Podcasts about freight farms

Solutions to our farming futures may reside on a spectrum that ranges from wide open to strategically controlled. Jake Felser of Freight Farms shared an important  perspective on how controlled environment farming can check several boxes when he first joined the Farm To Table Talk in 2022..  www.freightfarms.com

Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms, and Dr. Amber Orman, Chief Wellness Officer at Advent Health, discuss their partnership in bringing hyperlocal, sustainable food to healthcare facilities. Freight Farms uses modified shipping containers to grow crops, allowing for year-round production with minimal land and water usage. Advent Health recognized the importance of nutrition in whole-person care and saw the opportunity to provide their team members, physicians, patients, and the public with fresh, nutritious food and donate to local food pantries. The partnership has demonstrated the power of food as medicine and the potential for sustainable farming practices in healthcare settings.   Rick explains, "We grow about two and a half to three acres worth of crops out of an 8 by 40-foot shipping container. It looks like any shipping container you would see on a dock or a boat, but it's highly modified to grow food using LED lights, airflow, nutrients delivered through the farm, and controlled through software. It's really designed so you can grow 365 days a year, very clean food, with temperatures from minus 40° to 120°, and do that consistently. And again, get all of the value of it being hyperlocal and fresh and using minimal land and water." Amber elaborates," We have a doctors' lounge where the doctors, nurse practitioners, and some leaders eat. We also have a public-facing cafeteria, so anybody who visits the hospital can eat in the cafeteria. It's served in there. It's served in our patient meals, so we have certain meals containing the produce, so all of our salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Then we're also supplying anything extra to a local food pantry, and then they also donate to Kingdom Kids Academy in Kissimmee. We are able to sustain all of these things and donate some extra when we have it, even out to the community. It certainly provides better nutrition within a given day to those patients and team members and the people who receive the donations. It's also a way to start educating people about the benefits of eating more plants. We all need to eat more plants for better health, and so that's one of our guiding missions here." #AdventHealth #FreightFarms #VerticalFarming #Healthcare #FoodAsMedicine #AgTech adventhealth.com freightfarms.com Download the transcript here

Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms, and Dr. Amber Orman, Chief Wellness Officer at Advent Health, discuss their partnership in bringing hyperlocal, sustainable food to healthcare facilities. Freight Farms uses modified shipping containers to grow crops, allowing for year-round production with minimal land and water usage. Advent Health recognized the importance of nutrition in whole-person care and saw the opportunity to provide their team members, physicians, patients, and the public with fresh, nutritious food and donate to local food pantries. The partnership has demonstrated the power of food as medicine and the potential for sustainable farming practices in healthcare settings.   Rick explains, "We grow about two and a half to three acres worth of crops out of an 8 by 40-foot shipping container. It looks like any shipping container you would see on a dock or a boat, but it's highly modified to grow food using LED lights, airflow, nutrients delivered through the farm, and controlled through software. It's really designed so you can grow 365 days a year, very clean food, with temperatures from minus 40° to 120°, and do that consistently. And again, get all of the value of it being hyperlocal and fresh and using minimal land and water." Amber elaborates," We have a doctors' lounge where the doctors, nurse practitioners, and some leaders eat. We also have a public-facing cafeteria, so anybody who visits the hospital can eat in the cafeteria. It's served in there. It's served in our patient meals, so we have certain meals containing the produce, so all of our salads, sandwiches, and wraps. Then we're also supplying anything extra to a local food pantry, and then they also donate to Kingdom Kids Academy in Kissimmee. We are able to sustain all of these things and donate some extra when we have it, even out to the community. It certainly provides better nutrition within a given day to those patients and team members and the people who receive the donations. It's also a way to start educating people about the benefits of eating more plants. We all need to eat more plants for better health, and so that's one of our guiding missions here." #AdventHealth #FreightFarms #VerticalFarming #Healthcare #FoodAsMedicine #AgTech adventhealth.com freightfarms.com Listen to the podcast here

In this episode, I speak with Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms, who takes us on a captivating journey from his days in the retail trenches to becoming a trailblazer in the vertical farming industry. Rick's transformation from working with household names like Borders Group and Panera Bread to redefining local food systems with Freight Farms is nothing short of inspiring. He generously shares his Bostonian roots and the pivotal encounters that shaped his business acumen, particularly a chance meeting with Jeff Bezos that reshaped his view on potential versus present limitations. It's a tale that's as much about personal evolution as it is about the growing promise of urban agriculture.Dive into the world of vertical farming as Rick lays out the complexities of supply chain management and the innovative strides Freight Farms is making in controlled environment agriculture. Our discussion navigates through the importance of industry collaboration, learning from mistakes, and creating a culture that empowers and educates. Rick's blueprint for success isn't just about thriving in business; it's about building a resilient and sustainable future for food production. So, if you're curious about the inner workings of vertical farming and how leaders like Rick are steering this burgeoning industry, you'll want to tune in. This conversation is an eye-opener for anyone interested in the intersection of entrepreneurship and environmental stewardship.Thanks to Our SponsorsBio520Indoor AgConAgTech Weekly Review Key Takeaways00:00 Innovation and Collaboration in Vertical Farming09:48 Collaboration and Progress in Farming15:31 Challenges and Opportunities in Vertical Farming26:35 Vertical Farming Industry Trends and Leadership32:11 Leadership in Vertical Farming CollaborationTweetable Quotes"We don't inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children, and here's our chance to play our role in paying back a little for our kids, which in so many ways I think is important.""The right model is definitely going to be co-opetition. We have to recognize we all need to develop and protect stuff that makes us unique and special, but at the same time, we're all going to benefit from things like common R&D and industry standards.""If you really focus on where that huge opportunity lies, that was a big part of what brought me to Freight Farms. Understanding how big the potential could be, I never again am going to allow myself to be short sighted and overly analytical about where something is today versus thinking about what can be in the future."Resources MentionedWebsite - https://www.freightfarms.com/Twitter - https://twitter.com/FreightFarmsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/freightfarms/?hl=enFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/freightfarms/Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/freight-farms/Youtube -

With the global population growing and available land shrinking, new and creative approaches are trying to solve how to feed all those people.  Jill Welke dives in with Robbie DoMinico of Freight Farms.  Their concept creates food producing systems around the world from freight containers.  They also include technology that helps focus on sustainability throughout the process.Technology is something that plenty of Wisconsin farm fields will become increasingly familiar with in 2024.  Stephanie Hoff talks to Finn Johnson, agricultural business development manager at Madison Area Drone Service.  He says the busy season for drones is typically now. After the rush of the harvest, growers sit down to explore how a drone might make their lives easier for the following growing season. Because of the licensure and recommended practice time, Johnson says make your decision now so that you're ready to operate your new drone by spring. Some of the solutions that drones bring to the farm: cover crop seeding without damage and precision fungicide applications.  Dairy prices broke through critical support areas on Wednesday and that's bad news for the first quarter of 2024.  Katie Burgess, broker analyst with EverAg explains why the breakthroughs happened, and what needs to change in 2024. The primary drivers are soft global demand for dairy - and a new Texas cheese plant that's come online diverting milk towards cheese versus butter and powder production.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the labyrinthine streets of Boston, a narrative unfolded, written by the tenacious spirit of a man named Brad McNamara. Born and bred in a city that embodies both history and innovation, Brad's journey transcended the ordinary. This interview delves deeper into the rich tapestry of Brad's life, tracing the journey through his entrepreneurial endeavors. It starts from the early days in Boston to his groundbreaking ventures with Freight Farms and Morrissey Market.

