I notify everyone via email when I publish a new blog, video, or podcast. Subscribe to my email newsletter to get updates in your inbox.
Once I got my farm operation underway, I discovered that, while I had a whole lot of enthusiasm, I lacked clear direction. As I navigated the growing pains of a startup farm, I failed a lot more than I succeeded. But through those failures, I learned many valuable lessons which have shaped me into the successful farmer I am today.
Read MoreI’m now 10 years into my farming career, and I’ve finally hit my stride. I live a balanced, intentional life where I am in control of my own destiny, I get to spend time with my family every day, and I am part of a larger purpose - promoting the health of the soil, people, and planet.
Read MoreOn today’s farm podcast Dave Shields shares how Pastured Life Farm got started, why they set up their farm the way they did, and how they have been able to provide healthy food to people while adhering to safety guidelines during a pandemic.
Sales are up 300% with 30-40% new customers on average. Learn how the farm is dealing with the increase in sales and production.
Read MoreOnce you taste a chicken that has been raised out on grass in a chicken tractor you will never look at poultry the same way again. The great thing is you can raise all the chicken you can eat in a year on just .05 acres! Whether you are starting a homestead of growing a farm business pastured poultry is a great addition to your life.
Read MoreProfessional farmer Ginger Shields raises pasture-based livestock with her family in North Central Florida. On this farm podcast episode she shares her struggles, her success, and her advice for new farmers.
Read MoreAt times it can feel like the to do list gets longer before it gets shorter, that at times the world is out to get you, or things aren’t going your way. It is ok to want to quit, but what defines us as people is how we react to being in these situations. Work toward a better life, hang in there, and tomorrow will be brighter.
Read MoreThink of the reason you do what you do. Whether you are farming or thinking about starting a farm, why are you doing this? The key to keeping a business going, and creating a lasting lifestyle is to find what drives you, and let it keep driving you forward.
I would love to publish the podcast episode or YouTube video where I have the magic bullet to making farms financially viable and “successful” but I do not think a magic bullet exists. It takes a stupid amount of hard work and determination.
When the going gets tough you are going to have to define and hang onto your single motivating purpose. Your kids, the earth, millions of dollars, fame, posterity, free beer, whatever… Find it, take a picture, keep it in your wallet, and look at it every day.
Read MoreThey told us it can’t be done. They told us you cannot make money farming. They told us you can’t raise sheep without a heavy parasite load. They said you can’t have 0% mortality in the brooder. They said that you have to farm this way or that.
Today Troy and I discuss what makes an expert. They’re not always right, and they’re not always wrong. They are merely presenting facts based on their research that you as the professional farmer have to take and adapt to your goals, your farm, and your systems.
Read MoreThere is a lot to farming that will keep you awake at night. Is the brooder closed, are all the birds in, are the predators out, is the greenhouse warm enough, did you remember to check this or that?
Then there’s all the life stuff that keeps you up at night. On today’s episode of the Growing Farms Podcast Troy and I cover three areas of concern that are universal to most people.
Read MoreWith all that advice and information floating around how do you tell what is good and what is not? With a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips, what’s the best advice? That is what Troy and I tried to capture with today’s farm podcast episode. The best piece of advice we have ever gotten.
Read MoreIt’s a cliche as this point that “farming is hard”. Yeah, we know. Anyone that has tried to work the land knows full well how ruthless Mother Nature can be and how unforgiving the farm can seem at times.
What gives me hope for the future is that the current generation of farmers getting into agriculture are bringing with them tools of all kinds. Drones, software, new planting innovations, and the knowledge sharing tool that is the internet. We now have the opportunity to farm in ways that have never been done before.
Read MoreThe most common question we get here at Farm Marketing Solutions is “how do I start a farm?”. That question comes from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. Seriously, we’re data nerds and our analytics say we get visitors from over 97 different countries.
Because there are 7 billion people in the world inevitably all of our stories and circumstances are going to be different. That is one of the inherent difficulties in agriculture. There is a lot of good information out there on “how to grow stuff” but the real art of farming and being a farmer is adapting that growing information to your specific situation.
Read MoreWorking to find a balance that works for you between farm life, home life, and your personal life is the ultimate goal of sustainability. You want to be a member of your community, a member of your family, and at the same time take some time for yourself. In this episode Troy & John discuss their efforts at a balanced sustainable life.
Read MoreIn today’s episode we tackle the topic of getting into agriculture as a hobby or profession. What draws people back to the land? Once they are there what keeps them working when things get difficult?
Read MoreWe use QuickBooks accounting software to track our finances. Within QuickBooks the different items that we track are broken down and organized into categories like income, expenses, and payroll.
When you are starting to farm your financial accounting may be simple enough that all you need is a spreadsheet or even a notebook. QuickBooks is just a fancy notebook that helps you keep track of what you are doing with your farm business finances.
When I started using it I had to learn too things:
Camps Road Farm works in conjunction with Kent Falls Brewing Company and Neversink Spirits as part of The Food Cycle, LLC. Camps Road Farm works in a supportive role of the other two businesses while also producing farm goods for sale.
In 2018 we are focusing on the definition of a farm brewery and putting the most effort into agricultural enterprises that add value into the brewery while minimizing the farm's overhead.
Read More2017 brought with it one of the most fun opportunities I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. After a couple years of selling chickens off the farm and running the brewery mostly off wholesale we were finally able to open our own tasting room.
This was fun for me for a few reasons. There’s the business reasons like being able to finally pour beer and sell at retail prices (until now it was primarily wholesale). But that’s the boring stuff.
If you remember back a few blog posts, I went to school for scenic and lighting design. Here at my home, the place I’ve been toiling over for the past few years, I got to scratch an itch and help design and build a tasting room and farm store.
Read MoreAs I've now looked back at every year leading up to this one something became very clear to me. Not for one season have I ever tried to be only a farm. What I mean by that is I never told everyone else "sorry, I can't do that, I have to focus on the farm."
Granted, that wasn't necessarily the original vision. The farm was always part of a bigger strategy involving two other businesses. However, looping in land and project management along with other odd jobs was just too much. Where we fell short was thinking I could create a viable farm while balancing all these other obligations. Lesson learned.
Read More2015 was my second year on farm. After the successes and failures of 2014 I had a little bit of a better handle on things but it was still a big growth year for the farm. We were busy digging out of old farm “infrastructure” which means we were throwing out piles of junk, while trying to build too many farm operations at once.
Read MoreIn my 2013 farm season I grossed about $20k which is about what I expected for the year. That number does not support a family of three by itself, especially when you consider that doesn’t account for my farm expenses, but it was the start I expected.
When I moved onto my new farm I took on partners. I was given the goal to gross $100k while also growing two different perennial operations that weren’t going to make any money for a few years. I figured that if I grossed $20k with 1300 broilers and some herbs that if I just took that and multiplied it by five I could hit my goal. Man was I wrong...
Read More
