Farm Small Farm Smart Daily

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farming... is it expensive to start, or not?

A lot of people want to get into farming, but they stall out when it comes to the money side of things.

The common cause of that stall out is land. Land is expensive to purchase. So most people immediately dismiss the idea of farming because they can't afford land.

But people like Greg Judy, Joel Salatin, and us on this show, have shown that you don't need to own land to farm.

There's a lot of land available to farm. Land you don't need to own, and land that you can gain access to through options like leasing..

If you can lease land either for free or inexpensively and if you are in a market where you can move product, then the potential upside to small scale farming is pretty attractive given the low start up costs and low infrastructure requirements?

How low?

Very low compared to other businesses.

In his book Curtis gives an initial start-up estimate for a 1/4 acre farm at $7k to $17k.

Curtis started his farm with just $7k.

That's $7k that buys equipment and infrastructure which is portable and resellable.

In good markets, the risk reward of small scale farming is usually favorable because small scale market farming startup costs are very low compared to many business out there.

Yet, despite the minimal start up costs, the costs are still prohibitive, or at least perceived to be prohibitive by some people.

Given that we'll dig into the farm start up numbers and see where costs can be cut and what costs are just unavoidable.

And we'll also bring in some rationale to these numbers discussing why certain items are worth the cost, and why others aren't.

Today we'll begin a multi-part series discussing the minimum that you could spend to start a farm, and we will begin with the base principles, what are the things that you need to think about before you spend any money, that's coming up on Season Two Episode 22 of The Urban Farmer.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: TUFS2E22-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

There are some wonderful examples of communities of practice growing around farmer-to-farmer extension of permaculture design principles in poorly served regions. How can the global permaculture community organize around the idea of putting permaculture at the heart of rural development, displacing the business-as-usual development programs that promote unsustainable farming systems, by making better use of resources that already exist – resources like the world-wide network of permaculture training centers, and the ubiquitous cell phone?

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/a5

Direct download: PV3-HughKelly-ZoneE.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/cd5.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

 

Today's show is about time.

Specifically how precious our tiem is, and how we ought not to waste it.

I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This is one of the most common regrets that people have at the end of their lives. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people don't honor even a half of their dreams and die knowing that it is due to choices they had made, or not made.

How many people listening to this have unfilled dreams?

How many people are really living their lives the way they want?

How many people are listening to this as they drive drive to or from a job that they really don't like and in a perfect world wouldn't be doing?

A type of job that they only go to pay the bills because they have kids, a mortgage, etc, etc..

A lot of people live that life. And that's a life of fear disguised as practicality.

It's a sad way to live, because life is too short.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/cd5

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.
Direct download: CD005-REPLAY.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Mycologist and author Peter McCoy of RadicalMycology.com takes on the question - I'm new to mushroom foraging, what are some of the unwritten rules of the game?

To learn more about Peter and see all of the ASK Peter episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/peter.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: ASKPeter-04-Foraging.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/133

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

If your listening to this show then you probably have a garden or have had one at one point and time. And for most of you gardeners summer is your primary gardening time. And for most of North America that's a good time to garden because it's relatively easy. Plants like to grow because day lengths are long and temperatures are warm.. at least for most of North America.

But what if you live in a part of North America, that doesn't fall under under the previously mentioned "most" category...

That's where my guest today, Market Gardener Brian Kowalski finds himself living in Newfoundland...

Summer as he describes it is something like this...

"May is still cold here, ground is just unfreezing, June is cool, average temp is around 4-5 Celsius (40F), but usually sunny with warm days (10-14C, 57F) but May and June night time temps are generally below 4C. July or August will be normal summer weather, 20-30 C, 85F with nights 12-15, 57F, but one them is usually pretty crappy grey foggy and damp with temperatures cool to warm. ...Septembers have usually been ok but there's a noticeable slow down of growth of course as the nights cool and the days shorten. So to answer your question, July or August. Lots of cold frames and row cover."

Living in Newfound weather is one challenge for Brian. He describes the climate as like farming in the shoulder season all summer, windy generally with occasional hurricane, cloudy.

Despite the challenges Brian has made a go of it and is a profitable market gardener. What he is doing is working.

