growers

Integrating solar power in and around farms can reduce energy costs, improve sustainability goals, and transform a farms economic status. In this episode, we hear from Tom Giovagnoli, an egg  producer with Pete and Jerry’s in Boscawen who shares that adding solar to the roof of his barn made his operation more economically viable. We also chat with John Porter, Retired UNH Extension specialist who continues to consult on infrastructure and barn projects in New Hampshire. John has added solar to his small farm homestead and has consulted with farms across the state on how to successfully reduce energy costs.

Resources

The Rural Energy for America Program, or better known as the USDA REAP Grant, provides grant funding and guaranteed loan financing to rural small businesses and agricultural producers across the United States, to be used for implementing renewable energy systems or making improvements to overall energy efficiency. 

Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants

Produced by
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Ben Shambaugh founded Wayside Farm in Sandwich, NH over 30 years ago. Since 2013 he has been trying a variety of alternative fruit crops under the Great Northern Berries name. Through trial and error he has found what works and what doesn’t for his business. Come join us and learn about their journey into producing honey berry and other unique small fruit crops.  

 
Resources
Wayside Farm  

Interviewer Nick Rowley

 
Produced by
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Bridget McKee and her husband Ben set out to start a vegetable farm that would fit in with their professional interests and the family life they want, in the place where they want to live.  Join us to hear about the journey which had them starting their farm in Lancaster and then relocating it to Bethlehem.  We’ll talk about how the farm chooses their markets and crops and some of their favorite tips for other farms. 

Resources
 

Bent Fork Farm 

New Farmers Resources 

For more information on this podcast and the October panel discussions contact Heather Bryant , Heather.Bryant@unh.edu

Produced by
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Northspore is a rising mycology company in Southern Maine. Originally created by three friends as a mushroom farm they have grown to offer mushroom spawn, inoculation supplies, mycological education and more. The crew at Northspore loves mushrooms and they want you to love them too!  Join us as we talk about mushroom terminology, growing practices and marketing mushrooms on small farms.  

This episode is our COVID friendly answer to the North Country Fruit and Vegetable Seminar and Tradeshow, a successful event started nearly 20 years ago by our colleague Steve Turaj.  We have recorded a series of 5 episodes of interest to farmers in the North Country and those who choose to live a rural life.  We will make the topic of each episode the subject of a lunch time panel discussion session in October 2021.  Please join us on October 28 at noon to dive deeper into the topic of mushroom production. 

Produced by
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Beekeeping has become a popular hobby for the backyard gardener, as well as an opportunity for commercial farms to diversify their business. Janice Mercieri of White Mountain Apiary has been successfully caring for bees and selling bee products, nucs and packages in Grafton and Coos Counties for many years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience about raising and caring for bees, as well as skill in running a business in New Hampshire’s North Country.

Resources
Before getting into raising your own bees, it is helpful to know what skill and knowledge you will need to become a successful beekeeper. We created a ‘skills and knowledge list’ to help you decide if you are ready to become a beekeeper:  

White Mountain Apiary  

NH Beekeepers Association 

North Country Beekeepers

 
Produced by
The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or
retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

In this episode of Startup Hustle, Heather Steppe and Melissa Nelson, Co-Founder of South Bend Industrial Hemp, talk about hemp processing and its potential to disrupt the entire manufacturing industry. From medicine to paper, to building homes, how will hemp shape the future?

Find Startup Hustle Everywhere:

https://gigb.co/l/YEh5

This episode is sponsored by Full Scale:

https://fullscale.io

Learn more about South Bend Industrial Hemp:

https://www.southbendindustrialhemp.com

Learn more about KC Hemp Co.:

https://kchempco.com

Tune in to Startup Hustle's entire Cannabis Series: 

https://gigb.co/l/yvph

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

@MarnieRoberts from www.winegrapes.com.au  is a #winemaker and champion of the #cooperativeownership  and operating model. As a #businessmodel #coops have been around for a long time but she believes they are in a resurgence. 

She grew up in #Mildura surrounded by #coops and was really attracted to the ethos of it working for a collective. #winegrapes now has about 120 #growers and is based in #regional #SouthAustralia. 