There's much excitement out there about regenerative and organic agriculture, but how can they be financed and how can capital providers support these important approaches to agriculture? A new report by the Croatan Institute addresses this issue by emphasizing soil wealth areas. So, what does this mean? Well, we're going to learn about that from researcher Jamie Silverstein, an author of that report. Interview Summary So, let's begin with this. How is farm financing usually done and how does it come up short in this context of regenerative agriculture? Sure. A lot of conventional farm financing comes from local banks and farm credit branches in the form of debt, operating loans, and lines of credit. These lending instruments tend to favor farms that grow commodity crops or raise animals in conventional ways. The farms often have a history of farming. They may come from farm families, they may have established relationships with these lenders and they're practicing agricultural systems that are very common and known, and the models have been proven out. The lenders are very familiar with these models. Regenerative and organic farms often have diversified systems. They're growing lots of different crops. They may be beginning farmers who don't have a long history of farming or come from farm families. All these factors make them perceived as riskier to the lenders. The other aspect of regenerative and organic agriculture is that they often are operating on longer time horizons. The implementation of these practices or transitioning to organic agriculture may take a longer time and may need more time to repay back a loan. Often traditional lenders are not as familiar with these systems or don't have the flexibility to extend the loan repayment times. Okay, that makes sense. So, there needs to be some ingenuity here because the traditional models aren't applying. Can you tell us what a soil wealth area is? It's a very interesting term. Sure. We define soil wealth areas as special purpose soil wealth improvement districts that act as magnets for investment in regenerative agriculture. I can break that down a little bit, starting with the word soil wealth. We coined that term in a 2019 report and it really encompasses both the environmental and social benefits of sustainable regenerative organic agricultural practices. A lot of people are familiar with the word soil health. So, that is building soil health. It's improving biodiversity, improving ecosystem services. But the other really important aspect is the people side the social side. So, how do we build social equity through these agricultural practices? How do we build wealth in rural communities, create resilient landscapes, healthier environments to live in? Looking at the term 'area,' we're referring to a district model that is actually pretty common in agriculture. There are conservation districts that have been established by USDA, NRCS, there are farmland protection districts and economic development districts. So, the reason behind why we're prioritizing this sort of place-based approach is that we think places is actually really important, and this helps build trust with the communities and the practitioners in these soil wealth areas. It helps to prioritize culture and heritage, social connection and the community dynamics of that region. So, the soil wealth area is a region or a a district that connects both capital providers with the capital seekers on the ground - so agricultural producers or value chain businesses - and it also can provide resources like agronomic technical assistance or business and financial readiness, technical assistance which also is really important in terms of the viability of these place-based businesses. It's a very appealing concept because there's a lot more going on in a community or about district of land than just the number of bushels per acre. You're pointing to not only the soil health, but to the health and wellbeing of the people who live there and work there and things like that. It's a very interesting and and holistic concept. So, given this broad focus of this concept of a soil wealth area, how can financing be done differently? That's a great question. I think financing can be done differently in a lot of different ways. There's not really a one size fits all when it comes to financing regenerative organic businesses. So, I can provide some examples of what that looks like. Sometimes it's one particular type of finance and sometimes it's lots of different types that are blended together. This could look like a low interest loan or a loan with flexible repayment terms that may come from a community bank or a CDFI. It could look like a loan guarantee or credit enhancement that actually enables a lender to make a loan they may not otherwise have been able to make potentially because of perceived risk or allow them to reduce the interest rates so that it becomes a little bit more viable for these agricultural producers and entrepreneurs. Through this research, other CDFIs and impact investors and peer-to-peer lending networks have come up with innovative and creative ways of how to finance place-based producers and practitioners. In addition, I think philanthropic capital and grants are also a really important part of this and that they can support farmers and entrepreneurs either directly, or they can help fund technical assistance that really helps support them understand the types of financing they need or makes the lender actually a little bit more confident in making that loan. So, are there steps that can be taken to get to the point where these creative forms of financing are happening? There is definitely the need to scale up this type of financing and access to capital for agricultural producers and value chain businesses. The model that we are proposing is top pair the soil wealth areas, this very place-based component, with a network of capital providers that may not be place-based. They may be national in scope. We want to help facilitate and coordinate these types of relationships. We call this whole ecosystem the Soil Wealth Community. And, then we have what we're calling the Soil Wealth Capital Collaborative. That is the network of capital providers that can come together, learn from each other, and use that network to allow them to expand and increase how much they are providing and able to fund regenerative businesses.  Bio Jaime Silverstein is a Senior Associate at Croatan Institute. She also sits on the board of directors for Metta Earth Institute. Previously, she has worked as a farm business advisor for NOFA-VT; crop R&D specialist for Freight Farms, a Boston-based urban agriculture start-up; program coordinator for Slow Money Boston; and senior research fellow at the Sustainable Endowments Institute, where she led research on responsible investing practices at colleges and universities. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University and an MBA from the University of Maine. Silverstein has collaborated on various sponsored research projects addressing finance and sustainability, including “Soil Wealth” (2019) and “Institutional Pathways to Fossil-Free Investing” (2013). She has contributed to outreach and research, surveying institutional investors and money managers for the US SIF Report on US Sustainable, Responsible and Impact Investing Trends.  

Use code VFP100 for $100 off on the Rejuvenate Indoor Garden and 3 pod packs for freeJoin Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Michael Sichenzia. Michael is the Managing Director at Go Global Advisors and today, he shares his passion for bringing food to communities and what led him to pursue work in the vertical farming industry. Specifically, Michael speaks to the intricacies of developing container farms, everything from getting zoning approval from the local or city government to what he looks for when building a team. Michael is highly mission-focused and wants to leave a legacy of making the world a better place, or at the very least trying to. Michael touches on his involvement in the From Mary With Love project, his relationship with Freight Farms and his belief that education about the vertical farming industry comes through empowerment.Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/Indoor AgCon '22 - https://indoor.ag/Use promo code 'VFP' to receive 20% your registrationOunceOfHopeCEASummit Key Takeaways03:41 – Harry welcomes to the show Michael Sichenzia who talks about his background in real estate and how he made the connection between public storage facilities and modular hydroponic space 08:46 – What Michael looks for when developing farms and when building a team 12:01 – From Mary With Love 15:09 – A budding relationship with Freight Farms 16:38 – Zoning and effectively communicating with your local government and community 19:39 – Empowerment through education 26:34 – Michael speaks to an exciting new project he's working on in Buffalo 31:16 – Identifying the ideal investor 34:36 – Why Michael is so passionate about bringing food to the community 37:44 – Speculating on the future of vertical farming and why Marketing and PR are key 44:52 – Harry thanks Michael for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with MichaelTweetable Quotes“Having owned and operated restaurants in my past, I saw that that was an area that I wanted to get back to. And I saw that my real estate experience would play into that because I knew how to put together deal structures. And I felt that farming, and urban farming in particular, had a tremendous opportunity with the right deal structure. And that's how I got into it.” (05:51) (Michael) “I looked at the hydroponics space and saw it's really a play on storage. Public storage facilities and the way those deals are structured are ideally suited for modular, containerized, hydroponic space in an urban setting. And that was the connection for me.” (07:32) (Michael) “Passion, sticktoitiveness, the idea that we're gonna make this work no matter what the obstacle is, that's very important in any entrepreneurial venture.” (13:32) (Michael) “Attacking that and making sure that the city has a variance process, whatever that process is, get it started sooner rather than later. That issue will affect everything. The last thing that you want to do is take delivery of your farm and deploy it and not be able to grow. To me, you need to understand the zoning, communicate with the city, and really work that process effectively.” (17:45) (Michael) “I'm a big believer in good PR and I'm a believer that you make things happen with good PR and good communications.” (22:28)...

Crowds have gathered all over the world to watch cranes lift an entire farm unit off of a semi-truck as it is being delivered to a city, resident, or school. Those who thought farming wasn't possible for them can now hook in water and electricity to these freight farms and it's time to grow food! Dave Harris, Head of Plant Sciences, and Brooke Smith Account Executive of Freight Farms tell us how over 600 of these new-age farms have been delivered all over the world.

“In the long run, we need all forms of ag(riculture)— they all play their particular role. The more forms of ag we have, the greater the food supply; the greater the diversity of the food supply; and the greater the options we're providing. So at the end of the day, that allows the consumers to make the choice and not have the choice forced on them based on the limitations of the agricultural system.” —Rick Vanzura   Food security is a pressing global issue that requires concerted action from multiple sectors to solve. In many cases, communities are far away from reliable sources of fresh, healthy, and affordable food. This distance can lead to a number of long-standing barriers that prevent these communities from accessing the food they need. Fortunately, modernized food systems have the potential to help in achieving sustainability in food production and consumption on a global scale.   Freight Farms is on a mission to create a global infrastructure of products and services so that people around the world can enjoy fresh and accessible food. Their use of Agriculture Technology yields plenty of benefits, especially in urban vertical farms. By utilizing this process, their network of farmers can produce larger yields with smaller energy inputs, while maintaining a scalable and easy-to-replicate design that is also ideal for both small and large businesses.   This week, Justine and Freight Farms CEO, Rick Vanzura discuss how this modernized farming method impacts the farmers, entrepreneurs, consumers, and ultimately the planet. They also talk about how much space, resources, and technological know-how is needed to start your own farm; how to customize your own crops; common mistakes in ag-tech farming, and much more!  Meet Rick: Rick is the CEO of Freight Farms, a sustainable, hyper-local, fully traceable growing solution that uses no soil and minimal water. He has spent the last 25 years in President/C-level roles at major consumer and tech brands, including Fortune 5 companies and start-ups. He has also been an active board participant in every company he has served since 1994 and his current role reflects his interest in sustainability and environmental causes. Rick has received numerous awards and recognitions for his achievements and has been featured in major publications and spoken at various universities, including Harvard and Santa Clara.   Website Facebook  Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube TikTok   Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram  LinkedIn YouTube Episode Highlights: 00:53 Growing Hyperlocal Fresh Food with Freight Farms  06:17 Finding the Right Mission  11:15 Customize Your Crops 14:54 Soil Ag vs Agtech 19:25 Connecting Communities With Agtech 22:30 Start Your Own Farm 26:44 Common Mistakes About Agtech Farming   

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday from the farm! Welcome to another episode of Thinking Outside The Soil, with your host Seany Alfalfaseed. Where I get to talk story and touch on topics about hydroponics and the farmers who grow the crops and creatures we need to eat. | If you've enjoyed this or any previous episodes, follow or subscribe and tap the bell to turn on notifications. Check out the links below to learn more about how hydroponic fodder helps farmers save water, improve livestock quality, and become better stewards. And don't forget, as a special gift to you as my listener, check out the free sprouting video. Follow the show, get the book, and watch the video, so you don't miss out on becoming part of the next agricultural revolution! Thank you for being with me on another episode of TOTS. Take care, and have a lovely day! Links: Rent The Chicken rentthechicken.com Blooming Health Farms Chicken Blend bloominghealthfarms.com/shop sean@thinkingoutsidethesoil.com Free (+shipping) Book thinkingoutsidethesoil.com Free Sprouting Video thinkingoutsidethesoil.com/sprouting Apple Podcasts https://is.gd/UG2E5X Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6RNFxHElKSwjumV3DcA3tr Blooming Health Farms https://bloominghealthfarms.com/donate Instagram https://www.instagram.com/seany_alfalfaseed Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SeanyAlfalfaseed --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sean-short/message

In this episode you will learn about Freight Farms, its background, the current ag programs working with them, and much more! Resources for this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14UCvsgUjBE4pLdQsJzU3wfmC5__2wv-V?usp=share_link This episode is sponsored by Freight Farms. Like Here by the Owl Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Have a future topic idea or wish to be a guest on the show? Message us on social media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-fideldy-doll/support

