Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Heat causes issues on the farm. Not just with the farmer, but with the crops. Crops bolt quickly, pest pressure increases, water usage goes up, seeds dry up, transplants fry. How do you deal with those issues? How do you raise the crops that your customers want in a way that works and gets you a saleable product, and in a way that doesn't cause you to burn out? There are a whole bunch of active and passive strategies that you can employ to From harvesting early in the morning to harvesting and late in the day, there are options, and this episode is all about dealing with the heat on the farm for the farmer and for the crops... Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - Have you ever supplemented your chickens diet with black solider fly larvae?  Why or why not? To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/66 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE. "Instead of trying to support 1000's of people, let's get really good at supporting 150 people and we'll duplicate it." Once we do that we will have models that we can refer back to. Models that can be used to train people to go start other small impact zones. Then we start getting more and more impact zones, and suddenly the picture looks a lot brighter. But that will take time, and it's early in the journey, but the conditions are ripe for change. We just need to kick start it, by incubating innovation.Creating the conditions for success and sustainability to happen, something that I learned from Larry. In fact it's one of the many things that I have learned from Larry. Larry has a wealth of knowledge and the experience to back it up. He's a permaculture pioneer having involved with permaculture since the 80s. He has traveled with Bill Mollison. He's worked on countless projects in the country, the city, and other countries. He gets it. And in Southern California when you mention permaculture, there is one name that comes to mind. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/66 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/132 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support It's fungal intelligence that I will be exploring today with the brilliant Peter McCoy. Peter is self-taught mycologist with 15 years of accumulated study and experience, Peter is an original founder of Radical Mycology, a grassroots organization and movement that teaches the skills needed to work with mushrooms and other fungi for personal, societal, and ecological resilience Peter is also author of the book Radical Mycology, an in depth and comprehensive look at mycology and mushroom cultivation. This book is a beast, it's nearly 700 pages, and covers a variety of topics related to mycology, some common, so not so common. There's a ton of interest concepts and ideas in that book, a few of which we will be exploring today. In this episode, we get into a wide variety of subject matter related to mycology from Remediation, importance of mycorrhizal fungi, fungi with annual crops, future of medicinal mushrooms and medicine, marketing versus effectiveness in some mushroom based products, and future of psilocybin mushrooms in medicine. The reason that we are able to get into all this subjects isn't because of me. It's because of Peter. Peter's brilliant. There's a lot here, enjoy it. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/132 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the idea of I don't know enough to be an expert on a subject.  How do you deal with the idea of the expert myth? To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today's show is all about farmers markets. And a big part of the conversation is dedicated to free samples. Are the beneficial or are they a waste? Do samples work in every case, with every product? No, but they are one way of tackling issues that every product has. Highlighting product quality, unique product attributes, getting feedback, and telling your story are all things that you need to figure out to do somehow. Free samples are just one of the ways to do it. Samples aren't without their negatives either. They cost money, they take up time, they get in the way of doing transactions, and they may require additional levels of compliance if you are handling food. But like anything and everything, it comes down to do the positives out weight the negatives for your particular context. If they do then free samples might be the way to do. And as you will hear today, for some farmers market vendors samples work really well and they are one of the many tools in the salesman’s toolbox to help you sit back and count the money. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - What kind of feeder do you use for your the chickens that you are free ranging? To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/46 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE. Today's story is one about a unique focus. Someone who has dedicated a whole lot of time on mastering one subject. One subject that is dually quite simple yet extremely complex: water. Today I am talking to watershed restoration expert Craig Sponholtz. Craig has made a career of consulting on water related issues - everything from water harvesting to stream restoration to watershed management. He has worked in drylands and temperate regions and everything in between. Studying techniques from native peoples to the latest in fluid dynamics; simple, yet complex. Water has the ability to transfform landscapes, both for the better and the worse.These changes can take place rapidly when a lot of water shows up in one place. Maybe the landscape is ready for it, maybe it isn't. Regardless that water will leave its mark on the landscape. Craig said it best, 'flowing water has energy to spend and it's going to spend it on something.' "If you take the time to learn what is going on and if you understand the problems and opportunities of a given site you can come up with some really elegant solutions that blend seamlessly into the landscape and they turn out naturally beautiful. And one of the outcomes of that beauty and that process of getting there is that they work really well." Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/46 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Starting a new business can be daunting, especially when considering potential overhead and risk required. In this talk, Mark Oberle will discuss how he was able to utilize a contact from PV2 with Frank Golbeck of Golden Coast Mead to create a mutually beneficial arrangement and launch his own mead label while reducing startup cost and risk. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/a5

