Stay ConnectedInsights for vegetable farmers and market gardeners who earn, or want to earn, a living growing vegetables profitably.
In each episode, I talk with a beginning or experienced farmer, diving deep into their story to find out what makes their market farm successful. I focus on in-the-field farming. Soil preparation, weed management, post-harvest processing, appropriate technology, farm tools and equipment, and growing crops.
Hosted and produced by Diego Footer’s Modern Grower Podcast Network.
Copyright: © Modern Grower
In this episode, Diego and Alec do a post-mortem of farmer Alec's first farmer's market of the season. They talk about the struggle of deciding how much product to harvest, as well as the unexpected amount of work that goes into last-minute prep for the market. Alec also walks us through how the market flowed, how much he sold, how much he was left with, and how he felt on the drive home after all was said and done.
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec dive into the practical side of managing life around running a farm business. They talk about the mental and physical load of running a business without spreading yourself too thin: when are tasks too big that you should say no? When should you double down on your niche to hit that market share? How do you go about managing your time effectively?
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
Jill Duncan introduces her small-scale urban farm, Loving Roots Urban Farm, located in Ferguson, Missouri. Operating on just an eighth of an acre, Jill discusses the practices she uses, such as no-till farming and focusing on high-value, quick-growing crops like salad mixes and cherry tomatoes.
Despite the limited space, she makes a living wage and shares insights into her methods for efficiency, problem-solving, and building a strong relationship-based customer base.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools and microgreen seeds at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Farmer Alec is days away from his first farmers market, and he and Diego talk about the steps he's taking to make sure he's ready for it—from gauging how much product he should bring to market, to setting up his market booth, to managing the logistics of selling produce without cold storage, to final adjustments on his pricing strategy. He also shares his thoughts, expectations, and hopes for this coming first farmers market run.
Connect with Alec: https://www.instagram.com/cropculturefarm/
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.moderngrower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about what Farmer Alec is doing to prepare for Crop Culture Farm's first farmers market of the season—from sending in applications to visualizing and laying out the displays to thinking about signages and slogans to put up on their stand. Afterward, Alec and Diego have an interesting discussion about Farmer Alec's insights on just how important the quality of seed plays on production in a market farm.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about one business lesson Alec learned from his previous entrepreneurial endeavor: the importance of knowing your operating costs and your margins and staying true to the price you need to charge to keep the business running. Farmer Alec also shares an account of how he learned that lesson, as well as some interesting strategies he employs to determine a good price to charge for his produce.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec step away from the field and dive into the business aspect of running a farm, zeroing in on admin work like bookkeeping, expense tracking, tax management, and even software tools. They also touch on crop planning, sales outlets, and leveraging personal connections for sales. Lastly, Diego and Alec explore the viability of aggregating products from other producers in the area to expand the business.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec delve into the winding journey of entrepreneurship. They touch on the excitement around starting a new business and the burnout that comes with crunching the startup phase. They also talk about Alec's thoughts on the mental load of entrepreneurship, his hopes and expectations for the coming growing season, and his strategy for making adjustments on his farm in the future.
Want to Venmo Farmer Alec so he could take a month off to work on his farm?
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about balancing personal life and farm life, all while managing time and navigating a path toward full-time farming. They touch on potentials and hypotheticals for hiring out labor on the farm, whether or not to stay a part-time farm, as well as financial goals to be able to make the leap into full-time farming. Lastly, Diego and Alec delve into the motivation behind starting a farm as well as the personal fulfillment that comes from starting a business.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
In this episode, Diego and Alec talk about equipment challenges and crops. Farmer Alec first shares his experience dealing with wash-pack constraints while preparing a wholesale order. Afterward, Diego and Alec into selecting which crops to grow, which crops Alec is excited for and crops that did interestingly well at the market. Alec also talks about his experience growing different crops so far, as well as varieties he hopes will do well this farming season.
Get time and labor-saving farm tools at shop.modern grower.co
Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Check out Diego's book, Sell Everything You Grow, which is only $0.99 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Everything-You-Grow-Homestead-ebook/dp/B0CJC9NTZF
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