In this episode, Breanna shares some of her favorite food labs that are easy to do in the classroom. Resources for this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1c7a8MKbdTPcPPcAIPzdJnUOpZIwy8ndn?usp=share_link This episode is sponsored by Freight Farms. Like Here by the Owl Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Have a future topic idea or wish to be a guest on the show? Message us on social media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-fideldy-doll/support

Looking for a fun way to bring inquiry to your classroom during Valentine's Day? In this episode, Nikki shares how she would modify Steve Spanglers 'Keeping Flowers Fresh' experiment. Resources for this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ksnav6MmadBh-VXOhF1tsR9nmb417LQH?usp=share_link This episode is sponsored by Freight Farms. Like Here by the Owl Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Have a future topic idea or wish to be a guest on the show? Message us on social media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-fideldy-doll/support

In this episode, John Bergin shares about CASE's newest briefcase PD, Small Gas Engines. Learn about the curriculum, what you get when you attend, how to help get funding and more! Resources for this episode: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Hw35IbmYDbH7qAGRY-yGfL1OTbMHnyzQ?usp=share_link This episode is sponsored by Freight Farms. Like Here by the Owl Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Have a future topic idea or wish to be a guest on the show? Message us on social media! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-fideldy-doll/support

In this episode, listen to Breanna and Nikki walk through how they would begin planning for National FFA Week. Get fresh ideas, learn about turn key resources, and leave with a road map to a successful week. Resources for this episode can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Vs3XvTMCWSPXdEUAiI02am0_o69DwWCZ?usp=share_link This episode is sponsored by Freight Farms. Like Here by the Owl Podcast on Facebook and Instagram. Have a future topic idea or wish to be a guest on the show? Message us on social media! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nikki-fideldy-doll/support

Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (00:00): Thanks for joining us. I think you're going to find this first episode of 2023 as fascinating as I did. It's about a pair of farmers named Derek and Brad, who grow about three acres worth of produce in just 320 square feet. They're using hydroponics to, as Derek put it, replicate Mother Nature at its finest. And for an old dirt farmer like me, it was really fun to talk with them about the science behind this technology. But in between all of the talk about soil science and chemistry and light spectrums, I hope you don't miss the story of endurance and entrepreneurship, perseverance, and above all, the meaningfulness of investing in the place you call home. Enjoy. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (00:45): Welcome to More Than a Mile, a local food podcast from Market Wagon focused on connecting you to local food through farmer stories from across America. I'm Nick Carter, your host, a farmer and CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon. We are your online farmers market with a mission to enable food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets. Food is so much more than just nutrients and calories. It's actually the fabric that holds us together. Thanks for joining me for this episode of More Than a Mile, and thank you for buying local food. That's one critical step in making an investment in food for future generations. All right, well, I'm really excited. My guests today are Derek Drake and Brad Schiever of Ditto Foods. Really excited to have you guys. Thanks for joining. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:32): Thanks for having us. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (01:33): Yes, thank you. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (01:33): You know, some people farm just because they have to, some people get to choose to farm because they want to. And a few people farm because they want to change the world or their corner of the world. And I've been looking forward to this conversation because that describes, I think both you and I, Derek. But our farms look very different. . Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:56): Oh yeah. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (01:58): So how big's your farm? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (01:59): It is a 40 foot shipping container, so 320 square feet. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:04): And where is it sitting right now? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:06): It's in our driveway in the back of our house Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:10): In the south suburb of Chicago. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:12): In the south suburbs of Chicago. Yes. On our property. So we take up a very small footprint. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:17): How many cows can you get in that shipping container? I'm just kidding. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:20): Oh, probably about five. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:25): Ok Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:25): They won't be able to move around, but Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:27): Not a whole lot of grazing inside there, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:29): . Ok. No, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (02:30): This is a fascinating journey. I want to start from the beginning. So 2020, Covid happens. You are senior staff at Kellogg, Northwestern University mm-hmm. . And that comes to an end with a furlough related to Covid. Tell me what happens from there. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (02:47): Well, I've always been one of those folks that goes to, all right, what's the next right move for me. In grad school, I've created a business plan for a food truck concept. And it was kind of marrying food truck meets tiny home. And after the furlough, I was like, okay, I want to see if I can do something with this. And started down this long rabbit hole of looking for developers, manufacturers of food trucks and tiny homes and seeing what we can do. And went to Brad and said, all right, I'd like to go down this route. And so I started the search and found this company out of Boston called Freight Farms that manufactures these shipping container farms, and went to Brad and said, I think I wanna be a farmer. I think this is the next right move. And he thought I was crazy. And we started the journey. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (03:52): And today you're a farmer, Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (03:54): And today I'm a farmer in a shipping container. Yes. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (03:57): Take that Brad New Speaker (03:59): . Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (04:00): Right, Right? It was interesting. It was interesting to say the least for Derek to say, we're gonna grow three acres of farm and three acres of crops in 320 square feet. It took a lot of, a lot of convincing and a lot of research and understanding of what exactly that meant to be a farmer, especially without soil. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (04:21): Well, I, I want to dive into that for sure. Because I'm a farmer with soil and a lot of it. And and this whole concept is fascinating to me. I think it'll be fascinating to our listeners too. But before we get there, I just wanna, there's a part of this story that I wanna make sure is told because Derek, you are an experienced leader and an executive with an MBA. But you couldn't get bankers to believe that this was a legit business, could you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (04:52): No. Well, you have to, you know, there are a lot of intersectionality going on in that conversation because a.) Trying to first teach them and educate them on what the hell hydroponics was in the first place, and then talk to them about growing in the back of a truck, essentially. And then they were also dealing with the pandemic. So they had PPP loans, and so they weren't sure of what was happening. And then we were telling them, our customers are restaurants, and every restaurant was shut down, . So they were like, so who are you gonna actually sell this stuff to? So we had to shift and pivot our business model. And yeah, it was a challenge. It was a challenge. And then you have to throw on the fact that we couldn't actually go in there and talk to them. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (05:40): So do you know how many banks said no? Like how many, how many no's did you have to take? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (05:47): Wow. And those are the ones that actually got back to us that we actually talked to. Cause there were, there were several that never even returned an email or a call. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (05:57): But the 26th one decided to bet on you, huh? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (06:01): Yeah. Yeah. The one yes, that we got, actually, ironically enough came from our second No. After they gave us a no, he reached out to us about three or four months later and was like, you know, I, I really think you guys got something good here. I like what you're trying to do. I have a colleague of mine at another bank, they're a little bit more lenient to lending to startups. Do you mind if I send your information to him? I was like, send whatever you need. What does he need? I'll, I'll send it myself. . And that was the one yes that we got. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (06:34): Did you ever give up hope? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (06:36): I did. Yeah, I did. But I knew what we were trying to accomplish. I knew that it was something good and I knew that if we had it, if we got it, it was gonna be something that was a.) Change our lives and our kids' lives, but also be impactful for the community that I wanted to impact, which is where I grew up in my hometown of Fort Heights. And so that was really what kind of kept us going. But absolutely, after you get No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's really hard to stay going. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (07:13): So, New Year's Eve, 2021, your farm arrives , which just sounds so funny for me to say. Your farm arrives. How long did it take before your farm was producing food? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (07:27): So we had it delivered December 31st, 2021. And it sat unattended, essentially. Because of the length of this process, we really did not, you know, we anticipated putting the first farm in Ford Heights, and because of how long it took to get financing, multiple changes had taken place with Ford Heights, with the mayor and the board, et cetera. And so when we got approved for the loan and the loan came through in October, we then called Freight Farms and said, you know, we're ready to make payment on the farm. And they said, okay, we can have it to you in a month and a half . And so at this time we're, we're living in a townhouse in Bolingbrook, definitely not a place to drop a 40 foot shipping container. And so we were able to very quickly looking through Zillow one morning, found a house pop up. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (08:25): We didn't plan on moving until summer of '22. And we found this house pop up that had been on the market over a year. And we'd been on Zillow multiple times, never came up until this came up. And Derek's like, look at this. Let's go check it out. So the next day we went and checked it out and as the realtor and I are in the house, we have no idea where Derek's at. And here's Derek in the backyard playing with the neighbor's chickens that decided to come running over. And so we looked at the agent and said, okay, you have a month to make this happen cause we have a farm to drop here. And so it was dropped on New Year's Eve and we were able to get into it finally mid-February. And the first seed was planted March 1st of '22. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (09:14): When most people say they want a farm and they have to move to farm, they're moving to a place, you know, that is a farm. . You had to move to a place that you could deliver your farm to. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (09:31): Exactly. We had to make sure we could have a farm delivered to where we were living. You know, the great part is where we found essentially is a farm, was a farm, at one time. And so we found, ideally what we had thought we were never gonna find as we thought about moving, which was an acre of land and a place that we could drop a shipping container. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (09:55): Do you have a well or are you on city water? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (09:57): We are on a well, but we have a water system that produces some of the best water out there at the moment. Our crops are well watered with fantastic, fantastic quality water. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:11): So you said seed in the ground in March. First crops in April? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (10:14): Well, not, not quite in the ground. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:17): Well, . See, you can't get it out of my lingo. I can't, I can't not say it. So tell me. Alright, let's do this. Tell me about this process because I start seeds in trays in soil and trays, indoors, ready to be transplanted or we'll direct sow into the soil in our farm. What does seeding look like for you? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (10:39): Same process. We have growing trays that we start our seeds in, but the growing media that we use is not soil. It's peat moss/coco coir mix. And we plant our seed, put the humidity domes on, and we germinate, you know, essentially just like, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (10:58): That's exactly what I do. Yeah, ok. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:00): We germinate the same way, except instead of putting it, once it's ready to go, instead of putting it in the ground, we put it in a eight foot tower, Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (11:08): A tower. Tell me what else is different. So this, this medium, it's not soil, but it's a medium. It's somewhat absorbent, right? It allows the moisture to get to the seed and the roots. What's the plant eat? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:22): Nutrients. What we do is we replicate the nutrients that they would get from the soil. So the minerals and all the macro and micronutrients that they would get from the soil. And any fertilizer that you feed into the soil, we actually introduce that to the plants through the water, which is, you know, essentially what hydroponics is. It's using water as the conduit to bring the nutrients to the plants. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (11:47): Okay. And tell me what kind of plants are growing in your farm right now? Lettuce, I assume. Anything else? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (11:54): Lettuce, leafy greens, herbs. We've grown root vegetables like carrots and radishes and different types of lettuce. We have about six or seven different types of lettuce, a couple of different types of butterhead, some frisee, lots of different herbs. This time of year we're doing sage, rosemary, basil. So we got a variety, nice variety of things that we grow. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:21): Carrots and radishes too. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (12:23): Mm-Hmm. . Yeah. And the carrots that we grow, they're not your typical long carrot. They're bulb carrots, so they kind of look like a cylinder radish . So we tell our customers that they can use it just like a radish, like slicing it really thin and using it that way. But yeah, you can grow root vegetables. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:45): That is really cool. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (12:46): Yeah. And we're currently right now also trialing cucumbers. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (12:51): Wow. A vining cucumber. How so? I'm assuming like your lettuce is cut and come back. Some of the other things are single harvest, like your root vegetables mm-hmm. , but a cucumber. How long will that vine live? How will it be determinate? Or will you be harvesting off of it over a long period of time? What's that process look like? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:10): It's TBD . Cause this is our first time, so we don't really know. Typically in this sort of environment vining isn't an ideal crop. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:26): It's not space efficient. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:27): Exactly. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:28): Not very space efficient Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (13:30): And in a vertical format as well. So there's a lot of rigging that we'll have to do once the vines themselves get too heavy to mm-hmm. to hold themselves up. We'll have to do some rigging and figure that process out. But like I said, it's new for us. We just recently transplanted some cucumber plants, so still working it out. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (13:51): That is really impressive. And that's exactly what entrepreneurship is about. Right? It's like, ready, fire, aim, Hey, let's try cucumbers, , . If the vine gets too heavy, then we'll put a different wire in there, I guess. Yeah. Just figure it out. Yeah. Very cool. Tell me can you notice any difference in the flavor or taste or quality from what comes out of your shipping container versus what may come out of the soil? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (14:15): Oh, yeah. Yeah. There is a, I don't want to necessarily use the term clean, but there's a freshness to the lettuce that comes out. The kale specifically has just a raw, crisp flavor to it. The texture is incredible. The lettuce has a great flavor and moisture to it. And the best part is that when you're doing full head, once they're harvested, especially for those that we sell, the root is still on. So those nutrients, it's not dead when it's at the store, even delivered to the customer's home, it's still living, put in a cup of water and it's gonna stay fresh and crisp for two weeks or more. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (15:02): Oh, that's great. Yeah, because that's the biggest thing with store bought lettuce is you start the clock when you take that thing off the shelf. Exactly. Yeah. Sometimes the clock's already been running a little too long while it's on the shelf . Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (15:14): Well, and a lot of it is, especially some of the bag lettuce, has been cut and harvested and washed, and it's two weeks old by the time you pick it up in the store. So when you get it home and you open it up and you wonder why it lasts two days, well, because it's been dead for quite some time Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (15:29): On our farm, we had just started this year, a greenhouse, it's a high tunnel. We're doing some winter growing, spinach lettuces kale and broccoli as well. But we're still using the sun for our light source. You are in a dark shipping container. It is opaque by design. Tell me, is there any reason why you don't augment light with maybe like a clear cover on the, on the container ship? Is there a particular benefit you get by being able to control the exact spectrums of light that you're producing inside your farm? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (16:05): Yeah, the plants need the red and blue light for photosynthesis. And with the sunlight it has all of the other colors it has to fight through to get exactly what it needs. And so the best part of container farming and hydroponic farming is we give the plants exactly what they need. And so we're giving them 18 hours of pure red and blue light for the strongest photosynthesis possible, which allows us to be able to produce a crop from seed to harvest in six weeks. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (16:47): So you can accelerate the growth by concentrating on only the light spectrums that that plant's gonna need to produce the leaves that people are gonna eat. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (16:57): Exactly. And the cool part about the farm that we have from Freight Farms is we have their most recent model. And so they have three different modes to it, essentially, which we're running in performance mode currently, which allows for that six week growth cycle. It's getting the exact light, nutrients and water that it needs, while still being sustainable, even though it is in performance mode. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (17:20): What about the light spectrum needed for this, it's a fruiting plant flowering and fruiting is what cucumbers are. A lot of people don't think of cucumbers as fruit, but, the science geek here, it's a fruit. And that takes a different spectrum, doesn't it? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (17:36): A little bit different temperature necessarily. So with the farm, we can go ahead and program in there what we're growing. And so it has built in automatically what's called recipes. So wow. Right now, because we're experimenting with root vegetables, the farm is still set to grow lettuce and leafy greens, which is a cool weather crop, essentially. Mm-Hmm. . And so the light, the water, the nutrients its delivering is based upon lettuce. And so that is one thing we're working with the cucumbers, is not just the vining, but it's also a little bit of a different environment. Mm-Hmm. . Yep. We're still having wild success with the strength of the vine itself, as well as the amount of flowers being produced out of it. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:22): How will you handle pollination? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:24): So there is actually the ability, it's pretty basic. It's taking just like a toothbrush and rubbing it against the flower. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:32): Yeah. So you'll manually pollinate. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:34): It will be manual pollination. But again, the flowers that we're seeing are incredible right now. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:42): I assume you don't want to release a hive of bees inside of your container ship. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (18:47): No, no. We're gonna try and control that part of it as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (18:50): Controlled environment's gotta be the most beneficial there. I have a hive on our property. But definitely try to steer clear of it. I wouldn't wanna be inside a container ship with it. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (19:02): . No, I don't think so. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (19:03): This is really fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing and just educating us on hydroponics. Is there anything else I've not asked? What do you find the most surprising about growing this way versus backyard gardening even? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (19:20): I would say the efficiency and how fast the crop grows. When you're replicating nature, we're replicating nature at its best. So it is always a perfect sunny day. It is always the perfect air temperature. It is always the perfect amount of air flow. So we're replicating nature at its finest. And when you do that, you're literally given the plants exactly what they need, even from the red and blue lights. They don't have to fight through the full spectrum of light to get the lights that they need for photosynthesis. We're giving them those, that exact amount of light that they need for the full 18 hours a day. So if you're traditional farming, you're not getting 18 hours of perfect sunlight. That does just, doesn't happen on a year round basis. You're not giving them the perfect 73 degrees with a nice gentle breeze flowing over their leaves every day, all day for 365 days a year. You're not doing that. So when we talk about efficiency and the output, in my opinion, and because we are hydroponic farmers they just can't, can't compete. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (20:34): No. When we look at what we are in control of, we're using less than five gallons of water a day. And essentially there is no runoff to the water that is given to the plants. Whatever the plants don't absorb is put back into the tank and recirculated once it's re nutrient again. And we have 320 square feet to grow up to three acres of land, which is over 8,800 plants at one time in there. And so the fact that we can control it and achieve a 99% germination rate from the very start, gives us full control of the quality and a consistent quality of products that we produce. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (21:16): That sounds amazing for somebody over here who's, you know, dealing with 70 to 80% germination in the soil. My hands are dirty. This sounds almost too good to be true. I can't wait to come visit it and see it. My brother lives in Chicago, so on the next trip up, I'm gonna have to get off a little early near Ford Heights. So let's talk about Ford Heights. You put this in a location that, well, anywhere you're gonna put a container ship near the Chicago area is an atypical place for a farm. But Ford Heights what's the draw there? What's the connection? Why on the south side of Chicago? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (21:55): To me, that's home. You know, my mother still lives there, so when I go home, that's where I'm going. The house I was born and raised in, my grandmother passed away almost two years now, and she left me the house. So I own a house in that area. So for me, it's going home and it's also reinvesting in home. A lot of folks talk about the bad that comes out of these communities, but they're not doing anything to change the bad. I wanted to change the narrative of what's coming out of that community. I came out of that community and I know lots of folks that came out of that community that I grew up with that are doing really, really good things and that are very successful. And so that was the narrative shift, the narrative change that we wanted was. That's why originally we wanted the farm to be in Fort Heights, to actually talk about what was coming out of Ford Heights, what Fort Heights was producing. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (22:50): And it will, we will have a farm in Ford Heights. We're currently working with the school there to try to figure that out. But it was that changing that narrative of what's coming out of my hometown. You know, when I go home, that's where I go. And I don't want people to only know the bad, the poor, the this, the that, all of the preconceived notions of what they have about Ford Heights and communities like it. I wanted it to be, 'did you hear about that hydroponic farm that's in Ford Heights?' That's what I wanted the narrative. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (23:21): That's really neat. And Ditto Foods is a for-profit company, right? You guys are in business, but you've partnered up with several nonprofits. I mean, you are giving back in all kinds of ways. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (23:35): Yeah. We are working with Cornerstone Community Center out in Ford Heights. They do a lot of great, they do a lot of training for the staff. They do different things to reeducate the folks out there in the community. They also have a food pantry that distributes food to the folks in the community. So we partner with them to provide produce to the community. We also have one of our lettuce blends called the Butta' Blend. Portions of the proceeds from that goes to support the food pantry and goes to allow us to provide produce to the families in the community at a discounted rate. We recently partnered with the school district in Ford Heights to grow out their hydroponic program. They have a garden group there with about 10 kids. And I went and spoke to them and talked to them about hydroponics, and they're all so excited. It's giving back. You can't talk about things that aren't changing unless you're trying to help make that change happen. And so that's what we're doing. We're being a part of that change and we're glad to be part of the change. And I'm excited to work with other school districts to bring this technology and this education to the kids in the community. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (24:59): And when we developed the mission for Ditto Food, one of the main goals with creating access was not just handing over fresh produce to communities, but it was educating the communities. And it all starts at home. And it all starts at the forefront of educating individuals on how to grow your own produce. And that's our commitment with the schools as we begin to partner with garden clubs and other school districts, is teaching them the new way of food growth, which is how do you grow the most in a limited space that's clean and healthy? And so as we continue to partner with schools and educate them and work with the students on where does your food come from? It all goes back to the reason that we started Ditto Foods, which is providing access and education to multi-levels of generation of what does it mean to get your food and what does it mean to grow your own food. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (25:59): That sounds awesome. I'm really excited for you guys, and I'm grateful fo how you've poured your life, your career into this mission for your corner of Chicago, right? But you're leading and setting an example and it won't be the last, tell me. What's the future for Ditto Foods? Where do you see this going? More containers, more locations, what? Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (26:27): Our goal is three farms in five years. And so that is what we're working towards. But we also have a grocery store concept, a grocery store business that we created called Your Home Grocer that also takes that whole shipping container and building out a micro grocer using shipping containers. And a farm will be attached to that grocery store. And we're taking this business to communities like Ford Heights to again, bring the access to the community so that the community can produce for the community. So we have a big, big plan. We have big plans for the business as a whole. So there's the farm, there's the grocery store. We even have a laundromat concept that we have called Buddy Annie's Laundry. When I was a kid, my grandfather managed the local laundromat in Ford Heights. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (27:23): And we don't think about it, but that's a thing that most, a lot of those communities don't have. And so they have to get on a bus to travel to the next community or the next town over just to wash their clothes. And so again, when we talk about access, bringing access to the community. So those are the three things that we're looking to build out within the next five to 10 years is to continue to grow the farm business, building out our micro grocer, Your Home Grocer, and the laundromat, your Buddy Annie Laundry. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (27:56): Wow. Well, you have a fascinating farm in and of itself, and what you're doing is really interesting and thanks for sharing a little bit of the science behind it, how it works. But you've got an even more compelling vision. I'm sure that a lot of our listeners are going to want to be able to follow your story. So if people wanted to connect with you online, follow what's going on and just support you how are they gonna find you? Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (28:18): So they can go to our website at dittofoods.com. Support, it can be done through Market Wagon and purchasing directly through them. We also have a seedling program on our website that allows customers to purchase a seedling that's been germinated, and they can start to grow their own produce at home as well. And then you'll see Derek all over TikTok and a new YouTube series of growing in your home with the seedlings as well. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (28:50): Very, very cool. Derek Drake, Brad Schiever, thank you so much for sharing your story with us on More Than a Mile. Brad Schiever (Ditto Foods) (28:57): Thank you. Derek Drake (Ditto Foods) (28:57): Thank you so much. Nick Carter (Host - Market Wagon CEO) (29:05): Thank you for listening to this episode of More Than a Mile. Be sure to sign up for Market wagon at marketwagon.com or after downloading the Market Wagon app for iOS or Android. Follow us @MarketWagon on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for stories, recipes, special announcements, news, and just digital handshakes from our friendly farming community. If you enjoyed More Than a Mile, please rate the podcast and write a review on iTunes, castbox, podchaser, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Thank you for continuing to support local food.  

