The Thriving Farmer Podcast

In This Episode: >> Weed control strategies and cropping year-round lettuce in a quarter acre market garden >> How starting small and scaling up is the way to go when you're just starting out >> How a weekly schedule keeps farm tasks simple and productive >> The mistakes they've made and advice for new farmers

In This Episode: >> How Michael and his brother got started as just teenagers. >> Why land selection is so key and the challenges they faced. >> What the new business managers did that bankrupted them within 18 months >> Why Michael is incredibly grateful for the years even though it ended with the farm shutting down. >> Michael’s advice for any farmer who is running into a challenging business situation.

In This Episode: >> What it takes to be a farmer >> Why failure is important >> What makes a qualified consultant and what questions should you ask before hiring them? >> What’s the most common thing Small farms fall with? About the guest: Ellen has 35 years of biological vegetable farming experience and is a full-time farm consultant. Ellen is a co-author of the newly released book Start Your Farm. She also writes the farmer to farmer profile column for Growing For Market magazine.

Dave Chapman is a veteran organic farmer and specializes in organic greenhouse tomatoes. He talks to Michael about making farming decisions considering family and environmental priorities, the challenges of growing one crop and keeping the integrity of the organic movement intact. Want to be more effective on your farm? We've got free eguides including winter growing, washing shed efficiency, and a profitable farmers toolkit at www.growingfarmers.com/freeresources

In This Episode: >> The differences between Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) >> An explanation of FMSA exemptions >> A discussion of common food safety myths >> How systems and record-keeping are the foundation of food safety plans About the Guests: Andy, Chris and Hans work for Vermont Extension...

In This Episode: >> Overview of small scale organic farming in New Zealand and how they focus wholesale marketing streams >> How they balance the demands of their 3-acre vegetable operation while raising 3 children >> Their methods of no-till, deep organic >> Rachel's long-term perspective of hiring a team About the Guest: Rachel Yeats manages Six Toed Fox Organics, a newly established 3-acre certified organic market garden in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand,

In This Episode: >> Ted's preferred definition of sustainable agriculture encompasses soil health, nutrient density, and financial viability >> How systems and consistency are key to sound finances. The #1 reason why farms fail is lack of profit >> The biggest mistake he sees beginning farmers make is jumping in without a financial plan and not learning on someone's else's dime About the Guest: Ted lives near Philadelphia with his wife and three daughters.

In This Episode: >> Her journey from PhD to farmer >> The challenges of finding land and securing water rights in the Western US >> How Eliot Coleman and Wendall Berry have inspired her >> Her involvement in the Real Organic Project About the Guest: Linley Dixon owns a 5-acre mixed vegetable farm in Durango Colorado, with her husband, brother and 8-year-old daughter. She is also the Associate Director of The Real Organic Project.

In This Episode: >> How Tom got started seed saving and grew his hobby into a business >> How growing seeds is different from market gardening >> How he empowers employees with responsibility and ownership >> Tom's thoughts about the state of the organic seed industry About the Guest: Tom Stearns started seed saving as a hobby in 1996 and High Mowing Organic Seeds has since expanded into one of the leading organic seed companies in the U.S.

What you'll hear in this episode: Dan presents a paradigm shift in how to think about managing soil and growing crops How the nutrient density of crops has decreased over time and how human health is related to soil health Why microbes and remineralization are key to having healthy soil How he and collaborators around the world are working to develop a consumer device to test nutrient density Why he amends with rock dust and seawater, but not compost

In this episode: How being financially literate has been an asset to getting their dairy farm off the ground Ben's process of prioritizing and being most productive Which mentors have shaped their journey and influenced their production and mindset How laser focus on one thing enabled them to rapidly grow their herd share About the Guest: Ben Beichler and his wife Kristen own and operate Creambrook Farm Middlebrook, VA.

In This Episode: >> How Dogpatch Urban Gardens is highly diversified despite only growing on a 1/4 acre >> Why customer experience is a key focus for them >> Why Jenny, a mom of 3 kids, left a teaching job to start an urban farm 2 blocks from their house >> How eating right and taking care of herself makes her a more happy and productive person About the Guest:  Jenny Quiner runs Dogpatch Urban Gardens (DUG), a 1/4 acre urban farm located in Des Moines, Iowa.

About the guest:  Joel Salatin, 61, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. In this episode you'll hear: Who were Joel’s mentors and their lasting impact on his life Why Joel wrote his new book, Your Successful Farm Business: Production, Profit, Pleasure How Polyface is changing their marketing to adapt to a more mature grass-based market Why now is still the best time to start a farm And so much more...

In this episode, we lay the foundation for what we hope will be something of great value for farmers all around the world. I, Michael talks about a few reasons for the podcast and what we hope to cover in upcoming episodes.