Given that, the goal for this to take a look at how Brian is dealing with harsh conditions to help those of you who might not have such harsh conditions. Another use of this information is to take some of the techniques that Brian has to apply in the summer and apply them to the colder parts of your season, be in the spring or fall shoulder seasons, or the winters...

Listen to the ideas and techniques that he is using and think about how you can apply them to your situation even if your season and his don't match up.

And when it's cold and rainy in October, just be thankful that it isn't June, and you aren't trying to garden in the summer in Newfoundland.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/133

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: PVP133-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - What are the areas on the homestead where it pays to pay up and not go cheap?

To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: AskJustin-21-Tools.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 5:38am PDT

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - What are the areas on the homestead where it pays to pay up and not go cheap?

To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: AskJustin-21-Tools.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 5:38am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

"At too many companies, and in too many hapless careers, the number one imperative is to avoid failure and embarrassment associated therewith at all costs. My take, failure, supported by wildly imaginative hypotheses and incredibly hard work, is something that companies and individuals must embrace. Frankly at all costs. Unless you’re stretching... wildly, you're not going to reach that brass ring called hyper success amidst a brawl with no rules." Tom Peters

The market and nature of small scale farming is too dynamic.

To succeed you have to be dynamic as well.

That will mean trying things that don't work, and trying things not knowing if they will work.

You're going to have to make assumptions and best guesses. You're going to have to adapt.

And that's what today's episode is all about... adapting and switching it up on the fly...

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: TUFS2E21-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Are you thinking of quitting your day job? Taking that big leap & embracing a permaculture business as your way forward? Matt Powers did just that shortly after PV2, & it hasn't been a predictable path either. Hear about starting up, failing upward, branching out, creating niches, generating value through meaning, & fighting to maintain a family in the startup phases of a new business.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/a5

Direct download: A5-PV3-MattPowers-Walking.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/91

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

This show is a conversation that I had with Mark Shepard about the process of starting up his farm, New Forest Farm, in Viola, Wisconsin.

How did he start?

What was the process like - both on the land and off?

What were the real life financial struggles and challenges that he went through and faced?

Hint... It wasn't easy.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/71

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

Direct download: PVP091-REPLAY.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Mycologist and author Peter McCoy of RadicalMycology.com takes on the question - What are your thoughts on training mycelium to break down biodegradable and compostable plastics?

To learn more about Peter and see all of the ASK Peter episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/peter.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: ASKPeter-03-Plastic.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Whether it’s MMA or becoming a freelancer or business owner, the punches will be thrown, and they will hit you.

But as Mike Tyson said, "Everybody has a plan until they punched in the face. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze."

When life hits you in the face what are you going to do?

Are you going to freeze like a rat, or are you going to come back like Mike Tyson and be that baddest man on the planet?

The hard reality of that question, is that it truly is up to you to decide.

What would you do?

Let’s find out what a former MMA fighter turned farmer did, and find out from out what's it's like to get punched into the face by life, and someone else...

Read more at permaculturevoices.com/yourstory2

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Music: www.purple-planet.com

Direct download: TUSOY2-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - How much room do chickens actually need to roost?

To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Direct download: AskJustin-20-Roost.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

If you are a single worker farm then you only have so much time and energy to spend on the farm. If you spend a massive amount of that working with weeds then that's time take away from other farm tasks or other non-farm tasks like spending time with your spouse or kids.

What are the weeds worth?

For most people, they aren't worth enough to deal with when you zoom out, and take all of the factors into account, and therefore the weeds get cut, literally.

That's the focus of today's show. Weed management, where we discuss various methods of preventing weeds from establishing themselves on the farm in the first place, and how to deal with them when they do.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: TUFS2E20-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - Why aren't you certified organic?

To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Direct download: 18-AskJohn-OrganicCert.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/61

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

It is through the Global Village Construction Set that Marcin and OSE have set out to change the way that we build the communities of the future. Marcin has said "I'd like to be able to show that a full modern standard of living can be created from any parcel of land using only the local resources on site in a small fraction of time." A modern standard of living created using tools built locally, within the community. Tools built to last a lifetime, being easily repairable, and ever evolving as open source.

