The CCOF Foundation is pleased to partner with Community Alliance with Family Farmers and “The Farmers Beet” to launch our podcast “Radio Organic”!
Join us for our pilot series centered around direct marketing strategies for farms. In each episode we’ll chat briefly with long-time organic farmers on marketing techniques that have helped them run successful, resilient organic farms. Listen in to hear what your peers are doing in the field or glean a few ideas to test out on your own operation.
Download episodes from “The Farmers Beet” podcast on iTunes and Spotify, or listen directly via CCOF’s YouTube Channel.
The series is available in both English and Spanish.
Series 1 Sound Bites
Bite 1: Rethinking Farm Sales and Invoicing Systems
In our premier episode, join us for a conversation with Joe Schirmer of Dirty Girl Produce. Schirmer completely transformed the way he manages his farm’s sales and invoicing systems after simultaneously navigating a new online sales software, unpaid invoices from customers, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and now he’ll share what he learned with you. Get tips on how to have your customers pay up front, innovative ideas for selling excess produce, and sound advice on how to choose an online sales software that works for your operation.
English Recording: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Spanish Audio Translation: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Bite 2: Keeping Tabs on Market Trends via Direct-to-Consumer Sales
Farmers’ markets and other direct-to-consumer sales outlets are great places to experiment with new products to see how customers respond. In our second episode, we’ll chat with John and Kyle Garrone of Far West Fungi. Hear how they leverage their direct-to-consumer sales outlets to keep tabs on market trends, test out new products, and educate consumers about all things mushroom.
English Recording: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Spanish Audio Translation: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Bite 3: Transitioning to Organic Due to Customer Demand
Transitioning to organic isn’t always easy but can pay off in the long run. Join us for a conversation with Patricia Rodriguez of Rodriguez Farms on how their farmers’ market customers urged them to go organic and stuck by then as their farm figured out on their own how to grow super-tasty organic strawberries. Learn how Rodriguez Farms’ dedication to soil health and berry quality has supported their farm’s success for over 30 years.
English Recording: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Spanish Recording: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Bite 4: Strengthening Farms and Communities through Direct-to-Consumer Sales Bite 4: Strengthening Farms and Communities through Direct-to-Consumer Sales
It takes a community network to support a farm and a farm to feed a community. In our fourth episode, we’ll chat with Bertha Magaña of Magaña Farm and Tania Zuñiga of Kitchen Table Advisors to discover how selling directly to consumers strengthened Magaña Farm’s business and community. Also get tips on organizations and resources that support small, organic farmers in California.
English Audio Translation: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Spanish Recording: iTunes | Spotify | YouTube
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Jamie Collins, owner of Serendipity Farms, and Adrian Fischer, program manager at the CCOF Foundation, for serving as the hosts for our premier podcast series. Much gratitude to Paola Marizan, our podcast producer, and Resonate Recordings, our sound editor, for showing us the ropes on all things podcast.
This pilot podcast series is part of the CCOF Foundation’s Farmers’ Marketing: Tools for Success project, providing tips and tools for farmers to strengthen their sales and income at farmers’ markets and other direct to consumer outlets.
Funding for the project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant AM180100XXXXG055.