On this episode of the Direct Farm Podcast, we sit down with Brooke Smith from Freight Farms. Freight Farms empowers individuals to start farming anywhere with their hydroponic shipping containers. Brooke shares the history behind Freight Farms and how individuals from all over the world use containers to grow produce for their local communities, year-round.www.freightfarms.com/ barn2door.com/resources

I was excited to interview Rick for The VentureFizz Podcast, as he has a very unique background in terms of scaling great retail and restaurant brands like Borders, Panera Bread, and Wahlburgers, which was a startup at the time when he joined as CEO. Sure in the case of Wahlburgers, it is helpful when the owners are celebrities and you have an A&E reality show to support the company, but regardless… you still need to have the right vision, product, and service… and even more importanlty, you need to have the ability to execute, which is where so many companies fail. Rick is now tackling a new but related industry and that is in the world AgTech as CEO of Freight Farms. It is a company that I have been following and have admired since I first heard about them from their time at MassChallenge and Techstars. It is such a cool concept - hydroponic container farms where can grow food any time and anywhere. Freight Farms recently announced a $17.5M Series B3 round of funding to support the growth of the business. In this episode of our podcast, we cover: * Advice for scaling companies in the food industry. * Rick's professional background throughout his early career including his time as the EVP and Co-COO at Panera Bread. * How he sought out Wahlburgers and became the company's first CEO and helped it grow to a $100M brand, plus details on working with the Wahlberg family and the A&E show. * All the information on Freight Farms in terms of how their container farms work, plus details on the company's business model which includes hardware, software, and services. * And so much more. If you like the show, please remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.

In October 2018, their two-year-old son was infected with E. coli during the romaine lettuce outbreak. It was one week from the first sign that something was wrong until the day he died. Brad and Kristen Bell had no idea that eating a salad could be so dangerous. And they were shocked to find out how widespread this problem is. Leafy green vegetables now cause more E. coli outbreaks than any other food, including beef. With the spirit of Cooper in their hearts, they put everything they had into a new solution – they partnered with Freight Farms to create 4 Acres Hydroponics – their startup that creates a carefully controlled indoor environment to grow greens year-round with no pesticides or herbicides – for their family, community, and as advocates for food systems reinvention. In this podcast, they touch on three key ideas: Is mass-produced food killing us? Three things you can do today to get access to safe, healthy food. Basic information for starting your own micro-impact hydroponic foods innovation project. Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Canada's economy. To support Canada's businesses, subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Want to stay up-to-date on the latest #entrepreneur podcasts and news? Subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter

Effective climate change actions can be on a spectrum from 'mitigation' that reduces emissions to 'adaptation' -- recognition that the the crisis may no longer be avoidable but humans will figure out new ways to live in a hotter world. The necessary adaptations will include new ways and new places to farm, such as shipping containers that allow food to be produced year round adjacent to restaurants or stores and by farmers who may not be able to afford traditional farm acreage or no longer have a suitable climate. Jake Felser is the Chief Tech Officer of Freight Farms, a Boston-based company using shipping containers to create hydroponic farms – on their mission to make fresh food accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time. www.FreightFarms.com

Rick Vanzura, CEO of Freight Farms, is among the pioneers in sustainable hyper-local indoor farming, through the company's global network of internet-connected farms operating inside modified containerized cargo units. Here is the story of what is possible when farming takes place inside a highly controlled and localized micro-environment. (07/2022)

Today's #TechTuesday includes an interview with Freight Farms Chief Technology Office, Jake Felser, who shares about the company and how it came to be. He also gives factual evidence of the energy reduction accomplished by the company and how profitable it can truly be for small-scale commercial farmers. You can learn more about this innovative company at their website: https://www.freightfarms.com

Shout out to this week's sponsors: Freight Farms https://brnvgn.me/freightfarms Maxine's Heavenly https://brnvgn.me/maxinesheavenly - use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25% Clicking the links above is an easy and free way to support the podcast. Thank you so much for checking out the sponsors! In this episode, I chat with plant-based wellness coach Rasheeta Joy about: Solo travel around the world as vegan - the food, the people, tips & the lessons  Is it possible to build a booty in the gym or is it all genetics? Baby steps you can take right now to eat healthier and move your body. Rasheeta's mission is to teach women how to heal with plants & get the body they desire with fitness. Get the show notes for this episode here

Shout out to this week's sponsors: Freight Farms https://brnvgn.me/freightfarms Maxine's Heavenly https://brnvgn.me/maxinesheavenly - use discount code “brownvegan” to save 25% Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast. Thank you so much for checking out the sponsors! In our conversation, we chat about: Taylor work's and her mission to redefine health and wellness Why we need vitamin B12 and how to get it The protein debate and how to ensure you're getting enough each day The diet culture trap How veganism can be attractive to people who deal with disordered eating & the red flags you should be aware of. Get the show notes for this episode here   Download the free vegan starter kit with more tips and a grocery list at brownveganvip.com

Did you know Heritage Radio Network studio is made of two repurposed shipping containers inside Roberta's Pizza in Bushwick Brooklyn? To celebrate the return to in-studio recording were doing an episode on shipping container technology. Tech Bites host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with HRN Head of Audio Production Matt Patterson about the studio. Talking about portable hydroponic container farms is Jake Felser, CTO of Freight Farms, and Udi Shamai, Co-Founder and CEO of Hyper Robotics, talks about self-container robotic pizza kitchens.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Tech Bites by becoming a member!Tech Bites is Powered by Simplecast.

