Inga Witcher of the national show "Around the Farm Table" shares her inspiring farm story, which includes family roots in dairy, a few detours, experience getting a beginning farming loan from FSA, and how she's running a small dairy farm today while hosting a national TV show. Inga Witscher is a fourth-generation dairy farmer who owns and operates a micro-dairy in western Wisconsin, turning the milk from her 8 grass-fed cows into a raw milk cheddar. She is also the co-creator and host of the PB...
Mar 20, 2020•20 min
We are wrapping up our series with FL Morris of Grassroots Farm diving into a newer passion of hers: CBD production. Are you curious about growing hemp and need the basics? This is the episode for you as FL navigates us through key terms, things to think about, and future opportunities. FL Morris is a first-generation farmer, running Grassroots Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin, where she grows certified organic vegetables and raises pastured livestock. FL is a founding member, president and membership ...
Mar 13, 2020•28 min
We’re back with FL Morris of Grassroots Farm to talk about an important detour in her farming career: a year-long sabbatical off her farm. Hear about the insights she gained from working on farms on the west coast for a year and how the sabbatical fueled her commitment to her farm. If you're worried about farming burnout, this is the episode for you! FL Morris is a first-generation farmer, running Grassroots Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin, where she grows certified organic vegetables and raises pastu...
Mar 06, 2020•22 min
We’re continuing our series with FL Morris of Grassroots Farm as she talks about how to manage risk and make smart decisions in a regional food hub. Embrace the fact that change is constant advises FL, especially embracing that our climate is increasingly changing and unpredictable. Hear her evolution with CSA and how embracing cooperative strategies helps mitigate risk. FL Morris is a first-generation farmer, running Grassroots Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin, where she grows certified organic vegeta...
Mar 03, 2020•23 min
We’re starting a new series with FL Morris of Grassroots Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin. Today, she shares how she went from an art degree to a career in organic farming. She offers a dose of inspiration that we don’t need to have our whole farming career figured out, but rather take things step-by-step and follow our hearts. FL Morris is a first-generation farmer, running Grassroots Farm in Monroe, Wisconsin, where she grows certified organic vegetables and raises pastured livestock. FL is a foundin...
Feb 21, 2020•19 min
We are wrapping up our series with Kelly Placke-Raaum of Placke Organic Acres, talking about how she embraces diversity as part of her business plan. Learn how she adds new ideas and creativity into her farm business in between the daily running of the dairy. Kelly is the herdswoman on her family’s dairy farm outside of Cuba City, Wisconsin. Their farm has been certified organic since 1996. They currently produce small grains, beef, and grassmilk for Organic Valley. Kelly shares how her journey ...
Feb 14, 2020•17 min
Join us today for another conversation with farmer Kelly Placke-Raaum of Placke Organic Acres as she shares her passion for soil health—everything depends on healthy soil. Hear how she manages risk by building soil fertility through cover crops and how this works into winter feed for the cows. Kelly Placke-Raaum is the herdswoman on her family’s dairy farm outside of Cuba City, Wisconsin. Their farm has been certified organic since 1996. They currently produce small grains, beef, and grassmilk f...
Feb 07, 2020•15 min
On today’s episode, hear how Kelly Placke-Raaum talks about her farming story and connection to organics in various settings from the media to conversations with conventional ag farmers. Kelly has found anyone can spout facts and figures, but it’s what lights your fire that moves people. Kelly Placke-Raaum is the herdswoman on her family’s dairy farm outside of Cuba City, Wisconsin. Their farm has been certified organic since 1996. They currently produce small grains, beef, and grassmilk for Org...
Jan 31, 2020•18 min
Kelly Placke-Raaum is the herdswoman on her family’s dairy farm outside of Cuba City, Wisconsin. Their farm has been certified organic since 1996.They currently produce small grains, beef, and grassmilk for Organic Valley. Kelly shares how her journey came full circle, from growing up on the first organic farm in her county to earning an art degree and living in the southwest to coming back to join the family dairy.
Jan 24, 2020•17 min
We are wrapping up our In Her Boots podcast series with Barb Perkins of Vermont Valley Farm talking about how to keep workers safe on our farms. Barb reflects on things to think about when moving to paid staff and the role worker-shares played on her farm. Listen in for ideas to use on your farm to keep workers safe. Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one of the first CSAs in the state and one ...
