Instagram is unique among social networks because of the way it engages its users. Engagement is the way that users interact with the posts on a social media network — the more likes, shares, and comments a post has, the more engaging it is. In this guide, we’re diving into how to create content for […]

In today’s fast-paced, impatient society your farm product has to compete with a lot of visual noise out there. It’s easy to be seen on social media, but it’s harder to get noticed. The images on your website, Facebook page, or wherever you choose to advertise need to work for you.   Here are a […]

Selling Produce at Local Farmers’ Markets Tips and tricks to make finding your niche at local farmers’ markets easy. Your local farmers’ markets can be festive cultural outings for you and your family. It is a place where friends and neighbors connect, children are welcome, and people reunite with foods from their past. Our farmers’ markets […]

Branding is all about the image and voice you present to the world! It’s the look, feel and readability of your message. First, let’s start with your logo. A logo is simply a symbol that represents your business. You can use letters, pictures, a mascot, and icons. Think of it as a visual mark that […]

We humans are a diverse lot and when it comes to beef, we definitely want it our way. But where does all that focused food come from? Thanks to the fact that more than 70 breeds of cattle have been introduced to the United States through the years, many of today’s beef producers are putting […]

Farming 101: Know Your Market Before Digging In You want to be a farmer. Where do you start? Before you buy land, plant crops, purchase livestock, or check out tractors, do one important thing: find your market, says Ellen Phillips of the University of Illinois Extension.  The farming business is just that—a business—and to be successful, […]

Social media is a great resource for any hustler who wants to increase their reach and bring more attention to their products and brand. However, just because social media is the place to go to connect with many of your customers doesn’t mean that they all connect in the same ways. According to Pew Research, […]

By the second week in October the reality of the arrival of fall is sobering. Especially for small-scale flower farmers. By small scale, I mean backyard flower farmers, like myself and other growers who are getting swept away in the beauty and romance of growing old-fashioned cut flowers like the ones they remember from grandma’s […]

In Making Your Small Farm Profitable (Storey Publishing, 1999), Ron Macher shares proven methods for farming smarter and explores today’s new crops, new livestock, and new markets that translate into new ways to make money. He explains how to capitalize on lucrative niche markets that others overlook, plan for optimal farm efficiency, compare costs against profit for […]

When Chris Chmiel leaves his farm in southern Ohio for the weekly drive to the farmers’ market, he brings along blocks of his handmade goat cheese and jars of his pawpaw-spiceberry jam. In Michigan, Vicki Fuller, owner of Maple Island Pies, recruits family members to help sell her flaky treats at four different farmers’ markets. […]