Growing Farms Podcast

With all that advice and information floating around how do you tell what is good and what is not? With a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips, what's the best advice? That is what Troy and I tried to capture with today's farm podcast episode. The best piece of advice we have ever gotten.

The most common question we get here at Farm Marketing Solutions is "how do I start a farm?". That question comes from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. Seriously, we're data nerds and our analytics say we get visitors from over 97 different countries. Because there are 7 billion people in the world inevitably all of our stories and circumstances are going to be different. That is on...

Working to find a balance that works for you between farm life, home life, and your personal life is the ultimate goal of sustainability. You want to be a member of your community, a member of your family, and at the same time take some time for yourself. In this episode Troy & John discuss their efforts at a balanced sustainable life.

It is a pleasure to bring back the Growing Farms Podcast with my good friend and mentor Troy Bishopp. In today's episode we tackle the topic of getting into agriculture as a hobby or profession. What draws people back to the land? Once they are there what keeps them working when things get difficult?

It's a cliche as this point that "farming is hard". Yeah, we know. Anyone that has tried to work the land knows full well how ruthless Mother Nature can be and how unforgiving the farm can seem at times. What gives me hope for the future is that the current generation of farmers getting into agriculture are bringing with them tools of all kinds. Drones, software, new planting innovations, and the...

2017 Farm Plan - Camps Road Farm With each new farm season there are adaptations based on what you have learned from previous years as well as adapting to what your goals are for the coming year. We are making some big changes on our farm this year and I am really happy to be able to share them with you through the Growing Farms Podcast. I am using the Farm Marketing Solutions website to take note...

Chicken Tractor Plans APPPA - American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Feed Testing Pasture Fencing I Use Support the Show on Patreon

This farm podcast episode updates you on my: Pastured Poultry Pastured Pigs Apple Orchard Hop Yard Book release!!!

Raising pigs has to be one of the most fun things that I do on farm. I truly enjoy almost every part of it. I mean, don't get me wrong, they could smell a little better every once in a while but who can turn their noses up at their floppy ears, curly tails, and curiously happy demeanor? I get my pigs for the season in less than a week. I'm raising 20 pigs this year for various different markets. I...

No matter what you've done before you got into farming, it applies. It all applies!!! Granted some of us are going to get into farming full time and run our own farms and others are going to be happy with a backyard garden. The important thing here is that we're all willing to get our hands dirty. I take a small amount of pride in that I've worked hard over the years to make my life interesting. I...

I have been in love with the idea of more farms appearing in urban settings. That is how we bring food to the masses and help wrangle that ugly beast called food security. Clever uses of otherwise untapped resources. On today's farm podcast episode we visit one of those urban farms to see how it all fits together. Items covered or mentioned on today's farm podcast: Double N Urban Farm Double N on...

Farm Marketing Solutions on YouTube Ask Voices with Diego Footer and Me, John Suscovich Camps Road Farm Kent Falls Brewing Company Neversink Spirits

I'm a day older than I was yesterday, but today I got to use a whole new number. I've made it to 31 and I'm pretty happy about it. In this podcast episode I talk about what my plans are for the farm this year and why they are that way. Then I go over what's happening on Farm Marketing Solutions and content for the year and I ask you for help. Ya see, I cannot do this without you. Talking into the...

There was a problem that I now had a farm stand, I did a lot of work to make my farm beautiful and accessible, but no one was showing up. How do you get people on your farm without breaking your marketing budget? The answer: Farm Crawl A farm crawl is a one day event where multiple farms in the same area open their doors, hold tours, and cross-market each other to the benefit of all. Customers tra...

I know we have all learned a lot this year. There have been good times, there have been bad times, and everything in between. This farm podcast episode focuses on five lessons learned by one of the Farm Finance Challenge participants Jonathan Woodford of Sugarwood Acres. Better record keeping is the key to success. Things don't always go according to plan. It's important to take time to help other...

I am super pleased to bring Curtis Stone back on the show for another episode to talk all about managing the farm, employees, and growing more farmers for the future. We cover the nitty-gritty of harvesting information on farm and what to do with that information once you have it. Managing employees can be one of the most emotional and difficult things you can do farming. Forget crop losses, acts...

What separates professionals from amateurs is experience. There's no getting around experience. You can read all the books, watch all the videos, take all the classes, but until you try and do whatever it is you're trying to do it's all just theory. What I cannot help be be fixated on these days is tracking that experience, documenting it, so it is easier to learn from past experiences and work to...

Hello everyone! The podcast was on hiatus as we deal with the technical issues of a 3 year old website and podcast. Technologies change and I was unable to farm and keep on top of the changing times. But that's OK! Because the Growing Farms Podcast is back. Back with the every other week schedule. Scott has a new day-job which is monopolizing his time so Farm Fantasy Camp is on hiatus until furthe...

Topics covered in this farm podcast: John & Scott do not like Skype Windows 10 might reinvent how we look at garbage John's going on vacation, Scott too has gone on vacation Is there valor in working long hours? Hours Tracker App on iPhone for logging work hours Accepting that things will not be perfect How many things would fix themselves if I did not touch them? John uses an iPhone 6+ to shoot,...

Topics covered in this farm podcast include: Mistakes made when starting a hop yard What hops are How hops are grown How many plants can you fit per acre for production Sometimes there's just no choice but to spray Insight into the Craft Beer Industry's effect on hop production Where do you find good farming information Interview with Geoff Keating of The Hop Yard Geoff has spent the majority of h...

Scott's microphone is marginally improved, though slightly robotic John's feelin' good post-meltdown and the farm's running smoothly Bears! A bear on the farm There are B.S. artists out there. Dr. Oz is one. The Food Babe is another The Food Babe makes some pretty outrageous claims John gets questions about "chicken hormones" at the market Among other things, worrying about food trends (e.g. uh oh...

Have you considered diversifying with a commercial kitchen? Diversifying your farms' offerings is always a good idea. Many of the guests who have been on this podcast have talked about it, and it is a large part of my business model. Have you considered diversifying with a commercial kitchen? On today's episode Laura McKinney of Riverbank Farm talks about how her kitchen got started. She also talk...

Scott traveled to Iceland and Denmark John tailoring FMS to different situations than New England farming John disliking possessions/responsibilities as it relates to travel Scott taking stock of possessions while moving, realizing there's very little Micromanagement and preventive measures to extend the life of possessions Having "your name on something" resulting in high standards Soylent follow...

What we are about at Permaculture Voices.. How can you change the world if you can't make a living in the process? It's too common for people within the permaculture and sustainability movement to do work that they care about, but scrape by financially. And the reality of that is, at the end of the day that type of lifestyle isn't sustainable – the values are there, but the economics are not. Can...