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks about his journey creating Permaculture Chickens. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support We all have this great chance to go great places.  Yet we all don't take it.  Today's episode is a look at the opportunity and why some people squander it, and why some people don't. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Following up on his appearance on The Urban Farmer - Week 21 ("Transitioning Into Farming from the Corporate World...), Rob Kaiser will be expanding on the idea of transition. Transcending the idea of becoming a farmer on account of romantic ideology, Rob will discuss knowledge and skills specific to *you* and their application towards your end goal. Combined with discussion about the focus on living a values based live vs. a life based on the traditional corporate model, this five minute talk will provide you with much food for thought on what you need to do next as you continue making your own transition to living a more designed, purposeful, and deliberate life. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/a5

  Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/80 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE. An interview with Peter McCoy of Radical Mycology. Radical Mycology is a movement and social philosophy based on accessibly teaching the importance of mushrooms and other fungi for personal, societal, and ecological health. Radical Mycology differs from classical mycology in that classical mycology generally focuses on taxonomy, identification, mycophagy (eating mushrooms), and the more personal benefits of working with fungi while Radical Mycology is about using fungi for the benefit of larger communities and the world. As a concept, Radical Mycology is based on the belief that the lifecycles of fungi and their interactions in nature serve as powerful learning tools for how humans can best relate to each other and steward the world they live in. Show Notes: permaculturevoices.com/80 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support  

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/131 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today's episode is a replay of Jack's presentation from PV3 in March 2016. In that presentation he asked and explored the question, how do you take regenerative agriculture to the forward into the future, to the mainstream. He presents an argument that's based on the idea that you can't drag anyone where you want them to go. You need to get them to want to get there. Everyone might not agree on everything, and that's OK, because as Jack says, "let the politics end, where the soil begins." Because we literally need both sides to do this. We need all hands on deck with everyone helping in their own way. Hopefully this episode inspires you to do your part in what Jack explains isn't a revolution, but instead an insurrection. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/131 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question: What are some criteria to consider when selecting a homestead site? To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Think about an established farmers market with an established customer base. Everyone shopping at that market has their preferred vendors.  They buy lettuce from this guy and they buy tomatoes from that girl week after week.  They don’t switch it up. If you then enter that market as a new vendor, how do you knock someone out of the preferred vendor spot in a customer’s mind? How do you get the customer to switch to buying lettuce or tomatoes from you instead of that guy or that girl?  Because that’s really what you need to do.  Either you need to get existing customers to switch or you need to pick up market share from new customers. The bad news is that once a person commits to a particular product or brand in their mind it’s very hard to get them to switch.   Look no further than you own habits.  How often do you go to different grocery stores or gas stations by your house or how often do you change brands of laundry detergent or ketchup?  Probably not very often.  You made a decision long ago, and as long as things do change, why switch. Given that, how do you compete in a crowded farmers market?  Why is a farmer’s market customer going to choose your booth versus the booth that they always shop at? You have to be unique.. Again, look at the landscape of the market, if there are already 5 vegetable vendors at your market more or less growing what you grow, and they are established, then you either have to be unique enough to go in and compete with them hand try to knock one of them out of the top 5 in terms of market share, which is hard, or you have to be unique enough so you don’t actually have to compete against them.  Instead positioning yourself in the customers mind as the preferred choice. How do you do that, make yourself unique? One way is to specialize in something.   Part of that specialization might mean differentiating your product so you position yourself as the category leader; a category that you own; one that you create. For example, say a lot of vendors are selling loose leaf lettuce.  There’s already an established hierarchy there in terms of market share for the category of loose leaf lettuce.  How do you compete?   You don’t, avoid competition, and you create your own category. Maybe that category is head lettuce or romaine.  Or maybe it’s organic lettuce.  Or living lettuce with the roots still attached.  