The Farmer's Share

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The Farmer's Share

The Farmer's Share A behind the scenes podcast where we visit with farmers and learn what it takes to be a sustainable produce grower across people, profits and our planet.

29/01/2025

It was a rainy, sloppy day when I visited Elmer Farm, but it provided an opportunity to see how the soil is protected from erosion. These fields may be flat, but micro erosion with-in the growing area is still a concern. Spencer heavily utilizes cover crops, and mulches within his vegetable fields to keep the soil covered. The main mulch used is with waste haylage from a neighboring dairy farm, this chopped grass provides a flowable material that spreads well, covers well, provides organic matter, and can even be cultivated through if need be.

🎧 Episode 24: Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm

27/01/2025

A loading dock should never be used as a boat dock, which could have been the case as Tony shared how he was using it as a depth gauge with the rising flood waters. In fact the flood waters exceeded the concrete and went about 4' above it soaking the barn and everything in it.

🎧 Episode 25 with Tony & Joie of Foote Brook Farm

24/01/2025

Bin storage is always a bit tricky. They are durable and don't necessarily require indoor storage, but it sure is nice to have them under cover so they aren't full of water and stay protected from bird p**p. This seems like a pretty good solution off the back of the barn at Elmer Farm.

🎧 Episode 24 Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm

22/01/2025

Part of Tony's success in keeping the greenhouse pumping well after Thanksgiving is due to the automation and controls of Orisha, a controller that monitors and controls all heating and ventilation.

🎧 Episode 25 with Joie & Tony at Foote Brook Farm

20/01/2025

Sometimes bigger isn't always better. The affordable seed drill from a nearby dairy farm was useful for many years, but required Spencer to work up the entire field for seeding. With the recent acquisition of this 6' drill he can now just seed the bed, and retaining the drive lanes, improving the soil quality and reducing compaction in the growing area. He's even experimented with interseeding cover crops using this drill.

🎧 Episode 24 Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm

17/01/2025

The farm stand at Foote Brook Farm provides a retail outlet to offer fresh veggies and other local goods to the friends and neighbors in the Johnson VT area.

🎧 Episode 25 with Tony & Joie of Foote Brook Farm

15/01/2025

The outdoor wash/pack area at Elmer farm is pretty slick with easy access with the harvest wagon. It features a concrete pad with a large drain under the barrel washer than can be cleaned out with the bucket of the tractor. This area is easy to move things around with a pallet jack and is used to stack bins with the pallet forks on the tractor ahead of moving them into the cooler just inside the barn.

🎧 Episode 24 Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm

13/01/2025

Tony demonstrating the high water line INSIDE his barn during the recent floods. In the interview he shares about the destruction that occurred on his farm destroying everything inside the barn and out from packaging, to ice machines, crops and tractors.

🎧 Episode 25 with Joie & Tony at Foote Brook Farm

10/01/2025

November CSA Pick-up location is right out of the walk in cooler! Everything is stored cooled, kept from freezing and easily accessible for customers to self serve select their share.

🎧 Episode 24 Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm

08/01/2025

Imagine the surprise I got when I arrived at Foote Brook Farm in early December to them cleaning out, and STILL PICKING FROM a luscious greenhouse!

Episode 25 with Joie & Tony at Foote Brook Farm 🎧

03/01/2025

Today’s episode comes to you from Johnson Vermont where we visit with Tony and Joie Lehouillier of Foote Brook Farm. They grow sod, and 35 acres of vegetables for both wholesale markets and their on-farm store. We start off the episode seeing what’s growing in one of the greenhouses in early December, take a look in the farm stand, then talk about how they cleaned up from the flooding that buried their entire farm. With over 4’ of water in their barn they lost crops, equipment, supplies, you name it, it was destroyed, or at least severely damaged.

04/12/2024

Today’s episode comes to you from Middlebury Vermont where we visit with Spencer Blackwell of Elmer Farm. He’s been growing for 30 years and built this property up from a homestead to a CSA & wholesale vegetable farming growing crops on over 7 acres. We start off with a tour checking out the wash and pack area, then hop in the truck during this rainy November day to take a look at the fields and various equipment. After that we pull up a seat in the boiler room of their greenhouse and dig deeper into Spencer's farming history to learn how he’s built the business it is today.

