding one. Dylan had to leave part way through the interview due to technical difficulties, so we get the rest of the story from Cody.

Driftless Seed Company focuses on providing regional, open-pollinated seeds to farmers and gardeners in the Midwest. The company works closely with growers to understand their preferences and what grows well for them, and they offer different models for growers to earn income from seed production, including a commission-based model. They emphasize the importance of joy and inspiration in farming and seed work, and supporting local seed economies and building relationships with growers and communities.

Connect With Guest:

Website: driftlessseeds.com

Instagram: @driftlessseeds

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Catt Fields White is the founder and CEO of Farmers Market Pros, the director of San Diego Markets, and the founder of the Little Italy Mercato in 2008 as a source of fresh food for her neighborhood in San Diego, California. In this interview, we draw on her years of experience helping growers figure out if farmers markets are the right outlet for their farms and then setting them up for success at markets. We discuss the challenges she faced in founding the Little Italy Mercato, how it has become San Diego County's largest weekly year-round market, and how that experience led to the founding of Farmers Market Pros.

This interview has a lot of practical ideas for success at farmers markets, and some to avoid, including why racing to the bottom on price isn’t a good idea. We discuss the four Ps of market success (product, packaging, people and professionalism). We also talk about how much to specialize, how much to diversify, and much more from Catt’s years of experience running farmers markets and helping farmers succeed at them.

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @farmersmarketpros

Facebook: Farmers Market Pros

Website: farmersmarketpros.com

Email: connect@farmersmarketpros.com

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Farmhand - Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Jim Gerritsen of Wood Prairie farm is a legend not only for his over four decades of organic farming, but for his activism. As the founder and president of The Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA), a national non-profit membership organization committed to protecting, promoting, and developing the organic seed trade and its growers, he was part of the group that sued Monsanto in 2011 challenging the validity of Monsanto's transgenic/GMO patents and seeking court protection for innocent family farmers who may become contaminated by Monsanto seed.

He's also been involved in defending the integrity of organic standards by opposing the certification of hydroponics as organic here in the USA, along with the Real Organic Project. We talk about all that, in addition to organic seed potato farming, best practices for potato growing, and how Wood Prairie Farm and farming have changed over the years since starting the farm in the 1970s.

Here's a link to a free article on greensprouting potatoes from Growing for Market Magazine that was mentioned during the article:

https://growingformarket.com/articles/planting-and-greensprouting-potatoes

Connect With Guest:

Email: orders@woodprairie.com

Website: www.woodprairie.com

Blog: https://www.woodprairie.com/blog/

Newsletter: https://www.woodprairie.com/wood-prairie-farm-newsletter-archive/

Facebook: Wood Prairie Family Farm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Vermont Compost Company - Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone? Visit vermontcompost.com/gfm for details or mention this podcast when you place your order.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

In this interview Leah Penniman tells us why and how she started Soul Fire Farm, along with what she would do differently for those starting out or starting over. She discusses her most recent book, Black Earth Wisdom, and the recent adaptation of her first book, Farming While Black, into a documentary movie of the same title. She discusses how, in 1910, about 14% of farms in the United States were Black-owned, compared with about 2% today, and how her books are an effort to help Black farmers reconnect with their agricultural heritage and reclaim it from racism, discrimination and dispossession.

In the conversation with host April Parms Jones, they explore land access, soil health, seed keeping, and the cultural connections to farming, emphasizing the importance of community and resilience in the face of challenges. Leah's insights provide an understanding of the historical and spiritual ties that Black communities have with the land, and the ongoing efforts to reclaim and nurture these connections through sustainable practices.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.soulfirefarm.org

Instagram: @leahpenniman

@soulfirefarm

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.
 

There are a lot of farm sales platforms out there, but there’s only one that’s cooperatively owned by farmers. That’s GrownBy — your all-in-one solution to simplify farm sales. From start-up market farms to complex and scaled-up CSAs, GrownBy makes online farm sales easy and affordable; setting up your shop is free, and you only pay when you sell. Join over 900 farms who have already signed up for GrownBy, and you’re eligible to join the co-op and become a member-owner after your first sale. Visit grownby.com to get started.

Tilth Soil makes living soils for organic growers. The base for all our mixes is NOP-compliant compost, made from the 4,000 tons of food scraps we divert from landfills each year. And the results speak for themselves. Get excellent germination, strong transplants, and help us turn these resources back into food. Try a free bag, and check our 2025 seed starter pre-sale for the best prices of the season at tilthsoil.com/gfm.
 