You differentiate your product just enough to move it to its own category.  Then you become first to market in that category and have an competitive advantage.  That’s a far cry from going into a competitive market and competing on price.  And when you think about it it wasn’t really that hard.  You didn’t have to create or invent anything new. You just supplied an in demand product to a market that wanted it, but didn’t have anyone to buy it from. That’s one of the many benefits of specializing in a product.  And it’s that benefit and the many others that we will be talking about today, on The Urban Farmer. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - How do you protect yourself from getting sued? To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/11 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support THIS EPISODE IS A REPLAY OF PREVIOUS PUBLISHED EPISODE. What if you could gross $100,000 per acre in a small sustainable agriculture operation? You could make a good living and/or you could afford to pay someone a decent wage. If you can gross roughly $2.50 per square foot, per year, then that translates into a gross revenue of $100,000 per acre, per year. How can permaculture techniques be used to accomplish that goal? Chris Young of SoCal Shrooms and Closing the Loop joins me to talk about just that. His goal is to show that you can gross that $100k so you can hire one person to work an acre of land and pay them a good wage to work it. He aims to achieve this by reducing input costs and stacking revenue generators, all while improving the quality of the land and producing a high quality product. Key Takeaways from this Episode: -Oyster mushrooms have a nice advantage of having a quick turn around. They can start creating cash-flow in 4 to 6 weeks. Similar to selling sprouts and micro-greens which have a 2 to 3 week turnaround. -If possible tap into an existing distribution network. This gets you contacts right out of the gate. -Get more out of the same amount of land. Property taxes will go up the future, water costs will go up in the future, and more and more land is being developed away from farmland. So try to be more productive on the same amount of land while improving the quality of that land. -Consider the cost of your own time in the business. And pay yourself. -You have to do the real numbers for you business.Don't fudge them. The numbers won't lie. If something isn't working, then look at the numbers and see where you can start making changes to make the numbers work. When you have exhausted all possibilities, then it is time to move on. -Start broad and control your risk at the beginning. Then look at the numbers and refine down overtime to optimize each system or business. -Celebrate the small victories. There is a lot of drudgery that goes along with business and farming, so enjoy the good times. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/11 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/130 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today I am talking to someone who tried to change the world at a young age, when her world was changed right underneath her. The her is Hannah Eckberg. She’s an entrepreneur and one of the founders of the new Permaculture Magazine North America. And like some of the other entrepreneurs that I’ve had on the show, think Erik Ohlsen, she as entrepreneur, whose past was heavily shaped as activist. Hannah was essentially born into an activist role. It’s almost as though activism chose her, versus her choosing it. Because at an early age an oil and gas pipeline was constructed through the ranch where her family lived. A pipeline that carried toxic chemicals. And it was dropped on them. At young age she got to see firsthand the fight between David and goliath. The big corporate interest versus the small landowners. Her parents opposed the pipeline, It wasn’t something that they wanted, but that didn’t matter at the end of the day because the pipeline went in. That experience would shape Hannah’s future as from learning to read at city council meetings where her parents opposed the pipeline to becoming president of the oldest grassroots environmental organization in the country, Get Oil Out, at age 19. She's been an activist for most of her life getting behind several causes. And she has learned a lot along the way. Today we will be talking about what she has learned. Not just related to the field of activism, but also to how her experiences have translated to business, because she recently took on a new business venture as one of the founders of the new Permaculture Magazine North America. In this episode we get into a lot. We cover her experience being an activist, so you can be a better activist, if that's your thing. And we get into some of the takeaways form her career as an activist and how that's helped her as an entrepreneur. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/130 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com takes on the question: I want to produce most of my own food. Is that crazy talk? To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today we will be looking at 17 different things that you think you might need or might need when you start your business. Even though we will be looking at each of the items on this list through the lens of someone in their first 6 months of farming, this information extends to established business owners. Maybe you have been in business for a while and you are thinking about redesigning your website. Should you? And does that matter? Our analysis and methodology for breaking down each of these items can be applied to many aspects of business at any time, regardless of how old the business. There are a lot of distractions that come into play when you are running a small business, hopefully this episode will help you focus on the distractions that matter, and forget the ones that don't. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - How do you transport your chickens to the processor? To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