28/11/2024

This show is up to Episode #23 in it's current - long form conversation format, but when you add in the previous episodes of The Ag Engineering Podcast (on the same feed) we've published over 100 episodes of farm education content! I am thankful for the opportunities to share all this captured expertise with others.

24/11/2024

If you are looking for an opportunity to listen to other farmers sharing their experiences live and in person then head on over to Manchester New Hampshire December 17-19 for the New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference! The largest farming conference and trade show in the North East, it's a good one! Preview the program and register now on their website. https://newenglandvfc.org/

20/11/2024

Today's episode comes to you from Post Mills Vermont where we visit with Tim and Janet Taylor of Crossroad Farm. They are recently retired from a 40+year farming career growing over 50 acres and 20 greenhouses of diversified vegetables. What started out as a garden turned into a business that was able to be sold and retired off from. The first half of this episode goes into their history of building things up, and the second half goes a little deeper to how they managed to keep it sustainable.

20/11/2024

Annnnnd we’re back! After a brief hiatus through the busy farming season we’re getting back into the podcast now that both myself and our guests have a bit more time to “talk shop”. I just dropped a new episode, and have several interviews on the calendar this winter and am looking forward to sharing these conversations with you. I hope your farming season went well, and you’re starting to catch a little rest with these darker days of November. 🎙️🎧

30/08/2024

This really nice river access point was put in as part of the negotiations with a neighbor during the sale of some land which retains river access for swimming, winter walking, and irrigating. This section of the Connecticut river typically moves fairly slow, and has a consistent (controlled) depth being upstream from the dam. A great water source for these sandy, flat rectangular fields to receive regular watering when needed!

28/08/2024

Every farmer battles with w**ds. On Killdeer farm, it's oak leaf goosefoot. The flame w**der, and basket cultivators does a pretty good job keeping other w**ds at bay, but this w**d grows right up in the crops, and really slows down picking. In episode 22 Jake Guest shares how he deals with it, and how difficult it is to manage.

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Videos

It's only as big of a deal as you make it

Lisa shares some mindset insight to getting work done.

DO as much as you can in a day.

Just do your best! Lisa MacDougall shares during episode 21 of the podcast.

Hillside Cultivator Origin Story #podcast #smallbusiness #farmbusiness

John Shenk shares how he started the Hillside Cultivator business in episode 17 of the podcast. Listen to The Farmer's Share in your podcast app or visit the website to see additional photos or links from the visit. https://thefarmersshare.com

Pooh Sprague shares quotes from his friends talking about climate change and the challenges of farming in episode 16 of The Farmer's share podcast. https://thefarmersshare.com

Pooh Sprague shares how he jumps in with both feet to take on an enterprise on their farm in episode 16 of The Farmer's share podcast. https://thefarmersshare.com

Pooh Sprague shares his outlook in the vegetable industry amidst climate change in episode 16 of The Farmer's Share podcast. https://thefarmersshare.com #podcast #motivation #farmingyourfuture #farming #vegetablefarming #farmpodcast

Don't Get Seduced by Equipment

Geo shares how he resists the urge to invest in the fancy equipment when used equipment will work just fine. Listen to the full episode of The Farmer's Share. https://thefarmersshare.com

Advice for Beginning Farmers

Geo Honigford shares his key points for new growers to have a successful career in farming. Listen to the full interview on The Farmer's Share. https://thefarmersshare.com

Sustainability Begins with the Letter P

Geo Honigford boils down what sustainability means to him. Listen to his full story in episode 15 of The Farmer's Share. https://thefarmersshare.com

Farmer's Don't Take Care of Themselves

Geo Honigford reflects on a career in farming. Listen to his full story in episode 15 of The Farmer's Share. https://thefarmersshare.com

Farming is an IDENTITY

Geo Honigford hares key points about farming and life Episode 15 of The Farmer's Share.

Becca Burke of The Meadow Farmstead shares what she learned after her first year farming on new ground.

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