Jan 17, 2020•17 min
In this episode, Barb Perkins of Vermont Valley Community Farm explains how the CSA model manages risk in her regional food hub of Madison. Highlights of today's conversation include making the most of space by succession planting and the all-important “C” in CSA: community. Barb shares ways she involved their CSA members as partners in their farm. Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one of the ...
Jan 10, 2020•17 min
We’re back with Barb Perkins of Vermont Valley Community Farm to hear about her next life chapter after the farm’s last growing season in 2018. Barb shares the challenging thought process she went through to define what retirement from farming looks like. She explains how she's had to learn to listen to her body as she grows older and joyfully embrace what’s next after decades of running an intense CSA business. Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994...
Jan 03, 2020•26 min
Barb Perkins left the city and her criminal justice degree to start farming with her husband, David, in 1994. The two of them pioneered Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest. Here, she shares how she got into farming and became enamored of the CSA concept, and how they grew a successful CSA at a time without email, websites, or social media. Barb Perkins and her husband, David, ran Vermont Valley Community Farm CSA from 1994 through 2018. The farm, near Madison, Wisconsin, was one...
Dec 27, 2019•22 min
We are finishing up our series with Jen Riemer of Riemer Family Farm talking about how value-added meat products add to the farm’s business mix and help the family farm manage risk. Jen explains the challenge of finding processors to produce their value-added products, such as sausage sticks and ground turkey, and explores opportunities for more ready-to-eat meat product options for today’s busy consumers. Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured,...
Dec 20, 2019•16 min
What can you do now to improve your land for years to come? Listen in as Jen Riemer of Riemer Family Farm in Wisconsin explains her family's systems-based, holistic approach to nurturing the land for the long term. Livestock and cover crops play big roles! We discuss our appreciation for diversity and how our nurturing instincts serve us well in farming. Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family...
Dec 13, 2019•11 min
We’re back with Jen Riemer to talk about the importance of diversity on the farm. Jen shares how she uses cover crops to build healthy soil, and adds value/fertility by using cover crops as livestock forage—wins all around! Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen’s family is transitioning the farm from a commodity beef and crop operation to 100% grass-fed b...
Dec 06, 2019•14 min
Today, Jen Riemer shares how she, a former vegetarian, grew into a passionate rancher and steward of the land. Hear her inspiring story of moving from the Chicago suburbs and a regular paycheck to her husband’s family farm 10 years ago, and how her first MOSES Conference gave her the confidence to take that leap. Jen Riemer and her family have a regenerative and diverse livestock farm selling pastured, farm-fresh meat and eggs directly from Riemer Family Farm in south-central Wisconsin. Jen's fa...
Nov 26, 2019•22 min
We wrap up our farm law series with this bonus episode with Rachel Armstrong as she helps us navigate employment rules when we venture outside of farming into value-added products, on-farm food service, offering classes, etc. While this diversification is great for spreading risk over a broad range of enterprises, it changes the rules for paying employees. Hear Rachel's recommendations to help you avoid issues. Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowe...
Nov 22, 2019•15 min
Today, Rachel Armstrong helps us understand "human risk" on our specialty crop farms. Learn about the different categories of labor, from volunteers to paid staff, and how to navigate legally and safely for everyone. Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowers farmers to understand and create their own solutions to business law challenges in an ecosystem of support. She strives to make farm law approachable and relevant to every farmer.
Nov 15, 2019•12 min
We continue our series with Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons talking about empowering women farmers to take charge of our businesses and manage risk effectively. Farming is unpredictable with variables we cannot control. Rachel helps us navigate and plan for what we can control, with a particular focus today on direct marketing value-added products. Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit organization that exists to empower farmers to understand and create their...
Nov 08, 2019•16 min
We’re back with Rachel Armstrong of Farm Commons to talk about legal issues on the farm and dig into the concept of risk and how to manage that. Rachel explains how marketing through a regional food hub can be "the sweet spot" for farmers, providing the right amount of support so they can hit a home run in the farming business. Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowers farmers to understand and create their own solutions to business law challenges in...
