Stay ConnectedDaily farm and garden talk. All about growing vegetables profitably and efficiently on small farms and in gardens.
Each episode focuses on one specific topic – growing practices, how-to, farming challenges and struggles, sales and marketing, soil preparation, weed management, farm startup, market selection, and work-life balance.
Hosted and produced by Diego Footer’s Modern Grower Podcast Network.
Copyright: © Modern Grower
Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - You recently finished your series of 100 days of raising food, what are some of the things that you learned over those 100 days?
To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Whenever you do something why are you doing it? Are you doing it because that something is pulling you towards it, is it the opposite, are you forcing yourself to do something and pushing yourself towards it. There's a big difference there. And depending on the answer to that question, it mean the difference between doing big things and setting out to do big things, but never really getting anywhere. To further explain this concept I turn to the brilliant personal development specialist Anthony Robbins... "I think you have to have something larger than yourself that you are after because [otherwise] you will let your fear dominate you. But if you have something—your children, your mom, your dad, a friend, a mission—something you want to do that really pulls you [the fear disappears]. Because push never lasts. 'Push' motivation is I'm going to make myself do that. You can do that for a while, but you are eventually going to [regress]. When you are pulled toward something larger than yourself, you'll make the sacrifices; you'll do what's necessary because it's not just about you. I really believe life supports what supports more of life." This is what we are focusing on today. It's a loose conversation based around this idea of push and pull. And finding something that meakes it easy to choose to be great. Something that you feel compelled to do, and you feel off when you aren't doing it. When you hear about someone like Curtis putting in a ton of hours working in the farm, and you think, why does he work so much, you are missing the point, because maybe that thing that you think is work isn't work after all... Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/15
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm joins me to talk about his new book Fields of Farmers which focuses on the next generation of farmers.How young people can work with existing farmers to transition into farming. He talks about young people can do today to take advantage of the huge opportunity that is out there. Topics range from leasing land to forming synergistic, non-competitive enterprises on existing farms. The whole key is that you have to start. Movement creates movement. Joel touches on the cultural stereotype against farming. So many people get "forced" into a job that they hate to satisfy their parents only to do that career for a few years and realize that they hate it.All along that person only wanted to do something with their hands. So why not encourage the youth to follow those passions and pursue them with all of their skills and talents.
This episode also has a very heavy entrepreneurial component. Hopefully it will motivate some people to get out there, stop thinking about farming, and actually start farming. Key Takeaways from this Episode: Invest in hydration. Get water into the landscape.
You don't have to own land to farm. Look for land to lease. Look to add another enterprise onto an existing farm. Focus on mobile infrastructure.
Insource carbon instead of outsource carbon. So many farmers start out bringing in fertilizer at the beginning.Start building up your soils at the beginning to lower your long term input costs.
Grow what you like to eat. You may have to eat through your inventory.
Be willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. That might mean putting in a lot of hours, making a lot of sacrifices, cutting expenses, and taking some odds jobs.
Make use of what you have first. Don't buy anything. So many people want to run out and buy things when they first start out. Access what you have, use that, and only buy what you absolutely need.
Better to become 80% self reliant that get analysis paralysis and not doing anything while trying to become 100% self reliant.
Doing something is better than doing nothing.
Stack multiple enterprises on a single land base whenever possible.
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/15
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.Mycologist and author Peter McCoy of RadicalMycology.com takes on the question - What's a simple way to cultivate mushrooms?
To learn more about Peter and see all of the ASK Peter episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/peter.
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/137 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Let's say that you own 1000 acres and you want to farm. What do you do with that land? One of the first decisions that many of you would come to is the decision of do I get livestock or go with annual crops. Both common. Both viable choices for farming big land. One system is based in perennials and grazing animal's and the other is based on annuals and mechanical tillage. For many people these two systems would be seen as mutually exclusive. Annuals and perennials don't really mix, at least on first thought they don't. But what if you could do it? How do you plant annuals into a perennial grass system and how do you graze animals through an annual system? It all comes down to timing. If you seed annuals into dormant perennial grassland you take advantage of a niche in time where both species can co-exist. Then you later harvest the annual crop and grass the animals through the now non-dormant perennials. The system provides the benefit of zero tillage, rotational grazing, a constant plant cover on the soil and root mass under the soil, and minimal inputs costs. The system is called Pasture Cropping and it was developed by Colin Seis. Today's show is a presentation that Colin gave at PV2 in March 2015. It was an honor to have him present at the conference, this guy is a true pioneer and innovator, and his work needs to be heard. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/137 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - When you first started the vlog, what was the goal?
To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today is part three in our series focusing on more money, less land, where we are brainstorming ideas to make more money off of your farm without, without adding more land. Over the last few weeks we have focused on a variety of ways to sell more product and produce more product without adding more land. Today we will get into the last primary concept... Raising Prices Specifically how can you do that? What are the different ways that you can change what you are selling to justify a higher price? There's a lot of ideas in here. Some easier to implement than others. Each with has their own costs and benefits. As with the previous episodes, there's a lot in this one. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/23
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.Michael Pollan joins me to talk about GMOs, organic food, the industrial agriculture, and his new book Cooked. Points we hit on: What will it take to ultimately get GMOs labelled in the US? And what affect will that labeling have. Rewarding farmers for embracing sustainable practices. Getting changes in agriculture from the grassroots, corporate and government level. Getting representation for eaters on the government agriculture committees which are currently dominated by lightly populated corn belt states. The importance of being able to demonstrate scientifically that we can do what we say we can do - relating to permaculture, sustainable agriculture. The importance of cooking your own food and the trickle down effects. If you are cooking your own food then you have the ability to shop from local farmers, farmers markets, and CSAs. Fast food supports industrial agriculture. 10% of the food dollar goes to the farmer. The longer the food chain the less the farmer gets. Even the packaging manufacturers make more than the farmers. By diversifying as a farmer and having more than a single crop you are able to being more of a price maker than a price taker in the commodity system.
Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/23
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/121
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.Paul's central premise is that habitats have immune systems, just like people, and mushroom forming fungi are the foundation of the foodwebs of land based organisms.
Our close evolutionary relationship to fungi can be the basis for novel pairings that lead to greater sustainability and immune enhancement. As w e are now fully engaged in the 6th Major Extinction ("6 X") on planet Earth, our biospheres are quickly changing, eroding the life support systems that have allowed humans to ascend. Unless we put into action policies and technologies that can cause a course correction in the very near future, species diversity will continue to plummet, with humans not only being the primary cause, but one of the victims.
What can we do?
Fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer some powerful, practical solutions, which can be put into practice now. Paul will discuss his groundbreaking research utilizing their cellular networks to create molecular bridges governing the evolution of sustainable habitats. The implications of his research are far-reaching and could spark a paradigm shift to a better future.
This presentation was recorded live at PV2 in March 2015.
For all of the audio presentations from PV2 visit: permaculturevoices.com/audio/
An archived interview that was conducted at PV1 in March 2014.
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