In our discussion we talk about;

• how a #cooperative can benefit and supporting local people, local growers and their #localcommunity
• not being #bigcorporate
• #mclarenvale
• the advantages for growers;
  • the reach  and opportunities they may not get if they went out by themselves
  • tapping into a vast array of skill sets which creates this network of growers communicating with each other
  • getting more 'pull'
  • being able to lean on each other
• what #winegrapes offers
  • selling as a stronger unit (and avoiding leaving fruit on the vine or dropping to the ground)
  • making wine for the grower if they can't sell that
• how the cooperative model combines #infrastructure
• how one of the original founders, @Paxtonwines has developed the Paxton brand while still being part of the group
• current challenges with #exporting #wine
• #globalization
• how we are reimagining the old idea of making a product in the hope that it will sell on the market (way too risky now) and are instead pre-selling or setting up strong relationships with export markets where they've got more security in what they're selling
• why the days of just crushing a few 1000 tonnes to make wine in the hopes that it'll sell in #China and just going to trade shows, is over
• the importance of #buildingrelationships
• #winetech
• the critical importance of the #story around where wine is grown
• the benefits of the cooperative model to other local communities;
  • giving the community more power
  • creating belief and positive reinforcement
  • avoiding feeling like you're just trudging on
  • all leading to an improvement in #mentalhealth
• the day to day opportunities, challenges and difficulties around, setting up a cooperative, and then managing a cooperative on an ongoing basis
• driving a lot and getting face to face
• #LanghorneCreek
• probably just the logistics of distance.
• how #coops work - general meetings and reporting on corporate obligations
• how communication is vital
• needing a strong ethos and a driving force that's laid out to make it fair for everyone
• where the #wineindustry is headed
• the loss of Chinese exports
• #smallproducers

www.kerrcapital.com.au

Thanks for listening.  Visit the Small Business Banter website to subscribe, listen back, or check out any resources or information mentioned on the show.

Search @SmallBusinessBanter on your favorite podcast player to subscribe and listen to the episodes.

Reach out to Michael Kerr via the website if you need personal assistance or advice for your small business.

michael.kerr@kerrcapital.com.au

www.smallbusinessbanter.com.au

In our latest episode, We look at what fertilizers can do for your annuals as we head later into the summer.  Then, Blake wants to talk about Japanese beetles and how to kill them, and Brian opens a discussion on the coolest new plants to hit the greenhouse, including some hard-to-find monstera and nautically themed sansevierias.

It Ain't Dirt, It's Soil! is a creation of Wayneshout Productions. Fort Wayne's new home for local podcasts is at Wayneshout.com

The food supply chain is ripe (sorry, terrible pun!) for disruption. It has been one of the slowest supply chains to adopt digital technologies.

One of the companies trying to change this is HeavyConnect. HeavyConnect are a California based startup who have created a platform for what they call the first mile, which helps alleviate a lot of the time spent on paperwork and compliance.

I invited their CEO Patrick Zelaya onto the podcast to tell me all about their solution.

We had an excellent conversation and, as is often the case, I learned loads, I hope you do too...

If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to leave me a voice message over on my SpeakPipe page or just send it to me as a direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn. Audio messages will get played (unless you specifically ask me not to).

If you want to learn more about how to juggle sustainability and efficiency mandates while recovering from pandemic-induced disruptions, meeting growth targets, and preparing for an uncertain future, check out our Oxford Economics research report here.

And if you want to know more about any of SAP's Digital Supply Chain solutions, head on over to www.sap.com/digitalsupplychain, and if you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks.

And remember, stay healthy, stay safe, stay sane! 

Podcast supporters
I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous supporters:

• Lorcan Sheehan
• Krishna Kumar
• Olivier Brusle
• Alicia Farag
• Joël VANDI
• Luis Olavarria
• Alvaro Aguilar

And remember you too can Support the Podcast - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent Digital Supply Chain episodes like this one.

Podcast Sponsorship Opportunities:
If you/your organisation is interested in sponsoring this podcast - I have several options available. Let's talk!

Finally
If you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on Twitter/LinkedIn.

If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it.

Thanks for listening.

Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is a non-profit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to increase transparency in the food supply chain and improve the lives of farmworkers through a team-based approach to training and continuous improvement practices. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to solve the most pressing issues facing the fresh produce industry. Its unparalleled approach sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured® fruits and vegetables. In this episode, we unpack what it means when you see a EFI label, and the work behind it! 

Episode 2 of Transform the Food System — our brand new podcast series — is streaming now. This week we’re  speaking to the author of For the Love of Soil and Director of Integrity Soils, Nicole Masters. With boundless  knowledge of life in our soils and a palpable fascination with them, she unpacks the earth in a way that is both unique and totally compelling. It’s not until we learn the value of our soils, our impact on them, and how regenerative agriculture can restore the health of our planet, that we can progress towards a better future for our food system. 

On this episode Tom is having a chat with Claire Poulos and Kyle Findley-Meier, the founders of Sky Colony Consulting. They have spent the last year traveling around North and Central America in their van before deciding to move to Arizona, where cannabis has just recently been legalised. 

They discuss what it was like seeing the industry transition from an illegal to a legal market, how they entered and grew within the industry, how they are now carving their own corner in the cannabis space, as well as how they are helping other new cannabis businesses thrive. 

