The Thriving Farmer Podcast

Who is advocating for the underserved and under-recognized women in the farming business?  Hailing from Wisconsin, Lisa Kivirist is an author, women-farmer, cottage-food activist, and highly-accomplished entrepreneur. So needless to say, she knows a thing or two about vocation diversification! Lisa is a Senior Fellow Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems at the MN Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of MN.

How does a chef become the founder of a restaurant, farming, and catering enterprise? Ken Myszka has shown us that while it’s not easy, it’s certainly doable! Well equipped with impressive culinary experience and a vision for a sustainable farm/restaurant, Ken founded the Epiphany Farms Enterprise in Bloomington, Illinois. His mission is to create a diversified, pasture-based food system that blends beyond organic farming with impeccable food.

What does a land designer do, and how can they rejuvenate farms and set them up to thrive? Joining us today on the Thriving Farmer Podcast is Javan Bernakevitch. Javan is a skilled landscape designer, as well as a practitioner in providing peace of mind for farmers. In his company, All Points Land Design, Javan works collaboratively with homesteaders, organizations, and families creating regenerative landscapes and livelihoods.

Who can you turn to for comprehensive information and assistance if your farm has produced one too many lackluster harvests? We are honored to have John Kempf, the founder of Advancing Eco Agriculture, with us today on the Thriving Farmer Podcast! In 2006, he founded AEA to help fellow farmers by providing the education, tools, and strategies that will have a global effect on the food supply and those who are growing that supply.

What course of action can a farm take if they’re being strong-armed by a local privatized bureaucracy?  Mark Baker of Baker’s Green Acres in Marion, Michigan joins us today to share his story. Baker’s Green Acres provides high quality meat products raised in the most natural way possible. Pasture feeding is a main component of their methods to produce the best tasting, "cleanest" meat they can.  Using these methods, they raise GMO free and pasture raised pork, chicken, and beef.

How would you go about running and maintaining a USDA certified vegetable farm using tunnels to grow your crops? Jason Hirtz of Box Turtle Farm in Mount Vernon, Missouri joins us today to discuss what he does and why he does it the way he does it! Box Turtle Farm passionately believes that consumers deserve the choice to feed their families the best food possible. Jason shares his modern tunnel systems, the specifics of the biosolarization methods, seeding techniques, and much more!

How do you carve out a solid market as a non-GMO chicken farm in these GMO-centric times? The answer to some might intuitively be to simply exist, genetically modified chickens have dug their talons in very deep. While the dangerous science behind GMOs is spreading, the value of GMO-free food is still far off from being universally embraced. Jeremiah Vernon of Vernon Family Farm in Newfields, New Hampshire shares how he is proving the value of good old fashioned unmodified food to his community.

Who can you turn to when you need assistance in the business side of farming?  Our guest today, Mark Cannella, of Vermont, is here to share exactly how he fills that role and helps farmers through precarious financial times and situations. Mark has been working in the field of agriculture for over ten years and listening to what Mark has to say has never been more important than it is in these economically turbulent times, so keep a sharp ear on this one!

What goes into owning and operating a farm that grows over 250 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers year-round?  Veteran four-season farmer Andre Cantelmo of South Hampton, New Hampshire joins us today to deliver an in-depth answer to that question plus much more! Heron Pond Farm began the year-round farming business in 1998. Tune in to this episode to hear invaluable tips and insights from rock solid experience on how to thrive 365!

How do you thrive and stay thriving as a small family-run, fully-diversified, year-round organic fruit and vegetable farm?  Robert Arnold, son of Pleasant Valley Farm founders Paul and Sandy Arnold, joins us today to speak about the farm and the role he plays in keeping it thriving! PVF runs their business by focusing on efficiency, lean principles, customer-driven marketing practices, constant improvements, crop research, and use of cutting edge technology, for which Robert is largely responsible!

How can you establish yourself as an elderberry expert and run a reputable farm and business using that expertise?  Missouri’s Terry Durham, of River Hills Harvest joins us today to detail exactly why elderberries are such a hot topic in farming. River Hills ensures top quality elderberry products by growing in small batches, giving only the utmost care and attention into each and every harvest.

What is it like to be the owner and operator of a fruit farm that has grown and continues to grow only top-grade, environmentally sustainable fruit for three generations strong? Mount Hood, Oregon’s own Katrina McAlexander joins us today to passionately convey the true value and impact a committed family farm is capable of having on a community. Community over competition is their motto. Hospitality and generosity are inseparable from the values at Mt. View Orchards, and it shows!

Between the myriad of challenges right now, there's opportunity to substantially alleviate real burdens and boost your community during these hard times with healthy, immune system-supporting food. The time is now. You CAN make a lasting difference in people’s lives!  In this special episode, I’ll discuss what to do, what not to do, and how you can continue to thrive during this pandemic. Also, be sure to check out www.growingfarmers.com/tips for rigorously updated information.

Where does one begin to crack the mystery of producing the most enriching, potent, and fertile compost around?  Vermont’s own Karl Hammer joins us today to shed some light on this multi-millennium-spanning mystery. Karl began experimenting with composting and field soil management on his Vershire, Vermont hill farm in the 1970s. Well over 40 years later, the operations of Vermont Compost Company have been refined to an art and a science.

Have you ever wondered what goes into operating a mushroom cultivation and equipment business? After today’s episode, wonder no more! Eric Myers joins us to share his expertise in all things fungi!   Owner of Myers Mushrooms in Wichita, Kansas, Eric doesn’t only sell mushrooms, he is also a specialty vendor of equipment precisely engineered for making DIY gourmet mushroom-growing easy, expedient, and effective.