Developing Successful Farmers: Recent Episodes
Penn State Extension
Developing Successful Farmers focuses on starting farming, production, and topics to help make beginning farmers more successful. Join the Penn State Extension New and Beginning Farmer Team for informal educational conversations with educators, industry experts, and Penn State faculty and research. Each week we will cover topics that will help new and beginning farmers become more aware of the resources to assist their journey to enter farming. Guests will provide information within their field of expertise and provide tips to help make your start-up more successful.
The Seed Farm works to cultivate the next generation of farmers through our training and incubator programs. We provide beginning farmers with affordable access to land, infrastructure, equipment, technical assistance, and more, so that they can start their farm businesses. We also offer experiential training throughout the year in skill and knowledge areas that are critical to new farmer success, such as equipment operation, food safety, planning, and marketing. We are growing new farmers so that they can protect our farmland and grow the local food economy. In 2019, The Seed Farm became part of local nonprofit Community Action Lehigh Valley and a program of Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. Visit the website for more information: https://www.theseedfarm.org/
Meet second-generation farmer Alex Hoffman from Breezy Acres Farm. As the new owner and operator of a livestock and crop operation, Alex shares his story of farm transition and how diversifying the operation has allowed him to access new markets. Visit his Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/breezyacresfarm.pa
Meet Ashley Raspen, owner of Buttinhead Farms. Ashley incorporated her love of fitness instruction with farming and created a unique kind of business. Where she farms fun. The only expectation she has when you visit her farm or one of her events is that you leave happier than when you came and you leave behind the every day stresses in your life. To learn more about the business, visit https://www.buttinheadfarms.com/home
Soil health is the key for any farm, and especially for new farmers. Megan Chawner is our resident Vegetable Educator at Penn State. She walks us through what to look for when looking at your soil, where to find information about your region and some methods to improve your soil in the future. https://extension.psu.edu/megan-chawner
Thinking about taking your backyard flock to more of a commercial operation? Then this podcast episode is for you! We talk with Emily Shoop, a 4-H Educator at Penn State who has extensive knowledge on poultry. She gives us some great information on how to get started, planning and some of the pitfalls to think about before getting started. https://extension.psu.edu/emily-lhamon
Meet new farmers Larry and Ashley Lotta from Tuckaway Tree farm. Part of a new crop of beginning farmers with little or no farming background, this couple shares their story of what made them decide to become one of PA’s newest farmers as well as what they have learned along the way. Visit their website for more information: https://www.tuckawaytreefarm.com/
This episode features a conversation between Professor Tom Sharbaugh who heads up Penn State’s ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE CLINIC and our resident economist and farm expert Lynn Kime. Tom explains how the no cost clinic works, why a beginning farmer should consider looking beyond being a sole entrepreneur as well as a few common mistakes people make when first starting an operation. We also talk about the importance of getting legal counsel as needed and how to go about finding a good lawyer. https://pennstatelaw.psu.edu/practice-skills/clinics/entrepreneur-assistance-clinic
Risk management can be overwhelming with so many different products and so many providers. Where do you start? Lynn Kime, Senior Extension Associate has spent many years working with farmers on their risk management options and talks with Annie Miller, Extension Educator about where to get started.
Episode Artwork: “Risk_block_letters” by Paul Cross on flickr.com CC BY 2.0
Everyone knows they should have good records of everything – from financials to equipment to weather. However, everyone may not know why and how to get started? Join Lynn Kime, Senior Extension Associate and Annie Miller Business Educator as they talk about the essentials of record keeping, what are the major categories and the importance of developing good habits.
The Farm Service Agency or FSA has been a valuable resource to farmers for several decades. Today John P Wodehouse , Extension Educator talks with Melissa Reidenhour from the FSA on several ways the FSA can help a new or beginning farmer. You will feel comfortable working with this government agency whose sole goal is your success
Allison Beichner from Ag Choice Bank joins our Developing Successful Famers team as she walks us through grants, loans, and credit available to New and Beginning Farmers. She will talk to us about some of the best practices for farmers starting out and also highlight the AgBiz Masters program.
Christina Pulman from Penn State’s Food Families and Health Unit speaks with our team about budgeting, savings, and credit. She brings some innovative ways to build your credit and gave us resources that are available at no cost to farmers through the Sokolov-Miller Family
Financial and Life Skills Center. We even talk about what you can do to repair your credit and how to set SMART goals.
You may have heard that conduction a SWOT analysis can help you as a new farmer starting, but what is it? Lynn Kime, a Penn State Senior Extension Associate who has written and taught on the subject, teaches us how to use this effective tool to determine your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and how to use that information to make effective business decisions.
Starting with any new venture, we are often told we need a Business Plan. Does a New and Beginning Farmer need one? In his role as a Senior Extension Associate, Lynn Kime has worked with many farmers on their plans. He talks about why one is needed, why it absolutely needs to be written by the farmer and provides some excellent no-cost resources, including Penn State Extensions publications and the Center for Farm Financial Management’s AgPlan tool.
Lynn Kime interviews Mr. Brendon Carroll of Pinecrest Lake, Pennsylvania. Mr. Carroll is looking to lease some property to a new and beginning farmer. He and Lynn discuss the major components of the land and what a potential lessee might expect. If you have any questions, please email Lynn at lfk4@psu.edu. Questions may be addressed in a future podcast .
Annie Miller, Christi Powell, and Lynn Kime discuss what it takes to have a successful lease. What questions should you ask as a lessee or a landlord? What types of leases are there? If you have any questions for the hosts, please email lfk4@psu.edu, and they will answer them during a future episode.
Annie Miller and Christi Powell, Penn State Extension Educators, and Lynn Kime, Penn State Senior Extension Associate, introduce the Developing Successful Farmers Podcast. In this first episode, they discuss how a prospective farmer, rancher, or orchardist should go about finding land to lease or buy, who they should contact when they find that land, and what steps to take in preparation of sale/lease.