Other topics discussed:

• Creating protocols and systems for cannabis businesses
• Having a company ethos and sticking to it
• The importance of sustainable packaging
• The importance of making Rick Simpson Oil available in Europe
• Educating the older generations in Europe to help get rid of the stigma
• Finding opportunities to grow within the cannabis industry
• Finding cannabis businesses’  blind spots

Links:

Sky Colony Consulting - https://www.skycolonyconsulting.com/

LinkedIn Claire Poulos - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairepoulosconsulting/

LinkedIn Kyle Findley-Meier - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-findley-meier-aa138920b/

Episode with Natalia Janusz:  #8 - A cannabis economist’s view on legalization in Europe 

Episode with Mike Wise: #17 - Patients Over Profit and The Importance of Activism in The Cannabis Industry

As a former chef, I’ve always enjoyed the process of shopping and picking out my food, meeting the farmers, the growers, and the butchers that are working. So how does this transition to online?

Our guests and friends, Jocelyn Guest and Erika Nakamura, have done just that with their company Butcher Girls, launching a virtual butcher shop in the middle of the pandemic. Erika and Joce have a combined 20 years of experience with whole animal butchery. At Butcher Girls, they deliver local, sustainable, and humanely raised meat and fish on a subscription basis.

Photo Courtesy of Heidi Harris.

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Opening Soon by becoming a member!

Opening Soon is Powered by Simplecast.

Blake and Brian Young have spent a lifetime working in the family greenhouse. Master designers of large flower pots, they have distilled the art down to a solid philosophy: the thriller, the filler, and the spiller. Something tall and flashy in the middle, something to take over the empty space, and something to trail down the sides. It's a combination that never fails to impress. 

Also in this episode, they talk about propagating their prized Monstera Thai Constellation and discuss their plant of the week, or fifteen plants of the week: various species of tradescantia.

It Ain't Dirt, It's Soil is a creation of Wayneshout Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. Theme music is by Tom Dawkins, and the series is produced by John Dawkins and Blake and Brian Young. This podcast is hosted by Wayneshout. Fort Wayne has a Voice at Wayneshout.com.

As small producers, we rarely get "a voice" at the table when it comes to discussions about agriculture in Tasmania or even at a federal level. Sprout has become that voice, and has been advocating for small producers in this space increasingly. But they need to know more about us - like where we are, what we farm, our economic worth and how we add value to our community.

Sprout has received funding to administer a survey to get more information about small producers in Tasmania - and they need out help to respond and also pass the survey details on to other small producers, to try and get as clear a snapshot as possible about our businesses. You can find the link here: Sprout Survey

For more info about Sprout Tasmania, head to their website. If you have the ability, please join as a member  to help keep the organisation able to advocate for us. You can also find Sprout on Facebook and Instagram. 

Season 2 of the Curious Farmer is going to look a little different from last Season - there will still be great interviews with interesting farmers, gardeners, scientists, chefs and more, but there will be more opportunity for you to ask questions - whether they be about how we farm and what we do to build carbon in our soils, or specific questions about goats (we get a lot of questions about goats...). So forward you questions to me via email at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com or through our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

Fifth generation growers and greenhouse operators, Blake and Brian Young take the sibling antics into full gear in their second episode, where they discuss the ins and outs of seed germination, baby plants, and early-starter cold weather veggies. In a new plant spotlight segment, they discuss the piggyback plant, which has the interesting habit of sprouting new plants right out of the top of its leaves.

Young's Greenhouse & Flower Shop is located at 5867 Lake Ave, Fort Wayne, IN. It Ain't Dirt, It's Soil! is hosted by Blake Young and Brian Young. Music is by Tom Dawkins. This podcast is produced by John Dawkins and Wayneshout Productions. Fort Wayne Has a Voice at Wayneshout.com.

Premier episode! Blake and Brian, fifth generation growers and greenhouse operators, discuss the history of their family and Young's Greenhouse. Then they offer up some advice on winter watering and what to look for in quality planting soil.

If you dip your toe into the world of wine, some buzz phrases you’ll see are “regenerative viticulture” and “regenerative agriculture.” But, really, when you get right down to it, isn’t that really just milpa? Join us for a conversation about farming practices in Mexico, and about how those farming practices impact agave spirits, in this episode of Agave Road Trip!

Find extra photos and related links at agaveroadtrip.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Agave Road Trip by becoming a member!

Agave Road Trip is Powered by Simplecast.

She’s a mother, farmer, Executive Director and a force to be reckoned with in the blueberry industry. Brittany Lee, Vice President and Farm Manager of Florida Blue Farms, talks with us about her very full but rewarding schedule of being the Executive Director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association. This first-generation farmer shares her knowledge about machine harvesting and pushing the limits in her operation towards technology. 

Host Justin Machell, our Chief Operating Officer chats with Walt Shappley, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience on how growers can make big changes in 2020. From the technology of Highland FS365 and changing your food safety program to explaining our Data Covenant, which protects your data. These two don't miss a beat. This episode is jam-packed with useful information!