Shout out to this week's sponsor: Freight Farms https://brnvgn.me/freightfarms Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast. Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor! In this episode, I share practical vegan grocery shopping tips. My goal is to make shopping a little less overwhelming for you, so you're more confident in the store. Get show notes for this episode here  Download the free vegan starter kit with more tips and a grocery list at brownveganvip.com

Episode SummaryJoin Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Michael Sichenzia. Michael is the Managing Director at Go Global Advisors and today, he shares his passion for bringing food to communities and what led him to pursue work in the vertical farming industry. Specifically, Michael speaks to the intricacies of developing container farms, everything from getting zoning approval from the local or city government to what he looks for when building a team. Michael is highly mission-focused and wants to leave a legacy of making the world a better place, or at the very least trying to. Michael touches on his involvement in the From Mary With Love project, his relationship with Freight Farms and his belief that education about the vertical farming industry comes through empowerment.  Thanks to Our SponsorsCultivatd –https://www.cultivatd.com/ ( https://www.cultivatd.com/)https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/ (  ) Indoor Ag-Con - https://indoor.ag (https://indoor.ag) Key Takeaways03:41 – Harry welcomes to the show Michael Sichenzia who talks about his background in real estate and how he made the connection between public storage facilities and modular hydroponic space   08:46 – What Michael looks for when developing farms and when building a team  12:01 – From Mary With Love  15:09 – A budding relationship with Freight Farms  16:38 – Zoning and effectively communicating with your local government and community  19:39 – Empowerment through education  26:34 – Michael speaks to an exciting new project he's working on in Buffalo  31:16 – Identifying the ideal investor  34:36 – Why Michael is so passionate about bringing food to the community  37:44 – Speculating on the future of vertical farming and why Marketing and PR are key  44:52 – Harry thanks Michael for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with Michael  Tweetable Quotes“Having owned and operated restaurants in my past, I saw that that was an area that I wanted to get back to. And I saw that my real estate experience would play into that because I knew how to put together deal structures. And I felt that farming, and urban farming in particular, had a tremendous opportunity with the right deal structure. And that's how I got into it.” (05:51) (Michael)  “I looked at the hydroponics space and saw it's really a play on storage. Public storage facilities and the way those deals are structured are ideally suited for modular, containerized, hydroponic space in an urban setting. And that was the connection for me.” (07:32) (Michael)  “Passion, sticktoitiveness, the idea that we're gonna make this work no matter what the obstacle is, that's very important in any entrepreneurial venture.” (13:32) (Michael)  “Attacking that and making sure that the city has a variance process, whatever that process is, get it started sooner rather than later. That issue will affect everything. The last thing that you want to do is take delivery of your farm and deploy it and not be able to grow. To me, you need to understand the zoning, communicate with the city, and really work that process effectively.” (17:45) (Michael)  “I'm a big believer in good PR and I'm a believer that you make things happen with good PR and good communications.” (22:28) (Michael)  “We have to remember that social enterprise is still an enterprise. The key word there is ‘enterprise.' We tend to forget that. These [containers] need to be self-sustaining otherwise they will fail.” (33:37) (Michael)  “I'm not in this for the deal. I'm in this because I want to bring food to the community. And I think that there's probably never been a better time to marry good deal structure with delivery and production of food. We need it now more than ever. It really is the time to own our own food again. I really believe that.” (34:36) (Michael) ...

Shout out to this week's sponsor: Freight Farms https://brnvgn.me/freightfarms Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast. Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

In this episode, I share about the current research that I'm doing on a indoor farming system. I share about the conversation that I had with a company out of Boston. They are going to provide me with a quote to get a turnkey hydroponic growing system that is inside of a container all the way to a Honduras port. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/matt-warren8/message

Agtech panel with Karn Manhas, CEO of Terramera, Brad McNamara, Co-Founder & Former CEO of Freight Farms and Jake Felser, CTO of Freight Farms and David Hamilton Nichols, Family Office & Impact Investor.

In this episode of The Stockout, Mike Baudendistel discusses a vertical farming solution with James Woolard, chief marketing officers of Freight Farms, a company that produces and sells shipping containers outfitted to be used as hydroponic farms. Mike and James discuss where container farms are likely to have the biggest impact. In addition, Mike gives a rundown of the news amid a busy week of companies reporting earnings.Follow The Stockout on Apple PodcastsFollow The Stockout on SpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts

In this episode of The Stockout, Mike Baudendistel discusses a vertical farming solution with James Woolard, chief marketing officers of Freight Farms, a company that produces and sells shipping containers outfitted to be used as hydroponic farms. Mike and James discuss where container farms are likely to have the biggest impact. In addition, Mike gives a rundown of the news amid a busy week of companies reporting earnings.Follow The Stockout on Apple PodcastsFollow The Stockout on SpotifyMore FreightWaves Podcasts

Earth911 talks with Jake Felser, Chief Technology Officer at Freight Farms about the company's "complete farming system inside a box.” It's a very big box that includes climate controls and monitoring systems to make faming easy for anyone to do.  Freight Farms builds and delivers shipping containers converted into highly efficient hydroponic farms that use LED lighting to grow and deliver fresh produce year-round. Jake discusses the cost of getting started, how many people are needed to run the farm, and how it the built-in automation helps farmers plan a profitable business. Grocers, restaurants, communities and small farms are using Freight Farms installations at 350 farms in 49 states and 32 countries. The company says most of its customers are new to agriculture and operate right in the urban and rural communities they serve.Growing and distributing vegetables locally is one of the most effective ways to lower our society's carbon footprint. While agriculture contributes about 10% of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions each year, the majority of that is from raising animals. By increasing our consumption of locally grown vegetables, we can improve local health and reduce overall emissions from transportation. It's not easy to grow food in most cities using traditional methods. The introduction of container farms and vertical farming inside buildings can reshape food deserts and create economic opportunity. To learn more, visit FreightFarms.com.

I have found that I am often pulled towards those who live their lives with a mixture of ambition, empathy, and purpose. Tommy Garry is one of those people. He is an account executive at Freight Farms, a leading hydroponic farming company based in Boston. Have a listen to this episode. Your direct impression of this conversation will describe it better than I ever could here. "Uplifting" is the keyword. Enjoy! * If you'd like to support The Comin' Home Podcast With John Alan, you can set up a monthly contribution for as little as 5 dollars at one of the links here: https://patron.podbean.com/JohnAlan https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnalanpod https://paypal.me/johnalanpod More info and my blog are here at https://johnalanpod.com/ #TheCominHomePodcastWithJohnAlan #FreightFarms #LoveYourLife

Bryan Epps, New Jersey native, is a returning farmer with an extensive background in organizing and community building. In this episode, Bryan shares the legacy of his family's land: Eester Farm, held for 200 years and how he's been called back to the agricultural grid and what the transition has been like. He also shares his perspectives on food and nutrition and his devotion to disrupting food apartheid. Tap in!This program was brought to you by Freight Farms.https://www.freightfarms.com/edibleactivist

Jon Friedman saw a need for urban agriculture to emerge as a competitive industry in the food landscape. In 2010, he and a business partner Brad focused on rooftop greenhouses, but quickly realized that to achieve their goals they needed a modular and scalable solution. In an effort to cut down on costs and logistics, Brad and Jon began to seriously consider building their new technology inside shipping containers. Not only were containers widely available, but they would allow farms to exist in areas that couldn't support traditional methods. As a result, Freight Farms was born with the mission of building the infrastructure and technology that can allow local food to thrive. https://www.freightfarms.com/ https://nexuspmg.com/

Sustainability has become the name of the game in 2021.

Caroline Katsiroubas is Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Freight Farms, a hydroponic farming company that has a business model and mission that allows people to start a profitable hydroponic farming business that leaves a positive ecological footprint. This method of farming can potentially change an urban "food desert" into a sustainable urban farming oasis. If you'd like to support The Comin' Home Podcast With John Alan, please contribute by buying me a virtual coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/johnalanpod You can also support me by using PayPal here: https://paypal.me/johnalanpod https://www.freightfarms.com/ https://johnalanpod.com/ #TheCominHomePodcastWithJohnAlan #HydroponicFarming #FreightFarms #UrbanFarming

My Guest on the show is James Woolard the CMO of Freight Farms (www.freightfarms.com) James has had a fantastic career working in the Adidas Group, heading up Global Teams, recently he joined the team at Freight Farms and is now helping them to scale. Freight Farms is a farm in a shipping container. It is much more than this, as you will hear in this episode. Freight Farms are networked technology providers, community platform builder, and a physical product that empowers anyone to grow food for their local community. In this episode, you will get to hear: The shift when moving from a corporate to a “Growup.” The challenge of scaling in COVID How food can bring communities together How business models innovation in COVID And, of course, much, much more. I hope you enjoy this conversation with James Woolard from Freight Farms. Podcast editing - Paul Fyfe.com (www.paulfyfe.com)

How surprised would you be to learn about a back parking lot transformed into an indoor farm? Executive Chef Eric Rivera of the Vintage Cafe, Montgomery, Alabama, joins us to detail the incredible achievement made by some brilliant chefpreneurs at redesigning and revitalizing a neighborhood using hydroponic container farming methods (system sold by Freight Farms). By layering in different climate and lighting controls in an indoor environment, it enables plants and crops to grow anytime and anywhere in the world. Listen in for some fantastic tips and strategies to harvesting crops and plants internally, turning your craziest dreams into reality, and producing fresh ready to eat food anywhere. This episode of the EATYALL Podcast has been sponsored by Sweet Grown Alabama, a non-profit organization that enhances Alabama farmers' marketing opportunities by connecting retailers, restaurants & consumers to Alabama-grown foods. Sneak peek: Eric and his restaurant team runs the gamut and changes their menu with the seasons. [01:44] How did they manage to transform a bank into a cafe? [03:23] Learn about the hydroponic container farming method from Freight Farms [04:32] Eric talks about harvesting the root system. [08:58] Bibb lettuce seeds can be harvested after five weeks and stored for several weeks after that. [11:27] How they turned their crazy farming idea into reality! [15:18] Eric shares his first food memory. [20:21] In the shipping container they have, it's all LED lights. These plants can only absorb the red light and blue light. [17:55 ] Join Andy and Eric for EATYALL’s infamous Lightning Round! [20:21] Connect with our guests and partners: Chef Eric Rivera- https://www.ericriveracooks.com  Freight Farms - https://www.freightfarms.com  Vintage Cafe - https://www.vintagecafemgm.com/about  Vintage Year - https://www.vymgm.com  Sweet Grown Alabama- https://www.sweetgrownalabama.org  Connect with Us https://eatyall.com  https://findfamilyfarms.com  Instagram - https://instagram.com/letseatyall  Facebook - https://facebook.com/letseatyall  Twitter - https://twitter.com/letseatyall  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/letseatyall  The EATYALL Podcast is hosted by Andy Chapman, Chief Relationship Officer and founder of EATYALL. EATYALL helps food farmers and artisan food makers connect to chefs and consumers who are looking for better ingredients. EATYALL is the creator and host of EATYALL Chef Camps, an immersive, overnight experience for professional chefs who want to learn more about where their ingredients come from, want to discover new, better ingredients and rejuvenate in a collaborative environment with other like-minded chefs.