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine -all new subscriptions include a FREE 28-Day Trial

Guillaume Lambert is one of the founders of Orisha, a company that is democratizing greenhouse systems control through software that growers can manage from a smartphone or computer. By bringing the cost down and increasing the precision, Orisha is making high-level greenhouse control accessible to smaller growers. In this interview, we discuss how systems including temperature, irrigation, fans, roll-up sides and more can be automated.

Through the use of the Orisha software, more complex goals can be achieved than with human control alone, including humidity, watering in response to solar radiation, optimizing for cloudy days vs. sunny days, and more. Though benefits of computerized automatic climate control include increased production, better crop health, and time savings, we were surprised to find out that the number one benefit Orisha customers report is the peace of mind of not having to worry about their greenhouses. Regardless of what crop you grow, listen to this interview to hear how and why to get the benefits of greenhouse automation.

Connect With Guest:

Email: guillaume@orisha.io

Website: orisha.io

Instagram: @orisha_auto

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Since 1972 growers have been feeding their soil with organic inputs from Ohio Earth Food. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant and rest assured that your plants will have all of the nutrients and energy for whatever comes their way. These natural blends utilize compost, kelp, and humate and are low salt index safe for high tunnels and approved for organic production. Visit them at ohioearthfood.com and call for larger orders Ohio: 330-877-9356 and Wisconsin: 608-489-3600.

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, lighting, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer.

BCS America BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Vermont Compost Company Since 1992, Vermont Compost Company has supplied premium living soils and compost-based amendments to thousands of successful growers all over the country. All ingredients used in Vermont Compost products are approved for certified organic production. In addition to product consistency, growers can depend on Vermont Compost as an invaluable resource for a breadth of soil and plant knowledge and the technical expertise it takes to grow organically in an ever-changing environment. Why Grow Alone?

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Today on the show we talk with Fred Hempel of Artisan Seeds on being an independent vegetable breeder, why most breeders need the support and infrastructure of a larger company to be successful, and breeding varieties that are suitable for market farmers.

For almost twenty years, Fred has used his own farm, Green Bee Farm in Sunol, California, to both support his breeding work and act as a proving ground for it. By selling to chefs and wholesalers in the Bay Area, he has been able to get feedback from some of the most demanding customers anywhere on his varieties, and has used those suggestions to move his breeding work forward.

We talk about the process of breeding the Artisan series of striped, elongated cherry tomatoes, and how incorporating farmer-friendly traits like shelf life and disease resistance don’t necessarily have to come at the expense of flavor and other characteristics that market farmers care about.

Shop Talk with Neversink Farm - we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to choose between all the different nursery trays. We talk about the pros and cons of different options, from soil blocks to Winstrip trays and everything in between, and which crops to propagate in which trays. Link to full podcast episode in profile.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make it free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Other Resources:

Here’s an article Fred wrote to help growers select their own varieties of tomatoes:

Breeding tomatoes on a farm: practical selection advice

https://growingformarket.com/articles/breeding-tomatoes-farm-practical-selection-advice

Connect With Guest:

Web Store: https://store.growartisan.com

Instagram: @artisan.seeds

Instagram: @green.bee.farm

Download A FREE Magazine Issue:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: https://growingformarket.com/

Good marketing makes your web presence stand out so customers can find you. Nina Galle, co-author of Ready Farmer One, The Farmer’s Guide to Selling and Marketing, and head of marketing at Local Line, discusses how to optimize your farm’s online sales and marketing so you can reach a wider customer base and increase sales. Galle shares how online sales can also help boost in-person sales at farmers markets, CSAs and food hubs.

She discusses the importance of offers and incentives to attract and retain customers, the role of visual assets in building brand trust, the back-end processes of order management and fulfillment, storytelling and creating a memorable brand, and strategies for social media engagement. Whether you are setting up an online store for the first time or have been taking online sales for years, if you’re selling farm products online, this conversation can help you grow your online presence along with your farm.