Nov 01, 2019•15 min
We kick off a new series with Rachel Armstrong, who grew up on a farm in Minnesota, headed off to law school, then saw the need for legal education for farmers and founded the nonprofit Farm Commons. Rachel’s story reminds us that there are many roles for women in the sustainable agriculture world and to experiment, research and—as she did—create new things that support our good food movement. Rachel is the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, a nonprofit that empowers farmers to unde...
Oct 25, 2019•17 min
We are finishing up our In Her Boots series with Halee Wepking of Meadowlark Organics, talking about the bright future of organic local grains and the role women can play. From planting regional-specific grains to starting a mill, there are lots of business opportunities to think about. In Her Boots Podcast The In Her Boots Podcast celebrates the collaborative spirit of women farmers, sharing ideas and inspiration with each other, and champions women farmers in the sustainable and organic farmin...
Oct 19, 2019•18 min
We continue with Halee Wepking of Meadowlark Organics to talk about how she direct markets organic grains to local bakeries and consumers. There are legalities to navigate, she cautions, as she shares how important it is to educate bakers when you're trying to sell them on grains that are new to them. Halee Wepking and her husband, John, run Meadowlark Organics, working with Paul Bickford on his 800-acre farm, shifting the focus from organic feed crops to a diversity of food-grade small grains, ...
Oct 11, 2019•14 min
Artisanal bakers and craft brewers have created a demand for local grains. Halee Wepking of Meadowlark Organics explains how to access these markets and manage risk by marketing through a regional food hub. Halee Wepking and her husband, John, run Meadowlark Organics, working with Paul Bickford on his 800-acre farm, shifting the focus from organic feed crops to a diversity of food-grade small grains, buckwheat, edible dry beans, and open-pollinated corn. Halee is mom to two young kids, Henry and...
Oct 04, 2019•16 min
Today we sit down with Halee Wepking as she shares how a Craigslist ad and a unique land transition plan launched her family's farm, Meadowlark Organics. From a degree in modern dance to stints as a professional cook, Halee’s inspiring journey reminds us to follow our heart and stay open to opportunities. Halee Wepking and her husband, John, run Meadowlark Organics, working with Paul Bickford on his 800-acre farm, shifting the focus from organic feed crops to a diversity of food-grade small grai...
Sep 27, 2019•22 min
For our last episode with Marie Raboin of Brix Cider, we tap into her conservation expertise and learn about smartly using cover crops as livestock forage and how that helps your business bottom line while building soil fertility. Marie Raboin runs Brix Cider, a hard cider company, farm-to-table restaurant and small orchard with her husband, Matt. They’re also raising two young kids, Teddy and Vera. Marie has worked in conservation agriculture for over 15 years with organizations such as the Nat...
Sep 20, 2019•15 min
We are back with Marie Raboin of Brix Cider on how she manages staff in the orchard and the rest of her businesses. Learn how to identify and manage human risks on a specialty crop farm like hers, and, how to retain employees by keeping it all fun in the process. Marie Raboin runs Brix Cider, a hard cider company, farm-to-table restaurant and small orchard with her husband, Matt. They’re also raising two young kids, Teddy and Vera. Marie has worked in conservation agriculture for over 15 years w...
Sep 13, 2019•15 min
Every business, including a farm, has legal risks associated with it. Hear how Marie identifies and manages legal risks in running her farm and cider business. Find and hire the experts, advises Marie. Even if you pay more upfront, it will definitely payback in the long term when direct marketing value-added products. Marie Raboin runs Brix Cider, a hard cider company, farm-to-table restaurant and small orchard with her husband, Matt. They're also raising two young kids, Teddy and Vera. Marie ha...
Sep 06, 2019•17 min
Get a dose of entrepreneurial inspiration as we hear how Marie Raboin of Brix Cider launched an orchard, hard cider company, and farm-to-table restaurant in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Marie explains how she learned to ask for help, embrace the unknown, and tap into a collaborative women farmer network. Marie Raboin runs Brix Cider, a hard cider company, farm-to-table restaurant and small orchard with her husband, Matt. They're also raising two young kids, Teddy and Vera. Marie has worked in conserv...
Aug 30, 2019•25 min
