Creative Destruction - Honest Conversations About Farming, Business, And Life

To be successful as an urban farmer you need to be able to quickly adapt and solve problems on the fly. In this episode we talk about how Curtis has had to adapt in the past and how his system allows him to change his production quickly. I also talk to Curtis about five mistakes that I see a lot of farmers make when they get into the farm business. Together we discuss these common mistakes and how you can avoid them. We will give you straightforward, honest, actinable advice that you can put into use today and hopefully keep you out of trouble and increase your chances of farming success. It is week 14 of the urban farm season - June 16, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf14 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Permaculture Kitchens I’ve Known is about the application of permaculture design principles and strategies to ecologically minded kitchen design, local seasonal menu planning, nose to tail cookery and butchery, cooking in community and regenerative food shed design. It is a realization that food is at then nexus of our society and culture. Both agriculture and food preparation come together to create, reshape and define our physical world and thus our reality, it has been this way since the beginning. Thus, the ways we grow, cook and eat food are the vehicle to making better more regenerative systems as we reclaim traditional knowledge and combine that with appropriate technologies to create our own future. All of the world’s problems can be solved at the dinner table as we reintegrate our kitchens and our gardens. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Seth Peterson. Chef Seth blogs at https://apermaculturechef.wordpress.com Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It's June 9th and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut. That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers. This we we talk about deliverying that product to restaurant customers and how that day looks from harvest to delivery. We also talk a lot about crop planning. How do you know what to plant now so you have it harvest later, and how do you know that you will have a market to sell that product to later. It is week 13 of the urban farm season - June 9, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf13 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

The future of business lies in sustainability. And to be sustainable businesses must be profitable. In this talk Philippe will explore the idea of why branding and marketing are so important for the future of sustainable business. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Philippe Choiniere. Philippe runs Oneka Elements - https://onekaelements.com/en Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It's June 2nd and the farm is in full production. As you heard last week a big part of that production comes from greens. Greens that are being cut and cut and cut. That's resulting in a lot of product that is being sold to restaurants, distributors, and farmers market customers. This week we get into sales, crop planning, planting density, and the ability to cut greens multiple times. It is week 12 of the urban farm season - June 2, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf12

Did you ever imagine what it would be like if you’d started your PDC in middle school? How would you have lived your life differently? What if everyone had that same experience? What would the world look like? That’s exactly the question Matt Powers wants to answer. He is an English and soon-to-be Permaculture teacher at a school with laptops for each student in Central Valley California. He is developing a permaculture curriculum for middle school – high school to connect students to the fledgling collegiate permaculture programs and the online permaculture community. Matt shares excerpts from his books, experiences in teaching permaculture to children and teens, & insights into the growing permaculture youth movement. Join Matt for a look at the future of Permaculture in public and home school settings. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Matt Powers of thepermaculturestudent.com Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

In this episode Curtis talks about: - How his no till beds are working out and performing. - His strategy for what types of tomatoes to grow. - How he grows his tomatoes. What cultural practices is he doing. - How he interplants other crops between his tomatoes. It is week 11 of the urban farm season - May 26, 2015. Learn more about The Urban Farmer at permaculturevoices.com/tuf10 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Today I am talking to Troy Martz of Off Grid Pro about his reality. How he is going from a hobby, something that he loves and is passionate about, and what it's like to transition it into a functioning, profitable business. In this episode we talk about things like.. How do you deal with starting up a business when funds are tight and you have kids? How do you split time between your day job that pays the bills and the new business that is time hungry, but currently not paying your bills? How do you know if the business is making forward progress or if you are just wasting your damn time? And we start out by talking about Troy's passion - gasification. A real look, at a real person, trying to do what many of you are trying to do. Taking on the tough but necessary changes that need to be made when it comes to transitioning a passion from hobby to business. Learn more about this episode at: permaculturevoices.com/110

In this episode Curtis answers questions on.. -How much land you should start with your first year? -How much you could expect to make your first year of farming? -How he does his harvesting? -How he deals with crop residue in his no till beds. -Raised beds. A fit or not? -Does he thin his seeds? -Are pelleted seeds worth the cost? -How you should start a relationship with chefs when production is inconsistent? -Is he subject to food handling regulations?  It is week 10 of the urban farm season - May 19, 2015. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf10 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Start with water, your most valuable form of capital, and retain as much of it as possible on the property in order to rehydrate the landscape. We can use efficient landscape design to control the flow of water to slow it, spread it, and sink it allowing the water to infiltrate into the soil, giving the plants water to do their work. Then nature will start building soil and creating microclimates and shade. But none of that will happen without water. Zach Weiss an ecological landscape designer from Montana and a student of Sepp Holzer joins me to talk about creating a water retention landscape. In this episode we will talk more about what he has learned from Sepp and get more into his own ideas on how water retention can have a dramatic effect on the landscape. We touch on everything from building ponds and sealing ponds to catchment used to feed dams to the three zones of any body of water. An episode for designers and homesteaders alike. See videos and other content related to this episode at permaculturevo