Connect With Guest:

Email: info@localline.ca
Website: https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0
Read her book: https://readyfarmerone.com
Instagram: @locallineinc
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:
 

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

This week we hear from Joshua Hughes, who is the Fresh Moves Logistics Coordinator for the Fresh Moves Mobile Market, one of the many programs of the non-profit Urban Growers Collective in Chicago. Host Katie Kulla talks with Joshua about the UGC and their work in general, but more specifically about how the organization is working to “close the food access gap.” Expanding access to food is something we’ve talked about before on this podcast and it’s something that motivates many farmers and organizations to think outside the box when it comes to marketing and distributing produce — UGC and the Fresh Moves Mobile Market represent some truly innovative thinking on the part of many people committed to evolving food systems.

As the manager of UGC’s Fresh Moves Mobile Market, Joshua works to further assist the development of food security in Chicago as a continued action in social justice. Joshua has worked in food access with UGC since late 2019 through the height of the pandemic and emergency food distribution. He has helped lead the Fresh Moves Mobile Market to create new sustainable systems to better serve Chicago’s South and West Side communities.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://www.urbangrowerscollective.org

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Local Line is the all-in-one sales platform for direct-market farms and food hubs of all sizes. Increase your sales and streamline your processes with features including e-commerce, inventory management, subscriptions, online payments, and more! Get 15% off marketing services and one premium feature for a year with the code Growing4market at https://hubs.la/Q02bpWQV0

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

BCS two-wheel tractors are designed and built in Italy where small-scale farming has been a way of life for generations. Discover the beauty of BCS on your farm with PTO-driven implements for soil-working, shredding cover crops, spreading compost, mowing under fences, clearing snow, and more – all powered by a single, gear-driven machine that’s tailored to the size and scale of your operation. To learn more, view sale pricing, or locate your nearest dealer, visit BCS America

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com

On this week’s podcast, we talk with Bazile Panek about what farmers can learn from Indigenous knowledge in agriculture. Panek, CEO of Good Sky Guidance, shares his work on Indigenous knowledge, cultural revitalization, and environmental initiatives. He discusses the importance of conserving wild rice and the threats it faces, adapting to changing weather patterns and the use of controlled burns in ecosystem management.

Good Sky Guidance is a consulting firm specializing in the use of Indigenous Knowledges in environmental initiatives and advising institutions on respectful tribal community engagement. Bazile highlights the need for relationship building and explores Indigenous foodways and the benefits of local, sustainable agriculture, and suggests leveraging Indigenous authors and scholars.

His roots come from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe where he was born and raised. Bazile primarily serves as an Indigenous Consultant for the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP). In his role with ITEP, he is co-facilitating the creation of the Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report, Volume 2. Bazile also works as the Fire-Plan Research Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin- Platteville for a National Science Foundation-funded project that combines various ways of knowing to help heal fire dependent lands and cultures in the Great Lakes region. Bazile's guiding philosophy in life is to honor his ancestors by becoming an honorable ancestor for future generations. 

Connect With Guest:

Email: bazile@goodskyguidance.com

Website: goodskyguidance.com

Instagram: @goodskyguidance
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Do you have more tasks on your farm than you have time? Stop interruptions and focus on what matters most. Delegate repetitive duties in your tunnel to Orisha, get rid of diseases for good and get the most out of your tunnels. Sleep better, knowing that they’ll call you if anything goes wrong in your greenhouse. For tips and tricks on how to simplify your farm activities, check out their free ebooks at orisha.io/tools and sign up to Orisha’s newsletter at orisha.io/newsletter.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

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Harvesting vegetables all winter long is what we discuss on today’s podcast with Catherine Sylvestre of Ferme des Quatre-Temps, in Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada. Catherine is an agronomist and director of vegetable production and leader of the market garden team at the farm. She is also the co-author of a new book, called The Winter Market Gardener, along with JM Fortier. She develops, implements, and teaches best practices for cold season growing, specializing in crop protection and greenhouse production for northern climates. We talk about how to time plantings as growth slows in the winter, how to use a variety of structures to spread out the harvest, we answer some listener-submitted questions, and more! Whether this is your first winter growing or your twentieth, there are plenty of ideas here to help dial-in winter vegetable production.

Connect With Guest:

Email : catherine@fermequatretemps.com

Instagram : @fermequatretemps

The Winter Market Gardener Book : Buy Here

Catherine's article from the August magazine, "Year-round carbon neutral greenhouse production," https://growingformarket.com/articles/yearround-carbon-neutral-greenhouse-production

Link to contest to win one of three copies of The Winter Market Gardener: https://kingsumo.com/g/ackxye/book-giveaway-the-winter-market-gardener-3999-value-3-winners

Link to winter planting dates calculator:  https://app.orisha.io/#winter-harvest

FREE 28 day trial of Growing for Market Magazine- cancel anytime:

Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

We talk with Conor Crickmore in the first of this two-part interview about the origin story of Neversink Farm. We discuss moving from the city and developing the methods that led to a highly profitable farm on a small footprint. In the second part of the interview dropping next week, we talk about how the Neversink Farm Course and Neversink Tools developed out of the farm.