The Yachats Farmstore – Building connections between local farms, our ecosystem, community. Presented by Nathan Bernard at PV3 in March 2016. Hear more A5 talks at permaculturevoices.com/a5.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/129 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today's story is about someone on a journey to become a farmer. It's a great story, but it's not the typical story that we hear about in today's world. The world today loves the magazine headline of the successful person that seemingly got there overnight. Today we'll zoom in on that overnight success and take a look at what it takes to be successful – the process of becoming successful. It's the story of farmer Seth Stallings, from Tecumseh, OK - a town with a population of just $6000 people. It's a town where Seth is starting up a pastured poultry business. Which by the way is in a state with no USDA approved slaughterhouses and no sources of organic or non-gmo feed. Not your ideal market to start a farm based business in. But it's one where Seth is making it work. He's found a niche, and making a go of it. Like he said, "No one can teach you how you are going to do it when you get to your unique scenario, you just got to do it and figure it out." In a world that loves to come up with reasons why something won't work, here's the story of someone who's said, I'm going to make it work. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/129 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com shares 7 Challenges and Concerns of Homesteading with Kids. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support It seems like a lot of people that get into farming and starting their own business are busy, all the time. Is that a good thing? Is busy a sign of success or is busy a sign of planning? I think it's more the later, than the form. "To me, 'busy' implies that the person is out of control of their life." - Derek Sivers Some of you might here that and think, what, that's crazy. I am in control and I am busy. Are you really? After all, what is busy in the first place. Is busy really a think or is busy a state of mind or is as Derek Sivers says the inevitable result of losing control and poor planning? If you consider yourself someone who's busy a lot think about that. Are you busy because you actually have a huge list of urgent and important things to do, or are you busy because you are just doing a lot of stuff. Outside of the Emergency Room most of us are more likely are the latter. Not many of us have a lot of urgent and important things to do each day. We might have a couple things that fall into that category and then we have a lot of other stuff that we do because we need to, because we think we need to, because we've never really thought about it, and because we don't have a plan in place. Busy might actually be in your control. As Henry David Thoreau said, it's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? If you find yourself constantly busy. Ask yourself why. And ask yourself what are you busy about? Remember, it's your life, and being busy all the time might not be optimum. Is that you really signed up for - being busy all the time? If not, then this episode may help you reframe what you are actually being so busy about. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question - How do you know how much to feed your broilers? To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Learn more about this episode at permaculturevoices.com/cd11 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support This is Part 2 of the Ben Hewitt series and it is inspired by Part 1, the interview with Ben about his book Home Grown. If you missed that one and want listen to it, you can listen to it here. For today's episode, I want to expand upon some of my thoughts form the interview and the book. My goal for this episode was to make it a though provoking one. It's me dancing between idealistic life and reality. Let's call it realistic idealism. How can we realistically create a system that is close to ideal as possible? A lot of this is me thinking a loud and hopefully getting you to really think about you life and how things are. There are a few central issues to this episode - time meaning how precious it is and us as adults dealing with raising the next generation of kids; maybe through the K-12 public school system, but maybe not after hearing this one. Learn more about this episode at permaculturevoices.com/cd11 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks what to do when you spouse isn't into the idea of being a homesteader. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Most people don't get into farming to get rich. Does that mean that you can't get rich farming, no it doesn't. But if you only motivation to farm is to get rich, then you better buckle up because you have rocky road ahead. Because when it comes to amassing monetary riches the road hasn't historically been paved by good soil and a tractor. That's not to say that there aren't rich farmers, because there are, but it's not the norm. If are getting into farming only for the money, to get rich, then you better think about how you are going to do that, and why you are going to do that. If money isn't your only motivator for getting into farming, then you better think about why you are getting into it, and how you are going to do it. Either way it won't be easy. But either way can make you rich, it all comes down to, how you define rich. Today's episode is a look beyond the bank account. It's a look at all of the other benefits and reasons to be an entrepreneur and to be farmer. This episode is us kicking around ideas and brainstorming to broaden the idea of what being rich, truly means. It's a definition that’s different for everyone. And it's one that you need to define when you get into this. Because if you define it, it makes it a lot easier to become rich, and if you don't then it makes it a lot easier to stay poor. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com gives his thoughts on growing hops (for beer) commercially. To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john.