This open source model is a powerful tool to help change the future. I see this as a way where a group of farmers could come together, build a piece of this equipment themselves, be able to repair it themselves, and be able to share it amongst themselves without being dependent upon big companies like John Deere and the debt that goes with them. It is this process that minimizes debts, builds strong communities and builds local resiliency, and that is a political shift. You shift the power from the big corporations to the communities and the individuals by empowering them to take back some control.

Like Marcin said, "I think a lot of people are hungry to be productive and find that productivity within themselves." In a land of retail sales, why not empower people to innovate and produce, not consume, the future that they want in the factories of new, not of old? Why not make that dream of permaculture and polyculture based landscapes and farms more possible by providing blueprints for the equipment that you can build to do the work? Literally. If you want to build it, you can, because we are talking about a future where you hold the blueprints yourself. That is the future that OSE is creating and that is what we are talking about today with Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology…

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/61

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

Direct download: PVP061-07292014.mp3
Category:permaculture -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

It is through the Global Village Construction Set that Marcin and OSE have set out to change the way that we build the communities of the future. Marcin has said "I'd like to be able to show that a full modern standard of living can be created from any parcel of land using only the local resources on site in a small fraction of time." A modern standard of living created using tools built locally, within the community. Tools built to last a lifetime, being easily repairable, and ever evolving as open source.

This open source model is a powerful tool to help change the future. I see this as a way where a group of farmers could come together, build a piece of this equipment themselves, be able to repair it themselves, and be able to share it amongst themselves without being dependent upon big companies like John Deere and the debt that goes with them. It is this process that minimizes debts, builds strong communities and builds local resiliency, and that is a political shift. You shift the power from the big corporations to the communities and the individuals by empowering them to take back some control.

Like Marcin said, "I think a lot of people are hungry to be productive and find that productivity within themselves." In a land of retail sales, why not empower people to innovate and produce, not consume, the future that they want in the factories of new, not of old? Why not make that dream of permaculture and polyculture based landscapes and farms more possible by providing blueprints for the equipment that you can build to do the work? Literally. If you want to build it, you can, because we are talking about a future where you hold the blueprints yourself. That is the future that OSE is creating and that is what we are talking about today with Marcin Jakubowski of Open Source Ecology…

Show Notes: www.permaculturevoices.com/61

Direct download: PVP061-REPLAY.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 8:42pm PDT

Mycologist and author Peter McCoy of RadicalMycology.com takes on the question - "I'm attempting your technique of decomposing cigarette butts with oysters. I have them growing on coffee grounds and I'm curious about using coffee as the substrate. I know it's probably not the best, but can I move to feeding it cigarette butts or would it be too much? And I'm also curious as to  whether or not there's more research done that suggests that the mycelium can broke down all or some of the toxins from used cigarettes butts."

To learn more about Peter and see all of the ASK Peter episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/peter.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: ASKPeter-02-Cigarette.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/b39

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Today's episode is a replay of the presentation that Peter Allen gave at PV2 in March 2015..

The presentation is titled Grazing the Savanna: Lessons from New Forest and Mastodon Valley Farms.

In this talk Peter will share the lessons he learned establishing and managing multi-species rotational grazing operations in a well-established permaculture setting at Mark Shepard’s New Forest Farm, and now in a newly emerging setting, at Mastodon Valley, where he is planting tree crops, grazing a suite of animals, thinning forest, constructing an off-grid homestead, and building a broad-acre permaculture farm.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/b39

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: PVPb039-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - I notice you give your chickens fermented or soaked grains each morning.  Can you give us the recipe on what grains you use?  And the process?

To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: AskJustin-19-Ferment.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farming, it truly is a lifestyle. And one that a lot of people seek out.

This leads people down the road of thinking about how can they start or transition into small scale farming.

And when they go down that path they inevitably run into issues. Because startup isn't always clear, or easy, and there are always unique challenges.

Today we will take take a look at one listeners plan to transition into farming and startup an urban farm of his own.

This is the story of Michael from LA, and Michael wants to be a farmer.

He has a lot of resources, constraints, and questions.

And that's what we'll be digging into today, in Season Two, Episode 19 of The Urban Farmer.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: TUFS2E19-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Permaculture focuses on trees as the coming food source for the world.  And- the Florida citrus industry is collapsing (again).  An Evolutionary Ecologist who has bred trees for 40 years explains why YOU need to understand some genetics; why the word "hybrid" means 4 different things, or nothing at all; shows examples from his 3 tree crops; why the most expensive thing you can do is plant cheap trees; discusses how small growers can work to maintain, and improve, genetic diversity (without setting invasive species loose...), and how YOU can bring new species into the food crop mix.
 
Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support
Direct download: b037-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/34

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

Grant Schultz joins me to talk about developing a perennial polyculture in the middle of row-crop corn and soy country Iowa.

He discusses a lot of the innovation and developments taking place on his farm, including some really innovative ways of doing GPS keyline design.

We spend a lot of time talking about the business of farming. The importance of monitoring cash flows and being cash flow positive. And how Grant is using USDA funds to help pay for pieces of his system and getting moving in the right direction.

Key Takeaways:

Importance of making your operation cashflow the whole time. Expenses will pile up so start getting cashflow and a customer base early.

Consider buying rootstock and graft it over later. It is much cheaper to go that route and grafting isn't that hard.

Get plant systems going early on. It is fairly inexpensive and gets the system starting to advance.

Have a plan but evolve as you go. Having an end in mind gives you a goal and a direction to head in, but things will change along the way as you learn the intricacies of the system.

Plant the earliest maturing fruit trees downslope. That way when you are browsing them the manure runs downhill.

How do you want your system to look at maturity and what are the action items to get you there? Then the thing to do is the one with the most impact. What has the earliest yield to get you to the move to the next impact item.

Do not underestimate the importance of monitoring and planing out cashflows.

When you are farming on broad acres you have the same advantages that conventional farmers have. Crop insurance.

Consider using a nurse crop that also cash flows. Grant's example of raising oats for cover crop seed.

Consider the balance of high value versus high labor. Is the value worth the labor?

There is a huge need for more local genetic permaculture plant material.

Recognize the importance of planting dense. Buy trees in mass. It gets cheap and doesn't cost you more to plant at high density. You take advantage of genetic selection and protect yourself against losses.

Irrigate your trees if possible - think keyline, swales. Growth rates of trees that are irrigated versus those that aren't is huge when the trees have consistent water availability. Consider the economic impact of the yield with water versus no water. The work now can make you a lot more money down the line.

Take advantage of all available resources: USDA, NRCS, EQIP. When starting out pre-sell as much as you can. Build a local customer base from Day 1.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/34

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE.

Direct download: PVP034-replay.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Mycologist and author Peter McCoy of RadicalMycology.com takes on the question - If I wanted to get into mushroom cultivation, what are some of the easiest species to start with?

To learn more about Peter and see all of the ASK Peter episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/peter.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: ASKPeter-01-Start.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/b38

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Today’s episode is a replay of the presentation that Peter Allen gave at PV2 in March 2015..

The presentation is titled Savanna Gardens: Regenerating the Ultimate Human Ecosystem.

Why Savannas?
Savannas were some of the most complex, diverse, and productive ecosystems in North America and provide an excellent model for permaculture – integrating woody perennial crops with grazing and browsing livestock. However, managing the complexity of these ecosystems requires approaches and skill sets that are in many ways opposed to those of conventional land management, especially agriculture.

Given the importance of savannas, this presentation will help you understand its ecology and evolution and what we can do to embrace the complexity and restore the ecosystems most capable of cooling our planet and feeding our communities.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/b38

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: PVPb038-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question - Cutting your grocery bill, by raising your own food - what gives you the most bang for your buck?

To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Direct download: AskJustin-18-GrocerySave.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

This is Part 2 of that series and today we specifically focus on the pro’s and cons of selling to restaurants taking into account high maintenance versus low maintenance.

Given that this is Part 2 it probably makes more sense to listen to Part 1 first, Episode 17 - All Customers ARE NOT worth Selling To, An In-Depth Look at High Maintenance versus Low Maintenance Customers.

But you won’t be totally lost in this one if you haven’t heard that episode.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer

Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Direct download: TUFS2E18-2016.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - How do you time your broilers and pigs to meet your CSA demand?

To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Direct download: 17-AskJohn-CSATiiming.mp3
Category:permaculture,agriculture,farming -- posted at: 3:00am PDT

1