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
Adding additional crop rotations is one way to increase profits without adding more land. You can add rotations by extending your season into the spring and fall. You can also add rotations by turning crops faster. Additional rotations bring in more income, keep your customer base engaged, and live roots in your soil for longer. 10:30 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses how he manages winter growing on his farm. Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm
We often discourage ourselves by comparing our achievements against others to those we have no business comparing against. Set your own goals and measure against those, not others. 13:15 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses their steps to perfect growing beets on their farm. They now grow all beets using the paperpot transplanter, which gives them a higher success rate while reducing labor. Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm
In the first part of the show I try to simplify farm accounting by giving you an easy way to measure the profit per bed: Total Revenue - $225 = Profit per 100-foot bed. If you used this formula on most of your low-labor crops (not tomatoes), your profit margin will be fairly accurate. 14:19 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about how they grow Salanova on their farm: direct seeding, soil preparation, amendments, and harvesting. Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm
The metric Dollars Per Day (DPD) is a quick and easy way to determine if one crop is more profitable than another. DPD is the revenue generated by a single crop in a single bed divided by the total days that crop was in that bed. 17:30 Farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about how they grow amazing carrots on their farm: direct seeding, soil preparation, amendments, and harvesting. Kwik Hoops are eligible for NRCS low-tunnel grants. Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm
In Episode 16 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses how he uses the Jang seeder on his farm. He also brings up several mistakes people make when using it. Get the Jang Seeder: https://paperpot.co/product-category/jang/ Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
In Episode 15 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm talks about why potting mix is so important and how you can make your own. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
In Episode 14 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm discusses how he makes and uses compost on his farm. Why farmers can get tricked into thinking there is only one great way to make or apply compost. And how the best results come from a lot of trial and error. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
In Episode 13 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm will discuss how they build up the soils when they first started their farm, how they maintain fertility, and how they handle the soil during steps like bed-turnover. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
In the previous episode, we talked about greenhouses. They are great but big and costly, and they aren't for everyone at every stage of their farming career. Given that, how do you protect your crops? Enter low tunnels. Low tunnels are low-tech but effective ways to protect your crops from insects, rain, snow, and temperature fluctuations. In Episode 12 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm will talk about the role low tunnels play on Roebuck Farm. Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops and InsectaNet.
In Episode 11 of The Profitable Mini-Farm, farmer Jodi Roebuck @roebuckfarm walks through the different considerations for getting a greenhouse. When is it the right time for your business? What benefits does it offer besides financial ones? Learn more about Jodi: https://www.roebuckfarm.com/ @roebuckfarm Protect your valuable crop from rain, wind, cold, and insects using Kwik Hoops.
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