Learn more about this episode at permaculturevoices.com/cd10 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today’s show centers around Ben Hewitt’s book Home Grown; a great book that has had a profound effect on my life. It's one of those books that I couldn't put down and at the same point it was hard to read because I got so lost in thought reading it. It's a rare must read category book for me. It should appeal to the homesteader, the wannabe homesteader, the parent, the soon to be parent, and the millions of people who are feel like the system did them wrong by sending them off on the wrong path in life destined to a life of track homes and cubicles. It's a vicarious look into the life that many of wish we could live, but don't... The subtitle of the book is Adventures in Parenting off the beaten path, unschooling and reconnecting with the natural world. Ben describes it as his sharing of stories, "They are not merely stories about all we are learning but also about all we are unlearning and about our imperfect quest to inhabit a balanced place that allows us to remain part of a broader world while also living in a way that is true to our values and vision. In a sense, for us this has been the easy part. I have found that the harder part is determining how to conduct our lives in a manner than honors these values and this vision, even as we are continually confronted with evidence that such a quest is impractical, if not downright naive." The book is deep, and I hope that it gets you thinking. This episode and this book is one that is very important to me because Ben's book had such an impact on me and as the title of this episode says, it got me to stop worrying and to start living. I hope that it has an impact on you, if you are in need of one. Ben Hewitt and I, two father, talking kids and life, here it is. Learn more about this episode at permaculturevoices.com/cd10 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks how he prioritizes projects on his homestead. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support What if you are already selling at farmers markets, but you don't have enough of a diversity of products to design a CSA around? If that's the case one option might be create a collaborative CSA. The collaborative CSA allows you to expand your crop variety with competing with other farms and without diluting down your efforts on your farm. You grow what you grow best in your context, and source everything else from other farmers who are better setup to grow those specific products. It creates a win/win situation for you and the other farmers. Everyone grows what they grow best, and in theory sales go up. It's also a win for the consumer because they now have concentrated access to more local products, without having to sourcing these producing individually from each farmer. Aggregators, collaborative CSA's and food broker models, are these models perfect? No. But if they give you options. And if you are having issues moving product, then more options might be better than less options. You just need to look at everything and figure out which combination is the best fit for you and your market. In today's show we'll look at some alternative market streams for selling your vegetables, so to help you start thinking outside the box, so you can sell more boxes, of vegetables. It's currently May 2016. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com talks about the Three Books Every Farmer Should Own live on stage at PV3. The Three Books: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - http://amzn.to/20QPuZk Holistic Management by Allan Savory - http://amzn.to/1Vrvg8V The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman - http://amzn.to/20QPd8W To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/128 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today I am talking to Dave Sewak about his new book Mycelial Mayhem. Dave has spent his whole life around mushrooms. It all started when he was a young boy and tagged along with his grandfather on his mushroom foraging expeditions. Dave then went on to become a mushroom forage himself and has spent nearly 2 decades cultivating mushrooms as a hobby and as a business. His book helps combine the technical knowledge with the business side of things give you a basic introduction into what the small scale mushroom business is all about. As you will here, it's not a business for everyone, but it is a business that stacks nicely onto na already existing enterprise. And like all businesses it's not always as easy or fun as it sounds on the surface. In today's show we'll will address these points and discuss some of the considerations to take into account if you want to start a mushroom business. We will also talk about integrating mushrooms into a garden setting, or a market garden setting. Could you add integrate mushrooms into that system and actually get productive results? It's an interesting concept that may prove to be a worthwhile experiment for you. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/128 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks what he wish knew before becoming a homesteader. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support To set the stage... Curtis had a next door neighbor.  That neighbor used to own Curtis's house, and he rented that house from them and farmed in the back yard.  When his neighbor decided to sell the house, Curtis then purchased the house from his neighbor.  Subsequently that same neighbor went on to move to another house in the neighborhood, and began renting out the house next door to Curtis. In the process a conversation began about Curtis farming his neighbor’s backyard now that it was a rental. The conversation eventual led to an agreement, one where Curtis would take down the fence between his yard and his neighbors, and extend his farm into his neighbor's back yard.   It's a process that was built on the back of respect and social capital, and facilitated by old fashioned conversation. Today we'll take an extended look at the transition of that back yard from lawn to production farm, and all of the challenges and successes that went with it.. It's currently May 11, 2016. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question, "How do you structure your pasture poultry CSA?" To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john. If you like the show, please support the show by making a contribution at permaculturevoices.com/ilikevoices