In this episode we talk about acquiring new farm land. What it takes to get new land, how land deals are structured, and what information you want to know from a land owner before entering a land deal. We also discuss how you convert a conventional lawn over to a production urban farm plot. What are the steps involved? It is week 9 of the urban farm season - May 12, 2015. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf9 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Greywater is the most plentiful and abundant source of irrigation water we have. For those of us in dry climates, its the most sustainable option- thought often forgotten. Learn how you can install simple and affordable greywater systems that will efficiently irrigate your bountiful, productive, landscape. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Laura Allen of GreyWaterAction.org. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

Scott Gallant, one of the instructors at Rancho Mastatal joins me to talk about what it takes to run a successful and profitable education center. Talking about topics like volunteer labor and getting what you pay for. We will talk about their apprenticeship program. And how the ranch is really in the hospitality business, not just the education business. Rancho Mastatal is a business, a for profit business, that needs to be financially successful to be sustainable. In a world where so many educational businesses are run on non-profit frameworks, here is one that isn't. Let's find out why and get into it with Scott Gallant.. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/108

It is week 8 of the urban farm season - May 5, 2015. In this episode we take a deep dive into direct seeding. When is it appropriate, how Curtis does it, and how he optimizes his direct seeding to maximize production for yield and quality. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf8 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Thinking about food, ruling with it and destroying it. The next 25-50 “us” years will be critically important to the future of food. You can be on the wave of an amazing era of domestication by turning to the wilds for inspiration. A whirlwind tour of the history of food then, now and “tomorrow”. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Joseph Simcox. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

It is week 7 of the urban farm season - April 28, 2015. The setting for this show is Kelowona, BC, Canada.  This episode focuses on the role of the urban farmer in the community. Problems Curtis has had with people in the city and how he has dealt with them. And what skills it takes to be an urban farmer.  Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf7 Listen to past episodes at: https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram:http://bit.ly/2B45VKQ

Do you feel like you are the only one who cares? The only one who sees the important work that needs to be done? If you find yourself venturing into seldom-explored areas of thought and practice, chance are good you can relate. The truth is, however, that there are others like you, like us, eager to connect with like-minded folks and you may need to be the catalyst to make it happen. There is an art and science to cultivating a community and in this talk John will discuss his favorite strategies for fostering your own constituency. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by John Rife. More information on John at eastendmkt.com. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast

Welcome to The Urban Farmer show. It is week 6 of the urban farm season and it is April 22, 2015. The weather is beautiful in Kelowona, BC and urban farmer Curtis Stone is setting the farm up for the forth coming season. In this episode we talk a lot about nursery, transplanting into the field, and the concept of inter-planting. Currently on the farm transplants are going in, irrigation systems are being setup, and the end is in sight for the setup phase. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/tuf6

In the last regular show episode 107 with Bill Bean I referenced an upcoming webinar. This episode is a replay of that webinar - Building Quick, Convincing Business Plans That Deliver Confidence, Capital, Market Share & More was recorded on April 30, 2015. In the presentation Bill introduced proven tips, tools and techniques to help you quickly organize your thoughts into a succinct storyline that explain: - Why your initiative is needed in the market place. - What makes your approach unique and valuable to your clients? - How you will introduce your concept successfully and grow it for impact and profitability? This episode is a recording of the full webinar. The presentation part of the webinar lasted about 45 minutes and was followed by 30 minutes of questions. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/107

Many veggie and fruit growers are quick to write off home delivery as inefficient without considering the value it can add to their farm produce. For small-scale farmers whose customer base is urban, a well-structured CSA with home delivery can be more profitable and efficient than selling at the farmers’ market, and more appealing than drop-off points. In this short talk, veggie grower Jordan Marr will discuss the operation of his home-delivered CSA, and how to structure such a program to maximize the benefits to your farm. This talk was presented at PV2 in March 2015 by Jordan Marr. Jordan podcasts at theruminant.ca Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast