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Many diversified vegetable farmers come to this profession focused on producing food for their communities, exercising their entrepreneurial spirits, stewarding the land, or some combination of the above. Few would likely say they got into farming because they wanted to be employers. And yet this industry has become heavily reliant upon hired employees — those […]

Growing from mushroom production to a large CSA farm I met Brian and Liz Simpson in 2017 at a farmers market in Birmingham, Alabama, where we were both vendors. They sold the most delicious shiitake mushrooms. Our CSA had requested add-on options from other farms, and it was important to me that they be local,

New web-based program helps track crop-specific labor costs One of the most common questions I hear both new and experienced farmers asking is, “what crops should I grow to be successful?” There are multiple layers to this question, but one of the fundamental ones for anyone trying to make a farm business successful is which

At the cutting edge of the local food movement is the challenge of providing fresh, local food even in the middle of winter. Growing in the winter costs more (greenhouses/high tunnels and row covers aren’t cheap), but when best practices are employed, might it still be possible for local growers to compete with out-of-region food

No one has the same farm as you. This article is an overview of our annual planning process. It will help you create a customized Field Manual to consult when anything is unclear during the hot days of a busy season. Planning is circular, just like farming itself. For new farmers this can be daunting,

Diverse materials, color contrast, the simple and sublime Time spent arranging dried flower bouquets can be enjoyable and rewarding as you create with materials you labored all season to produce. Or it can be like pulling teeth. If you simply don’t like arranging flowers, yes, you should adjust your business model. But if you are

Jenny Jack Farm is located in the small community of Pine Mountain, Georgia. The day I visited, Chris Jackson met me in the driveway of their home across a quiet road from their farm. He invited me in and offered me a drink, but I declined, too excited to see their place and the work

Entries accepted until November 15! Farmers are great innovators and for a lot of us the challenge of finding or creating better tools and methods is part of the fun of farming. It’s probably obvious to anyone who has been reading my articles and books that I’m someone who both loves the tinkering, seeing what