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/127 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Today, nearly two years after our first episode (permaculturevoices.com/63), I am picking up the conversation with Akiva. We cover a lot of subjects which we didn't cover in the previous episode including: Selling to wholesalers, selling trees online, shipping trees, and dealing with state regulations. In addition to the practical tips and techniques, you'll also get an update on how Akiva evolved as an entrepreneur... Because a lot has changed in the last few years for Akiva. In 2014 nursery sales were 50% Akiva's income, this year in 2016 Akiva expects all of his income to from his on site nursery. He no longer works away from home as a landscape.  He's a full time nursery man, and business owner. It's an awesome story of a small business, that just started on the side... Business continues to grow for Akiva and it's still a business that's literally rooted in loose, nutrient rich soil.  Akiva's small nursery business grows over 1000 trees on a half an acre.  Thousands of trees plant tightly together in loose, friable soil.  Very tight spacings that force trees to grow tall and straight in competition with their neighbors resulting in a lot of nursery stock that can be sold in the first year. How many people out there have some extra space where they could grow a few hundred trees?  Trees to use in the development of your own property or to sell.  If you sold each tree for $5 or $10, then we are talking about some significant money given the amount of space it takes.    It is simple, but it does take time, it is hard work.  We aren’t talking about any sort of gimmicks here.  It is about putting time, work, and care in to nurse these trees along to the point where you can sell them. One other point to take note of.  When we first talked back in 2014, Akiva was growing around 1000 tree's on half an acre.  Things have changed and he's now scaled up to 10,000 trees on an acre. That's a lot of trees, on not a lot of land.  But Akiva's making a go of it enjoying every step of the way. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/127 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks about what types of chicken breeds are good for eggs and what type of breeds are good for meat on the homestead. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin. Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support.

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support Most of the tomatoes that Curtis grows fall into the cherry and saladette category - the smaller tomatoes.  These types of tomatoes offer several advantages - they are pretty vigorous, they have a relatively short DTM, and because chef's like them.  And when much of your sales are for restaurants, you grow what they want to buy. Over the years Curtis has evolved his system for tomato culture.  And he now looks at them as a bit of a bonus crop given the way that he grows them. Many home gardeners dedicate full rows to tomatoes and give the plants wide spacing’s.   Curtis does the opposite.  He interplants his tomatoes; dedicating most of his bed space to another crop, while squeezing his tomatoes into the out 2 edges of each bed.   This strategy works for several reasons.  It takes advantage of more of the soil strata.  The tomatoes are planted deep, so their roots occupy the deeper layers of soil.  While the main greens crops in the beds have shallow root systems.  So while the plants are planted in the same space competition is minimized.  Another reason why the competition is minimized is that the tomatoes occupy more of the vertical space.  If you time the plants strategically during the year plant growth and sun angles allow you to get more plants in the same space with no shading. Overall, inter-planting has been huge for Curtis's farm.  It's what's allowed him to hundreds of pounds of greens and hundreds of pounds of tomato, in same relative space.   Not a bad bonus yield in a situation where most farmers would simply leave the tomatoes out.   Look around your garden at the extra space and think about that next time you plant your tomatoes. It's currently May 4, 2016. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Farmer John Suscovich of Camps Road Farm and FarmMarketingSolutions.com answers the question, "How long do broiler chickens live?" To learn more about John and see all of the ASK John episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/john. If you like the show, please support the show by making a contribution at permaculturevoices.com/ilikevoices

Resilience comes from connection and interdependence. Frank Golbeck of Golden Coast Mead will talk about how helping Mark Oberle and other mead makers get their start has helped his business grow and helped the category of mead develop, lifting all participants.   This talk was presented at PV3 in March 2016 by Frank Golbeck of Golden Coast Mead. Listen to more at permaculturevoices.com/podcast Listen to all of the PV3 audio at permaculturevoices.com/pv3audio

To learn more about the PV3 audio visit: permaculturevoices.com/pv3audio. In this presentation Taylor Walker covers perennial vegetable gardening in the subtropics and tropics. Forget growing most of your traditional “grocery store vegetables” many of these will not tolerate the intense rains, humidity, heat, and pest pressure of the tropics and subtropics.    Given that this presentation focus on more resilient perennial vegetables.  Taylor will talk about growing, propagating, selling, and using highly nutritious and versatile crops selected from subtropical locations around the world including Cassava, Yams, Moringa, Sweet Potato, Jackfruit, Longevity Spinach, Tumeric, and many more. To see the slides for the presentation and watch this presentation visit, permaculturevoices.com/b36 If you enjoyed this presentation from PV3, and you want more content just like it, you can purchase all of the audio from PV3 for only $99 bucks. To learn more about the PV3 audio visit: permaculturevoices.com/pv3audio.