Trevor Spear, farmer, owner of Nanues Farm, was born and raised in eastern North Carolina creates an understanding of nature and how it works within a community. A boat was sometimes a necessity, not a joy ride, and hard chores were required if he wanted to play on Saturdays. His parents love and upbringing instilled an entrepreneurial spirit that has been a blessing and curse all my life. After 35 years in every aspect construction, he decided to hang up your hard hat and find a new career. He read an article about Kendall Musk's hydroponic farm and scheduled a tour at Freight Farms. While construction can be stressful, the joy that you remember, is watching something grow from nothing and the smells each stage of the job would bring. He has discovered those joys again in this second life, growing lettuce, root vegetables and herbs. He could never be a traditional farmer, with so many unknowns. He is young at heart and enjoy new toys and tech, so growing hydroponics inside a shipping container was a perfect fit. Nanues is a family owned and dynamically runned business with inspiration from Trevor's grandmother Cox whose husband Abby, passed away when Trevor's mother was seven. A hard-working woman with grit, she still found necessary time and escape in the ¼ acre garden she maintained year round in “Little” Washington NC. Trevor remember helping her on Sunday visits and weeks of summer break. Walking behind her, she educated him how each plant needed different attention, how to pull suckers on the “maters”, why to cut slugs floating in the tins, and not to tell Uncle Kenny we used his good beer! That small garden seemed as big as a baseball field and the rows seemed endless when the sunset hit just right. So… when it came time to name our new hydroponic farm, Trevor had many creative choices, but it could only be one name, the name that inspired his love of watching things grow. This conversation includes benefits of Hydroponic Farming, all about lettuce (its history and its demand in the current times), conducive environment difference in hydroponic and traditional gardening, food safety ( setting their own high standard) and its sustainability. Quantum Affirmation: Letting Go of Anger - I choose to release the anger, hurt, resentment and criticism that are holding me back. Instead, I choose love and forgiveness. All is fine with me in the universe. I am thankful for the lessons I receive. I (Read this aloud 3x in the morning, noon and evening. Feel the words.) http://nanuesfarm.com/ https://www.instagram.com/nanuesfarm/ https://www.facebook.com/NanueFarm https://www.freightfarms.com/ https://www.instagram.com/freightfarms/ Contact for Grace Asagra : https://linktr.ee/GraceAsagra Complimentary coaching call: https://mailchi.mp/846b3db7f4ac/book-coaching-call-with-grace-asagra Apple podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-nurse-out-rabbit-hole-from-stress-to-bliss/id1522579988 Quantum Nurse Grace Asagra YOU-Tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClqd7GO0k-pjBvSO-C22EW Immune Supplements for Individualized Program https://prlabs.com

Brad McNamara, Co-Founder and President of Freight Farms, joins us on this week’s episode to discuss: - Scaling local food production around the world - Decentralized vs centralized farming- Drive-in farmer’s markets - Notable customer stories - The future of food production - Two big ideas rotting in his idea graveyard Learn more at: https://freightfarms.com Follow @ingoodhands on twitter and let us know who you want to see on the show!

In this episode, we sit down with Jon Friedman Co-Founder of Freight Farms and Ian Alexander, Head of Business Development at GoChain. Jon created Freight Farms along with Brad McNamara with the mission to simplify and bring farming to everyone, and with this idea, the world's first container farm was created with vertical growing and hydroponic technology. Join us in our conversation about how the landscape of farming is being transformed by technology!

Jon Friedman is the COO and co-founder of Freight Farms, an organization that provides agricultural products and services that enable on-site commercial food production anywhere in the world. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Jon discuss the growth of the AgTech industry, the value of marketing and the grant Jon and his team received from NASA to further their work with vertical farming. Special thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor IGS – https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/ Key Takeaways 00:01 – Jon shares his origin story of how he originally became interested in AgTech and the inspiration to start Freight Farms. 13:19 – Jon speaks to the importance of educating those looking to enter the industry in order to scale agriculture  20:25 – The value of having Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and marketing plans in place 25:58 – Jon expounds on Freight Farms’ latest model, The Greenery 29:13 – Jon talks about the grant he and his organization received from NASA 32:30 – Jon speaks to the trends that excite him about the future of AgTech 38:23 – Where listeners can follow and connect with Jon Tweetables “Admittedly, I don’t have a green thumb, I would say, but I have a green mind.”(00:52) “The current food supply chain is not set up to support the entire globe, even though it’s a very centralized global system.”(10:05) “Our goal as a company is to continually lower the barrier of entry for anybody looking to get in or anybody looking to scale agriculture.”(13:48) “What a lot of folks in this space look at first is, ‘What’s my ROI? What’s the economics of growing?’ And, if it works at that scale, scaling gets a lot more realistic.”(22:46) “NASA’s a really interesting organization because you go there and they forget that they’re NASA sometimes. They forget how awesome the scope of work that they have worked on over the years is so they’re very casual about it. We tried to act cool but failed miserably.”(32:14) Links Mentioned: Jon’s LinkedIn Jon’s Website Jon’s Twitter – @JonFreightFarms Freight Farms’ Instagram – @freightfarm Intelligent Growth Solutions Website | Twitter | YouTube See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We have amazing customers who are taking this technology and directly addressing the issues of food access, nutrition, healthy eating, and obesity. Everyone should have access to local food.” On this week’s episode of the Eat Green Make Green Podcast, I sit down with Caroline Katsiroubas and Rick Vanzura. Caroline is a founding team member and Rick is the CEO of Freight Farms, the world’s leading manufacturer of container farming technology. We talk about why Freight Farms was started and how it has evolved over the past decade, the capabilities of a Freight Farm, the health and sustainable advantages of Freight Farms, how Covid-19 has shined a light on food systems and supply chains, why Freight Farms are a viable solution to food desserts around the world, and why localizing food can empower communities everywhere. Show Notes Freight Farms Website: https://www.freightfarms.com/ Freight Farms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freightfarms/ Freight Farms YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3DDLe2tbF1vPTW7FgM6QPQ

In this episode we discuss different technologies that are helping push forward the fight against hunger. We talk with Diane Wortz, Food Rescue Emerging Streams Developer at Second Harvest Heartland, and Nicola Dixon, Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation, about an app technology called MealConnect. MealConnect enables food banks and food shelves to better rescue prepared foods. Then we sit down with Brad McNamara, CEO and Founder of Freight Farms. Freight Farms is a hydroponic nursery, housed in repurposed shipping containers.For more information about these organizations, please follow these links:MealConnect: https://www.2harvest.org/who--how-we-help/services-and-programs/services/mealconnect.html#.XfOfT5NKh-UGeneral Mills Foundation: https://www.generalmills.com/Responsibility/general-mills-foundationFreight Farms: https://www.freightfarms.com/

This week on the I Know Nothing Podcast, Marcus and George discuss the Paris Climate Agreement. The lads discuss why the US avoided the treaty, who the real villains are on the international stage of sustainability and explain what on earth the treaty actually means to us, the common folk.The lads continue with their new approach of discussing the topic honestly before research, to highlight the reality of their knowledge. They then go away, find out the facts that really matter, and bring them back to the table. In typical style, both of their mothers get mentioned.The climate in focus sees scuba divers doing their bit for the environment, but even these paragons of virtue cannot save the coral reefs from the recent heatwaves. The Company in Focus this week is Freight Farms. A company from the US converting used containers (the type that are on ships) into a sustainable and innovative new use. Listen to find out how.As always, please do let us know if we missed anything or made any mistakes. This is a conversation and we want to learn just as much as you.

