The Thriving Farmer Podcast

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If you’re looking to build a profitable farm that works, The Thriving Farmer Podcast is for you. Learn the latest tricks and strategies from successful farmers, strategize with in-depth interviews with leaders in the industry, and connect with stories of farmers just like you. With over 15 years of farming background, your host Michael Kilpatrick has the experience and authority to bring you practical advice, ask the hard questions, tease out the gold nuggets, and help share what it’s really like to build a truly profitable, sustainable farm. In the interviews, we focus on building farms that last, setting up your systems, knowing your customers, building your team, and treading that ever-challenging work/family/life balance.

If you’re looking to build a profitable farm that works, The Thriving Farmer Podcast is for you. Learn the latest tricks and strategies from successful farmers, strategize with in-depth interviews with leaders in the industry, and connect with stories of farmers just like you. With over 15 years of farming background, your host Michael Kilpatrick has the experience and authority to bring you practical advice, ask the hard questions, tease out the gold nuggets, and help share what it’s really like to build a truly profitable, sustainable farm. In the interviews, we focus on building farms that last, setting up your systems, knowing your customers, building your team, and treading that ever-challenging work/family/life balance.

More Information

Location:

United States

Genres:

Science Podcasts

Business & Economics Podcasts

Education Podcasts

Description:

Language:

English

Website:

http://thrivingfarmerpodcast.com

Episodes

Ep 15. Profitable Flower Farming with Gretel and Steve Adams of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm

5/21/2019

Gretel and Steve Adams started Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in Columbus, OH in 2007. In this episode, we dive into what it has taken to build a year-round business with multiple year-round employees, the diverse ways they sell their flowers across the country, and how they reduce the overwhelm with careful planning. In This Episode: >> Why Steve and Gretel farm and how it looks different for each of them >> The planning system that they use to easily manage a full team of employees...

Duration:01:29:01

Ep 14. Starting Small with Brandt Parker of The Sage Garden

5/13/2019

Brandt and Erica Parker are a couple of years into their farming journey. They grow on a quarter of an acre in Missouri and focus on lettuce and greens. Brandt talks to Michael about what they've learned so far and what advice they have for farmers just starting out. 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...

Duration:00:41:41

Ep 13. Michael's Story

5/7/2019

In this episode, Michael dives into how he got started in farming and how he built Kilpatrick Family Farm to over 20 employees and 500k in annual sales. We also dive deep into what happened to the farm after they decided to step away in 2015. We discuss how building a team was essential for scaling their farm, how they rented several properties to grow on, and the changes he would make if he were starting over again. In This Episode: >>How Michael and his brother got started farming...

Duration:00:47:36

Ep 12. Start Your Farm with Ellen Polishuk of Plant to Profit

4/30/2019

Ellen Polishuk talks to Michael about her new book, Start a Farm, tips for farmers as they lay a foundation for a successful farm. In This Episode: >> What it takes to be a farmer >> Why failure is important >> What the most common thing small farms fail with >> What makes a qualified consultant and what questions should you ask before hiring them About the Guest: Ellen is a full-time workshop leader and farm consultant. She takes her 35 years of biological vegetable...

Duration:00:57:54

Ep 11. The Integrity of Organic Farming with Dave Chapman of Long Wind Farm

4/23/2019

Dave Chapman talks to Michael about making farming decisions considering family and environmental priorities, the challenges of organic greenhouse tomatoes, and keeping the integrity of the organic movement intact. In This Episode: >> Simplifying operations to make more time for family and raising kids >> Energy efficiency and heated greenhouses in the age of climate change >> Managing tomato monocropping with no-till methods >> How the theory of limiting constraints from...

Duration:00:54:26

Ep 10. What FSMA really means with the Vermont Produce Safety Team

4/15/2019

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 Quotes from the Episode: "Food safety is a constant improvement process...it's about thinking intentionally about produce safety and adopting good practices to try to minimize risk" "You can't...

Duration:00:56:08

Ep 9. Rachel Sprout Yeats of Six Toed Fox Organics

4/9/2019

In This Episode: >> Overview of small scale organic farming in New Zealand and how they focus on wholesale marketing streams >> How they balance the demands of their 3-acre vegetable operation while raising 3 children >> Their productions methods using no-till, deep organic, and permaculture principles >> 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...

Duration:00:53:17

Ep 8. Ted Lebow of Kitchen Table Consultants

4/2/2019

In This Episode: >> Ted's preferred definition of sustainable agriculture encompasses soil health, nutrient density, and financial viability >> Ted's Monday morning routine and how he stays organized and productive >> 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 Quotes from the...

Duration:00:46:27

Ep 7 Linley Dixon of Adobe House Farm

3/26/2019

In This Episode: >> Her journey from PhD to becoming a farmer and getting involved in the organic movement >> 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 and the importance of integrity and transparency in organic farming About the Guest: Linley Dixon owns a 5-acre mixed vegetable farm in Durango Colorado, marketing through Southwest Farm...

Duration:00:29:03

Ep 6. Tom Stearns of High Mowing Organic Seeds

3/19/2019

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 began gardening at an early age at his family home in Connecticut. Prior to completing a degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Prescott College in Arizona, he began saving seeds. A...

Duration:00:39:57

Ep 5. Dan Kittredge of the Bionutrient Food Association

3/12/2019

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 our food 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 at the point of purchase Why he amends with rock dust and seawater, but not...

Duration:00:57:03

Ep 4. Ben Beichler of Creambrook Farm

3/8/2019

What you'll hear 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 Quotes: "We are very intentional about developing a relationship with our customers" "You have to be at peace with the fact that...

Duration:00:58:34

Ep 3. Jenny Quiner of Dogpatch Urban Gardens

3/7/2019

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), an urban farm located in Des Moines, Iowa. Dogpatch Urban Gardens...

Duration:00:31:55

Ep 2. Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm

3/7/2019

About the guest: Joel Salatin, 61, calls himself a Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer. Others who like him call him the most famous farmer in the world, the high priest of the pasture, and the most eclectic thinker from Virginia since Thomas Jefferson. Those who don’t like him call him a bio-terrorist, Typhoid Mary, charlatan, and starvation advocate. He co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. Featured in the New York Times bestseller...

Duration:01:09:57

Ep 1. Introducing the Thriving Farmer Podcast

3/4/2019

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. Takeaways from the episode: Our goal is to Inspire, educate, and celebrate farmers around the world. There are several reasons for this podcast. Some of the big ones are: To share the stories of new and experienced farmers around the world. We can learn from...

Duration:00:14:34