Small Farm Nation: Farming | Marketing | Homesteading

In this farm podcast, I examine one of the biggest problems consumers face when wanting to buy directly from farmers, the problem of convenience. I talk with Joe Heitzeberg, co-founder and CEO of Crowd Cow. It’s an interesting business model that is endeavoring to make it easier for farmers and consumers to come together and celebrate what Crowd Cow calls “craft meat.” Tune in for a great story.

Today I’m speaking with Callene and Eric Rapp of Rare Hare Barn in Kansas. I love this topic of raising rabbits for meat because, in general, our society has become very disconnected from our food—and what food is, right? Nowhere in the meat world is that more evidenced than with rabbits. We discuss many fascinating aspects of running a rabbit enterprise on a small farm. Whether you’re a consumer, chef, homesteader or farmer, this is a thoroughly interesting discussion about the life (and death) of rabbits.

In this episode I’m joined by Sarah Hoffman of Green Dirt Farm in Missouri, where she raises sheep on pasture, milks them and turns their milk into award-winning cheese. We discuss Sarah’s journey to farm life and how her desire to raise children in that setting led her and her husband to make some courageous career choices.

Greg Judy went from having $8 in his pocket after a long divorce to now farming over 1,600 acres. In this episode, Greg and I recap how he got started, mistakes he’s made and what he looks for in terms of farm properties. He shares his best tips on negotiating leases, what fencing tools to use and even what type of cattle to raise.

So it’s December and we’re winding down the farm season. Let's take advantage of this time to focus on one of the most strategically important areas of our business—of any business. And that is marketing. In this episode I'll walk you through 7 Farm Marketing tasks you can perform this winter to get your farm in great shape for next year.

Today I want to cover a critical mistake that almost everyone makes with their email list. Not just farmers, but over 90% of ALL businesses. And I don’t want you to continue making that mistake, so we’re gonna set you on the right path today. Because, as you no doubt know why now, building a thriving, engaged list of email subscribers is hugely important to the success of your business.

So it’s branding week here on the Small Farm Nation podcast. And we’re going to talk about not just branding, but how many farm brands you should have. So this isn't a super long episode but it is super important. Because farming lends itself to multiple enterprises and multiple products more than any industry I know of. I mean, imagine you raise cows and only cows. Sounds like you have one product, right? Well...

What can you do if you have a business but you’re not a natural entrepreneur? In this farm podcast, I’m gonna show you how to stop working ON your business rather than being a slave to it so you can avoid burnout and realize your entrepreneurial dreams. And I've got a special, awesome download to help you do just that.

So it’s marketing week here on the Small Farm Nation podcast. And one of the challenges I hear most often expressed from small farmers (really any small business, actually), is how difficult it is to create an email list of potential customers. In this episode we'll discuss three keys to putting your list-building efforts on autopilot so you can grow your email list.

It’s online marketing week here on the Small Farm Nation podcast. And this week we’re talking websites, or, more specifically, what website design tool you should use. And we have plenty of options, right? There’s lots of website builders out there—you know, Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, GoDaddy, and WordPress. I'll walk you through all the options and help you decide what's right for your farm business.

What do most people think of when they think of branding? They think of logos. In fact, many people think that their logo is their brand. And you can’t have a great brand without a super cool logo design, can you? Today, I’m gonna tell you the mistakes you’re making with your farm logo design and what you really should be doing, instead.

Okay, so it’s strategy week here on the Small Farm Nation podcast. And nothing says “strategy” more than business planning, so that’s the focus this week. Now, the first thing you're told to do when starting a business is to write a business plan. But should you? Do traditional business plans help? Or is there a better way. Yes, there is a better way, and in this episode I'll walk you through how to create an actionable one-page business plan.

Okay, so it’s Marketing week here on the podcast. And it’s an important episode, and if you’re a farmer, this is gonna really resonate with you. I want to talk about why small farms struggle so much to sell their products. If you’re a small, family farmer, you know what I mean. I've created a list of ten reasons why small farms struggle to sell their products. Listen in and see what you think.

Okay, so it’s Online Marketing week here on the Small Farm Nation podcast, and we’re gonna discuss the dirty dozen...the 12 Fatal Flaws of Most Farm Websites. I'd say at least 90% of farm websites commit these sins. Do you?

One of the most common things new farmers stress over is what to name their farm business. Well, in this week's episode I'm going to tell you there are lots of WRONG names to choose, and give you a tool for choosing the right name for your farm. We'll also cover how to choose product names and taglines.

Farmers love to blame Wal-Mart, regulations and unpatriotic consumers as reasons why their farms struggle. But is that really the case? In this episode I explain why it is not the case, and I also share some structural changes I'm making to upcoming podcast episodes.

This week I'd like to introduce you to an awesome new podcast. I really enjoyed my conversation with Tim and Tyler Nuss of the Modern Acre podcast recently. If you haven't heard their podcast, here's your chance. Then hit their site and subscribe.

In this episode, I talk with John Suscovich of Farm Marketing Solutions. We discuss John's new book on Marketing Pastured Poultry, how to start a pastured poultry business, the critical success factors to achieving profitability and much more. And, of course, we discuss what Howard Stern has in common with pastured poultry.

Today I want to discuss a crisis in small business. A crisis in most businesses, actually, but particularly in farm businesses. It’s a problem that creates undue stress, panic and results in farmers not building their brands, getting enough customers and growing their farm business. I’m talking about Random Acts of Marketing.

Where oh where can you go to learn all the skills you need to market your farm business? Today I’m going to tell you about the greatest farm tool you can invest in this year, the one that will help you to get growing! A membership site full of training videos, Mastermind interviews and resources to teach you how to market your farm business.