Sometimes the most obvious way of solving a problem is not the best way. On this episode of Homesteady, we explore our most valuable non-renewable resource: time. Beginning with the story of the Village on the Hill, we see that looking outside the box for a different solution may be the best way for us to achieve our goals. In part two of our ten part Homestead Business Series (miss part one? Listen here ) we head to North Idaho to meet Dan Ohmann on his grassfed homestead. How did this police-officer-turned-stay-at-home-dad-and-farmer do it? On the surface, we see a couple and a child living on a homestead raising lamb and pastured poultry. Dan's spouse still works a traditional job in the software industry, and they gross approximately $2,250 from their meaty side hustle. Like so many of us, the arrival of his first child inspired Dan and his wife to escape their HOA-ruled suburb for something different. Dan decided he needed to take a lot more responsibility for his resources-namely, food, and increasing food security and self-sufficiency.  (An aside-food security is an incredibly weighty and important topic. Learn more here.) Dan's explorations led him to the concept of permaculture. Designing sustainable systems using the natural resources that are available led him to Geoff Lawton's work. "The primary goal of permaculture is to provide a permanence of culture on the earth for people and all living things." -Geoff Lawton So, what is permaculture, anyway? It is an amalgamation of social and agricultural systems that, like most things, is best defined by Wikipedia. Dan experienced a paradigm shift in watching Geoff Lawton's permaculture videos and taking his online permaculture course. Dan realized that like so many of us, he had designed his life according to the socially accepted success formula- good grades+ good college= good job, good money, good life. The permaculture model not only shifted Dan's thinking about sustainable agriculture, but showed him that he could apply these same principles to design a lifestyle that deviated from the acceptable success formula. Why? There has been a growing awareness though that firstly, there is the need to pay more attention to the peoplecare ethic, as it is often the dynamics of people that can interfere with projects, and secondly that the principles of permaculture can be used as effectively to create vibrant, healthy and productive people and communities as they have been in landscapes. (Wikipedia 2018) When Dan's son ran into health problems that were directly related to his diet, that was the final push he needed to start figuring out how to provide what he needed for his family himself. They were able to make a big change, and leave their home in suburban Atlanta when his wife got a big promotion at work where she received a large pay raise and could work remotely. Leaving the police force was a difficult transition for Dan. It was his entire career: he had worked his way through the ranks for many years. This was a meaningful job for Dan, with real value in serving his community, and he knew that he had continued career growth with his department. However, North Idaho was calling, with the land and lifestyle that Dan and his wife wanted for their family. After a two year search for the right property was finally completed, Dan started developing his homestead right away. Sheep were delivered less than 48 hours after move-in day, and they were off! Currently, they are in their second season of raising animals, with a focus on grassfed lamb. How is Dan growing his business? Start small and with with people you know. Dan raised four lambs his first season. Sending strategic emails that resulted in a friend buying a half a lamb, Dan networked his way into selling two lambs, which left two for his family to eat. Make a marketing plan based upon on-the-ground feedback from your possible customer base. When Dan was marketing his lamb, everyone asked, "But how do you cook lamb?" With a series of YouTube cooking videos, he answered this question for his consumers. He developed these videos over the winter to share at a local food advocacy group event. In alignment with slow food principles, Dan showed his consumer where their food came from and what to do with it. Have reasonable growth expectations. Through word of mouth, Dan has sold six lambs and cut off sales. He has since been turning people away. "I can't meet the demand-yet," says Dan. Also- is the business profitable? Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? (What does that even mean, anyway?) Aust invokes the spirit of Accountant Mike to get down to the nitty gritty dollars-and-cents with Dan. Through a value system that incorporates money as only ONE part of the value of an enterprise, however: is Dan's homestead profitable? Through a permaculture lens, yes. Despite challenges, Dan has built many different forms of capital into the value of his endeavor. Namely? Control over his life- specifically, his TIME. He values being able to schedule his work around his son. As parents, the truth of the matter is that we have to spend time on commutes, on working out of the home- time doing what I call "The Things" that take us away from our children. However, you ARE able to build your OWN system to optimize your opportunities for fulfillment. Shout out to The Survival Podcast for inspiring the story of the village on the hill. Thank you to our sponsor Freight Farms: grow food anywhere with the help of the Leafy Green Machine. Thanks for continuing to sponsor the podcast! Go to www.freightfarms.com/homesteady for access to a FREE Business planning guide! Join our email list, and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, The Foraging Beard, Dave from Northeast Edible, Alexia The Suburban Escapee, and Allyson, our producer. Our podcast guests will also be in the forums! Ask Dan any questions you may have in our forum. Not a Pioneer? Join today and get TWENTY bonus podcast episodes with just one click! Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- www.amsteady.com. The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A daily YouTube Video and a NEW podcast every two weeks. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss part three of our Homestead Business Series, as we once again tackle...GOATS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Homesteady, Aust further explores the dream vs. the reality of homesteading, by explaining the harshest reality of them all: why your homestead business WILL fail. Through video, Aust's brother-in-law parodies the overt optimism that brings us into the homesteading world in the first place: the beauty of vegetables, the imagined ease of "working at home" now that you have a farm. REALITY CHECK: It is RARE to make more money than you spend on your homestead. But does that mean you have to give up the dream? Based on our Homesteady poll, (thanks for your responses!) THREE OUT OF FOUR of you have the dream that someday, you will be able to exit your current careers due to the successful pursuit of a full-time homesteading business. Through a new series, Aust is going to share his six years of experience with all of you. Full-time podcaster Aust (one dream, now more of a reality!) is going to make ten episodes about making your homestead profitable. Along with interviews to exploring others' journeys and sharing knowledge, we hope to help you, the burgeoning homestead businessperson, to get off to a positive start. It should be no surprise that Accountant Mike has a lot to say on the topic of failed businesses. This episode on failing businesses EXCLUSIVELY features Accountant Mike.  (PS: the tax laws have changed. Stay informed!) On this first episode about Homestead Businesses, we are going to talk about The Side Hustle. To qualify as a side hustle, the homesteader in question has to fit the following criteria: the homesteader, or one half of a homesteading couple, has to have a full-time job outside the homestead. Secondly, the homestead based business had to have grossed $1,000 or more. The Side Hustle common theme: lots of people aren't anywhere near profitable. Aust takes us back to his first failed business: selling custom POG slammers made out of Sculpy clay. Developing his business acumen through his youth via Pokemon cards and spare lunch burritos, Aust has learned throughout his lifetime as a "hustler" the basics of a profitable business. Now, as a homesteader, Aust shares with us that the farm is a side-hustle. Even six years in, he is not relying on his farm to be profitable or the main source of support for his family. There are three main areas where a business side hustle can fail: Failure to Plan: This results in wasting time, effort, and money. However, don't get stuck in analysis paralysis! A concrete goal is the best way to move forward. Starting without Sufficient Capital: Do you ACTUALLY know how much your business venture costs? Take note of all of your data: infrastructure, supplies, and repairs. Not Planning Ahead with your Time: Time is Money! Pay specific attention to the scalability of your enterprise. The number one way to stay safe? GROW SLOW. Make a plan, stick to it, and stay small. Remember that the business skills you learn along the way are infinitely applicable.  Freight Farms: grow food anywhere with the help of the Leafy Green Machine. Thanks for continuing to sponsor the podcast! Go to www.freightfarms.com/homesteady for access to a FREE Business planning guide! Join our email list, and don't miss any of the exciting updates we have coming up in 2018! We have a new addition to the Pioneer Program: A PIONEER ONLY FORUM! Learn from one another and get to talk with Accountant Mike, The Foraging Beard, Dave from Northeast Edible, Alexia The Suburban Escapee, and Allyson, our producer. Not a Pioneer? Join Today! Want even more ways to support the show? Do your Amazon shopping through our affiliate link- www.amsteady.com. The wait will be shorter than ever for the next episode, as Aust is now creating Homesteady Content FULL TIME. What does that mean? A daily YouTube Video and a NEW podcast every two weeks. We are looking forward to even more Homesteady in 2018! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Trish Fontanilla, co-founder of BosFilipinos an organization that creates Filipino and Asian events in the Greater Boston area. Trish grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Boston working with Freight Farms which sells shipping containers that house complete hydroponic growing systems. On today's show, Trish talks about the importance of dining in Filipino culture, what she hopes to teach diners about Filipino food at her pop-ups and how she feels when she hears food media call the cuisine she grew up with, ‘trendy'. Tickets for the BOSFilipinos event can be found here.

Hydroponic Gardening. Some people have no clue what it is at all. Others (My Wife) may picture a creepy basement filled with bright white LED lighting, plants growing from tubes...  When a hydroponicist... (is that even a real word?) thinks of hydroponics, they think of gardening with no bugs, in a controlled environment, year round, with perfect yields in half the time as a conventional garden.  Sounds pretty good... right? Learn all about Hydroponics, and how you can grow farm fresh veggies in half the time as you usually do... year round, in this episode of Homesteady, all about Hydroponic Gardening.  In this month's episode you will learn about the history of hydroponics, from back in the Aztec times, to the space station, to our modern day. Today we can find awesome companies like Freight Farms using hydroponics to grow farm fresh food in the cities. But hydroponics has become a great tool for homesteaders as well! Jonathan Russo shares his family's homestead hydroponic system, and accountant mike gets inspired to give it a shot! Special Thanks to Jonathan Russo from Fairfield County Hydroponics for sharing his hydroponic system with us! Check out Jonathan's website to learn more about his services.  This episode of Homesteady is brought to you by Freight Farms, the creators of the Leafy Green Machine. Checkout their Farm Business Plan Guide and learn all about Freight Farming HERE And by HelloFresh,  a dinner delivery service that gets meals to you in an  easy, pre-portioned kit. Use promocode Homesteady30 to get $30 off your first meal delivery. Are you  huge fan of the show? Join the Homesteady Pioneers by following this link and for only five dollars a month, you get bonus podcasts, free online webinars, discount codes (on awesome products like these, or maybe some Russian comfrey), and more! Dave from Northeast Edible will also give you a Pioneer discount on planning your orchard. Become a Pioneer today! We love hearing from you! Have you filled out our survey? You will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Tractor Supply Co. Want to hear more about what’s coming up next? Join our mailing list for up to the minute updates on our YouTube Channel and podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Year-round farming in a controlled environment is the promise of Freight Farms, a start-up that creates high-yield farms inside shipping containers. In this podcast, co-founder Brad McNamara explains the concept and the benefits of freight farming.