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Why don’t your customers care about your farm or homestead as much as you do? Don’t you wish they could see the magic that you do every day when you’re doing your chores? In this blog post we explore the benefits of nature and the unfair advantage you have of radical transparency.
Read MoreRaising broiler chickens for meat SHOULD be simple, fun, and delicious. There are only a few core principles you need to consider when raising your birds. This blog post will lay out the 6 fundamentals for successful pastured poultry farming. These principles work for meat chickens and egg layers. #6 is going to have you shaking your head!
Read MoreYou’re stuck on the side of the interstate, steam pouring from the hood of your truck - and you’ve got a trailer full of chickens, which are now sitting in the sun. You knew the truck’s radiator had issues, but you didn’t think it needed fixing just yet. Now, instead of a $1,200 repair, you’re in serious trouble. How did you get here? Was it simply that one decision about when to fix the radiator, or was there more to it?
Read MoreToday’s Episode will discuss the one rule that governs every decision made on a farm, and will also point you to other material which will help you start your farm business.
Read MoreThe methods are many, the principles are few. You can start any type of farm you want, but will you be happy? In this blog post we break down the core fundamentals of starting a farm business. It doesn’t matter if you raise chickens, cows, vegetables, bees, or fruit. These core principles will apply, and this blog post will help get you there.
Read MoreIn this blog post, we are going to talk about how raising broiler chickens on pasture benefits your customers, and how you can market those benefits to sell more product and grow your business.
Read MoreTo help you achieve your social, environmental, and financial goals, I have a special collaboration to share with you that I did with my friend and mentor Troy Bishop, The Grass Whisperer.
In this video series Troy and I will explore the beginning relationship between a farmer and a Conservation Professional, and the new farm business ideas that come from that relationship.
Read MoreA podcast, two videos, and half-a-dozen pictures about raising pigs on my farm in 2022. I bring on a guest speaker for the podcast to discuss how to raise pigs, what pigs to raise, where to get them processed, and what to do when tragedy strikes…
Read MoreIn this farm podcast episode, you will:
get an overview of Instagram best practices
learn my strategy for Instagram
learn how to get over writers block
I see social media as a necessary evil. It can be a great tool, but use with caution, and go into this relationship with realistic expectations. We talk about those realities in this episode of the Growing Farms Podcast.
Read MoreIn this farm podcast episode I give you some perspective on how my farm brewery business looks and functions. We are all on different paths, and I share these monthly updates to give more depth behind the farming and business advice that I share in the other content that I produce.
Read MoreEleven generations have been on Ryan Valley Farm, which almost went under. Now this generation is taking a new approach and bringing grass-fed animals back to the land. Their story is a good one, but they’re not alone…
Read MoreI’m John Suscovich—farmer, entrepreneur, business owner, author, YouTuber, husband, and father to two beautiful girls. Ten years ago, I was living in New York City, working as a technician for a major television show. Then I took a life-changing, year-long, 6,000-mile road trip around North America – by bicycle – to discover how and why people farm. And now I run a farm brewery in rural northwest Connecticut.
It wasn’t easy for me to leave my first career in order to pursue agriculture, but I was deeply motivated to have a hand in the production of the food I eat: I figured, if we are what we eat, what we eat should be pretty good.
Read MoreMy start in farming wasn’t easy. Through hard work, persistence, a little bit of luck, and a lot of sweat equity, I finally got my own operation up and running. I was fulfilling my dream of growing and providing healthy food for my community, while living life on my own terms.
Read MoreOnce 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.
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