Learn more in the show notes at permaculturevoices.com/126. What do you do as a farmer, when you are trapped in an agricultural system that values quantity not quality?   A system where you literally get paid for now much you produce, irrespective of how nutrient dense it is or how sustainable it is.   And how do you as a farmer work within that system if you don't agree with it.   It's not easy, and there's going to be a lot of give and take.  At the end of the day as a farmer you need to make money, and that may mean putting some of your ideology behind you to make that money.  As we have heard on this show many times before chasing perfection may chase you right out of the farming business.  There needs to be a balance there between your vision of the agricultural future, and what the market will bear.  But balancing those out isn't always easy and it can be challenge.   In today’s episode we’ll find out how Chris Kerston balanced those sides out. Chris is now and employee of the Savory Institute, but before that he was a full time farmer.  For 6 years Chris co-managed a 2,000 acre diversified farm based on holistic grazing and permaculture in the Sacramento Valley. The farm is comprised of old growth olive orchards, heirloom stonefruits and citrus groves, and also raises grassfed cattle, sheep, goats, and pasture-raised chickens for both meat and eggs. Chris knows his stuff on the land and he knows what goes into being a farmer and producing food.  But he also knows a lot about the current state of the agriculture movement.  Through his role as the Savory Institutes Marketing and Communication Director he travels the world with Allan Savory in addition to visiting tons of farms.  This has given him a wide ranging perspective on the agriculture space; something that we'll play off in today's episode.   We'll talk about the differences between farming and ranching and why if you are worried about the big oil, you should really be worried about big grain.  We'll discuss the validity of organics, and is it economic. And since Chris was a farmer we'll talk some farming.. This isn't just all macro ideas about the food space and the agriculture space. Chris talks a lot farming nuts and bolts - pastured poultry in orchards, selling meat, advantages for selling wholes and halves versus cuts, and a whole lot more.  There is a lot in this one, enjoy it. Learn more in the show notes at permaculturevoices.com/126 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

Homesteader Justin Rhodes of AbundantPermaculture.com talks about what you should feed your new baby chicks. To learn more about Justin and see all of the ASK Justin episodes visit permaculturevoices.com/justin.

Greens are big business for Curtis' farm.  Both in terms of volume of product, and dollars generated for that product. His customer base, which is mainly made of restaurants, buys a lot of greens.  And they pay good money for them.  But like many things on the farm there is a seasonality that goes along with restaurants and the products that Curtis sells to restaurants. Typically spring is a slower time of year for restaurant sales, and thereby farm sales.  Things just aren't as busy.   But this year is a bit of an anomaly, because Curtis's revenue is way up for the season.    That increase in revenue can be attributed to a couple things.  First, he has picked up a few new wholesale customers outside of restaurants, and second, he is selling all of his customers more high value product, specifically greens. More demand, means more production, so Curtis' production of greens on the farm is way up this year.   But it's not just as simple as planting more beds of greens.  There's a lot of nuance involved... When the beds were planted, how far apart the successions are, when do you harvest whole beds versus halves. Logical considerations, but not always the simplest to wrap your head around. That’s what we will be focusing on in today's episode. It's currently April 26, 2016. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/theurbanfarmer Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support