Shop Talk with Neversink Farm - we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers. In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss the process of taking a farm tool from idea to market, including how designs are farmer-tested on Neversink Farm before going into manufacturing.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com
 

Other Resources:

Here's an article Conor wrote for Growing for Market Magazine about the hard work and methods that went into starting Neversink Farm:

https://growingformarket.com/articles/welcome-to-the-no-till-revolution
 

Connect With Guest:

Instagram: @neversinkfarm

@neversinkfarmtools

@neversinkfarmcourse

Website: https://www.neversinktools.com

https://www.neversinkfarm.com

http://www.neversinkcourses.com

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In today’s episode, we talk about why root maggots may have been worse than usual this spring with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s Organic Crop Specialist Caleb Goossen. One thing that some growers have noticed this spring is a higher than usual rate of seedlings failing to emerge, or dying shortly after emergence, due to seedling-feeding maggots.

We discuss how to tell whether seedlings have succumbed to maggots instead of other causes like damping off; how to reduce seedling maggots next year; and whether it’s important to tell apart the primary culprits: seedcorn maggot, onion maggot or cabbage maggot. Since timing is critical for control measures, Caleb explains using Degree Day models to predict the emergence of maggots, the importance of early detection, and damage control measures.

In Shop Talk with Neversink Farm we chat about new tools, old tools, how they can benefit your farm and tips to use them successfully with Conor Crickmore of Neversink Tools, which manufactures tools for farmers.

In this episode of Shop Talk, we discuss how to choose whether to start crops using transplants, paper pot trays or direct seeding. We talk about how practical considerations like speed of germination, crop spacing, and even how much greenhouse space you have will factor into how you decide to propagate which crops.

Thanks to our collaborator on this podcast Neversink Farm. They make this podcast free to everyone with their generous support. For tools designed and made by farmers, check out www.NeversinkTools.com

Connect With Guest:

Email: cgoossen@mofga.org

Website: https://www.mofga.org/

Instagram: @organiccropspecialist

"Seedcorn maggot and other maggots fact sheet" mentioned in the interview: https://www.mofga.org/resources/fact-sheets/seedcorn-maggot/

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Go To Growing For Market Magazine: www.GrowingForMarket.com

Jim Crawford founded New Morning Farm in Pennsylvania in 1976, starting and selling at multiple markets in Washington, D.C. He and his wife Moie are now semi-retired, having run the farm until they transitioned it to new ownership in 2019. They also founded the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative that helped growers in rural Pennsylvania aggregate produce to reach the Washington, D.C. wholesale market. 

This interview by host Katie Kulla is packed with useful information from one of the first wave of certified organic farmers, including starting farmers markets, tips for farm profitability, founding a cooperative, getting apprentices to stick around for multiple years, selling produce from other growers, and how to transition when it’s time for someone else to run the farm.

Connect With Guest:

Website: https://www.newmorningfarm.net
Instagram: @newmorningfarm
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Since 1972 Ohio Earth Food has been the go-to source for soil testing, consulting as well as the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. All approved for use on organic farms. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant. Learn more at ohioearthfood.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.
 

Rimol Greenhouse Systems designs and manufactures greenhouses that are built to be intensely rugged, reliably durable, and uniquely attractive – to meet all your growing needs. Rimol Greenhouses are guaranteed to hold up through any weather conditions, while providing exceptional value and an easy installation for vegetable growers of all sizes. Learn more about the Rimol difference and why growers love Rimol high tunnels at Rimol.com

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Rogue Farm Corps grew out of the age-old network of farmer-led apprenticeships, to help make the apprenticeship system compliant with modern labor laws and fulfil its educational component, while continuing to give people real-world farming experience on the way to starting their own farms. In the process they’ve added many opportunities in addition to traditional apprenticeships, forming a robust training program to the benefit of beginners and current farmers alike.

Geoffrey Van and Kait Crowley tell us about Rogue Farm Corps on this week’s pod, a non-profit that trains and equips the next generation of farmers and ranchers in Oregon. RFC's Farmer Training Program seeks to train an inclusive and diverse next generation of farmers through on-farm training and mentorship; classes, farm tours, and discussions; networking in the agricultural community; and connecting with other beginning farmers. RFC's Future Farms Program addresses systemic barriers to accessing land, capital, and other resources by providing the education and networking for farmland leasing and transfer; farm business technical assistance; and resources and assistance on collaborative models of farming.

Both Geoffrey and Kait have many years of involvement in farming. Before becoming current RFC’s Farmer Training Program Manager Kait completed an advanced apprenticeship with Rogue Farm Corps in 2018. Kait also co-founded PK Pastures, a certified organic and Animal-Welfare-Approved pastured livestock operation. 

Geoffrey was born and raised in Hong Kong. After school, he began working on farms in New Mexico and Oregon. In 2017, Geoffrey and four friends started Spoon Full Farm in Thorp, Washington, where they primarily raised livestock, grew vegetables, and made value-added products. In late 2020, Geoffrey began working at Rogue Farm Corps where he is Director of the Future Farms Program.

Connect With Guest:

Website: www.roguefarmcorps.org
Instagram: @roguefarmcorps
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Since 1972 Ohio Earth Food has been the go-to source for soil testing, consulting as well as the highest performing and most cost effective granular and liquid fertilizers, seed starting soils, foliar sprays and disease and insect controls. All approved for use on organic farms. Start seeds in The Seed Catapult soil with mycorrhizae and put Re-vita Pro fertilizer in the soil before you plant. Learn more at ohioearthfood.com.

Farmhand is the only ready-to-ride assistant made by and for farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take one of our many time-saving tasks for a test drive to see firsthand how Farmhand can help you earn more, and work less at farmhand.partners/gfm.

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse kits, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full spectrum of colors. For all that plus experienced support for everything they sell, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.
 

If you're an experienced vegetable farmer, don't miss out on the 2025 Organic Vegetable Production Conference! In its 9th year, this conference fills that "expert-level" niche you're looking for. With online sessions on January 23rd and 24th for only $75 and in-person sessions on January 31 and February 1, in Madison, Wisconsin, you can plug in no matter where you are. Register today at bit.ly/ovpc-2025

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Dried flower arrangements are one of the best ways of ensuring a year-round supply of domestically-grown blooms, as gaps in the harvest season can be filled in with dried flowers. Hannah Muller just published Designing with Dried Flowers, a gorgeous and practical book written from her experience as farmer/florist on Full Belly Farm, one of the nation’s largest certified organic flower farms, among other crops. An additional benefit of using dried blooms is that flowers that don’t make the cut for fresh use can often be used for dried flower arrangements and wreaths. 

Hannah shares her personal journey of growing up on the farm and finding her way back to it as an adult. She discusses the role of dried flowers in extending the farm's season, provides tips for getting started with drying flowers, including experimenting with flowers already grown and growing specific varieties for drying. She shares tips on crops, growing and harvesting flowers for drying, setting up a drying room, dealing with pests, arranging and more! Subscribers get 20% off this book and all books at growingformarket.com.

Connect With Guest:

Read her book, Designing with Dried Flowers- subscribers get 20% off at growingformarket.com

Website: https://fullbellyfarm.com

Instagram: @farmerhands

@Full_Belly_Farm

@wreathroom
 

Podcast Sponsors:

Huge thanks to our podcast sponsors as they make this podcast FREE to everyone with their generous support:

Bootstrap Farmer offers a complete range of growing supplies including heat mats, ground cover, frost blankets, silage tarps, irrigation, and trellising. They also make all-metal, all-inclusive greenhouse frames, constructed of steel made in the USA and fabricated in Texas. Their heavy-duty, Midwest-made propagation and microgreens trays will last for years and are available in a full range of colors, great for keeping farm seedlings separate from retail, or just for fun. For all that and more, check out Bootstrap Farmer at bootstrapfarmer.com.

Tired of admin work and technology trouble? You need Farmhand on your team. Farmhand is the all-in-one software platform and virtual assistant built by and for independent farmers. Through a simple text or email to Farmhand, you can offload admin tasks, automate your CSA, update your website, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and take the quiz to see how much you can save at farmhand.partners/GFM

Subscribe To Our Magazine - FREE 28-Day Trial:

Our Website: www.GrowingForMarket.com