Farm Small Farm Smart
Insights 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.
- Update frequency
- every 4 days
- Average duration
- 49 minutes
- Episodes
- 478
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2025
A Base Principles Approach to Farming - Understanding Why and Context with Chris Thoreau (FSFS154)
Chris Thoreau discusses the importance of buying the right equipment, knowing when to get advice, and understanding the context of what you do and why you do it. Blind copying is dangerous.
Growing …
Growing a Farm Business with Positive Optionality featuring Justin Gay (FSFS153)
Justin Gay talks about farms market sales strategies, selling live cut microgreens and pre-packaged, and growing a small farm that gives him the most options for his life context.
Connect with Justi…
The Four Base Principles of Lean Farming and How to Use Them on Your Farm (FSFS152)
Ben Hartman discusses the base principles that make up the lean system and gives you practical tips on how you can apply them to your farm to save time, money and effort.
Ben's Online Course:
Hustling and Balancing Time to Build a Farm Business with Rome Julian (FSFS151)
Rome Julian of Lake Tilly Acres talks about starting his farm on the side, growth challenges, and how he has time to run the business, work another job, and have a family.
Follow Rome:
Considerations for Adding Microgreens On Top of Field Crops (FSFS150)
Max Becher and Chris Thoreau chat about the differences between growing microgreens and field crops, when to add more microgreen crops, and when do you have too many crops.
Connect with Max: http://w…
Creating the Perfect Farm Business for You with Travis Schulert (FSFS149)
Travis Schulert joins me to talk about how he has made farming on the side successfully mesh with the rest of his life and his full-time job. Travis also discusses his farmer's market pricing and sa…
These Exact Lean Principles Turned Around My Farm with Ben Hartman
Farmer Ben Hartman talks about how lean principles turned their farm around. Learn more about Ben's courses: https://www.theleanfarmschool.com/
Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/p…
How to Successfully Sell Microgreens to Wholesale Customers (FSFS148)
Luke Carneal of The Sonoma Farm joins me to shares his experience selling to wholesalers as a small farm. He'll give you a lot of tips on approach and working with wholesale customers.
Connect with …
Marketing a New Farm and Overcoming Startup Challenges with Jay Reid (FSFS147)
Jay Reid talks about how they have marketed their new farm and CSA program and what steps they have taken to stand out from the competition. Jay also discusses how he and his partner Kat have made f…
Finding New Customers Fast with Max Becher (FSFS146)
Max Becher shares some strategies that he used to find new customers very quickly including Facebook ads and email campaigns.
Connect with Max: http://www.ojaifarmstand.com
Listen to past episodes at…
Complexity is the Opposite of Lean - Making Your Farm More Efficient with Ben Hartman
Farmer Ben Hartman and I talk about removing tools and processes from your farm to make your farm more efficient (lean). Ben's Upcoming Workshops: http://www.claybottomfarm.com
Ben's Books: The Lean …
Running Your Business Shouldn't Mean Working All of the Time with Chris Thoreau (FSFS145)
Chris Thoreau and I talk about balancing life and business, and planning for life and business. We also talk about observing self care to get out of a rut and hit the mental reset button.
Growing Yo…
Challenges Growing and Managing a New Microgreens Business with Jon Grootveld (FSFS144)
Jon Grootveld talks about some of the challenges and successes that he is having during the early start-up stages of his new microgreens business. Then Chris Thoreau joins the conversation to trouble…
Selling to Whole Foods and Growing in Tropical Miami with Moses Kashem (FSFS143)
Moses Kashem joins me to talk about the challenges of growing in Miami, farming seasonally versus full-time, and how he has had success selling to Whole Foods as a small market farmer.
Connect with M…
Dialing Back Farming Expectations with John Jarmusz (FSFS142)
John Jarmusz joins me to talk about farming reality - what farming has been like in comparison to his expectations going in. We also touch on success, failure, and defining success.
Connect with John…
Building a Thriving Farm Business with Relationships featuring Drew Sample (FSFS141)
Drew Sample of Columbus City Greens joins me to talk about how he has changed his farming path from one of market gardening to microgreens and how relationships he has formed have helped with that ch…
Innovative Techniques to Grow Microgreens with Urban Rebel Farms (FSFS140)
Joey and Jerome from Urban Rebel Farms talk about growing veganic microgreens, growing microgreens in only coir, selling live and uncut microgreens, and more.
Connect with Joey and Jerome:
Instagram:…
Farming As Part of Life, Not All of Life with Scott Hebert (FSFS139)
Scott Hebert discusses how his farming journey has evolved and how it has challenged some of his initial expectations and assumptions.
Connect with Scott:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavour…
The Importance of Food Safety and Sanitization with Microgreens featuring Chris Thoreau (FSFS138)
Online Sales and Establishing Yourself as a New Farmer with Mark Chapman (FSFS137)
Mark Chapman of Marks Market Garden joins me to talk about what his first year was like as a bike powered urban farmer in Portland. He discusses how he established himself in a crowded market, came …