Self-Sufficient Life: Homesteading | Preparedness

Big businesses spend a fortune building their brands. But is branding important for your farm business? Today, I’m here to tell you that it absolutely is critical to build your farm brand, and I’ll explain why. So, let’s start with what I mean by the word “brand” because it’s a word that we hear often, but we may not understand the meaning.  I mean, what does the word “brand” mean anyway? I’ll start with what I don’t mean. I don’t mean branding your cattle. So we’re not talking about that kind of brand. We’re talking about the marketing kind of brand. Now, sometimes we hear the word brand used in the context of a product name. You know, like Scotch Tape or Dr. Pepper. Dr. Pepper is the recognized brand name. You say you want a Dr. Pepper, but you don’t say the name of the company who makes it. In fact, I bet you don’t even know who makes it do you? You’re thinking Coke. Pepsi. Two other well-known brand names. But you’re wrong. Dr. Pepper is owned by Keurig Green Mountain. Yep. Those same guys that make the little single serving coffee pods own your Dr. Pepper. And they own a bunch of other brands you may know, like Hawaiian Punch, Canada Dry, 7 Up, Snapple and a bunch more. So those are a bunch of brand names. And you may not drink those beverages…I know I don’t. But to those who do, those are more than just names. Those names evoke feelings. Why my wife, bless her, craves a coke, she’s craving the experience that she associates with that brand. And that gets to the heart of what a brand is. Simply stated, your “brand” is what people think of when they hear your brand name.  It’s everything people think they know about your brand’s offering, whether it be factual, such as 100% grassfed or emotional, such as trying to restore the land. Okay, so why is it so important for you to have a recognized farm brand. Let me tell you with word association. Quick…what search engine do you use. Google, right? Yeah, I know a couple of you are saying, “No smartypants, I use Bing.”  Well you can go stand in the corner.  Because the answer is Google, and you know it. How about this…what coffee shop should we meet at? Did you think Starbucks? I did, and most would, but even if you thought Dunkies, that’s okay, because that’s a great and recognized brand as well. What brand do you associate with fast food? McDonald’s of course. What’s a brand of soda? Coke. Who makes the best smartphone? Apple. Where can I buy…anything? The answer is increasingly Amazon. And where can we take the kids on vacation? Did Disney come to mind? I could go on and on, but the point is this. People can only remember so much. And they tend to associate brands with categories. Don’t believe me? Do you say you want to photocopy something, or Xerox something? You think one name…no more than two, in each category.  At least that’s what’s top of mind for you. That’s because…these are the preferred brands in their industries. And that’s exactly what you need to become because brand preference is HUGE. It’s the difference between you spending countless hours and money chasing customers and you being a category leading magnet that attracts customers. Just think of what that can mean for your farm? it’s the difference between a customer thinking “I’ve got to go buy some chicken” versus “I’ve got to get some of Tim’s chicken” for dinner. Here’s what else it means… Customers will seek you out at markets, events and in stores Farmer’s market and event organizers will want you Chefs will want your name on their menus Retailers will want your products on their shelves Distributors will want to carry your products You’ll attract people, which will help you fulfill your mission You’ll have price leverage It’ll be easier to hand over or sell your farm business Your goal must be to become the preferred brand in your DEFINED market. If you don’t, you’ll be forgotten or overlooked. Notice I said “Defined” market. The question is how will you define the category. Now, if you’re selling locally, your local geography will partly define your market. But, you’re not competing with all FARMS or supermarkets, because people are buying products from you. They’re not buying your farm. They’re buying your raw milk, your organic produce, your pastured meats, your local honey. These products they buy are what consumers will associate you with. And these products, fit neatly into CATEGORIES. So you’re competing in your CATEGORY. And it’s that CATEGORY that you want to dominate. Here, think of it this way. Coke aims to be the brand leader in soft drinks, not all beverages McDonald’s aims to be the brand leader in fast food, not all food, etc. Our sample farm aims to be the leader in pastured raised meats in ______ locale. Or handmade cheese or soap in the state of Texas. And all categories ultimately come down to 1-3 main “players”Coke/Pepsi Apple/Samsung McDonalds/Burger King/Wendys, etc. So, if you can’t dominate, you create a new category So, how do you do that? Try this test. Even if you’re young, you’ve probably heard of Charles Lindbergh. He was the first person to make a successful transatlantic flight, right? So…who was the second person? Any guesses? It was Clarence Chamberlin. What??? Who the heck is that? You see, it doesn’t pay to be #2 in a category. You’ll be forgotten. So, if there’s a leader in a category that you ABSOLUTELY can’t get past, what do you do?  You create a new category. Here…who was the third person to cross the Atlantic? Now, you’re thinking that if you didn’t know the 2nd you won’t know the third. But you do. That’s because a new category was created. When Amelia Earhart became the first WOMAN to cross the Atlantic. This is why the copycat language I see so often of farm websites is damaging. When a site says it’s non-GMO, beyond Organic, sustainable, heirloom, pastured, blah blah, it sounds like every other small farm website. And that’s not what we want. We want to create categories we can dominate. Here’s another example. Taco Bell fell way behind McDonald’s early on, but that didn’t stop them from becoming synonymous with Mexican Fast Food, thereby OWNING a niche category. And this is something you can do too, whatever your market is. You want to become the BRAND that falls off the lips, that’s top of mind, whenever someone mentions a particular CATEGORY. So now let’s go back full circle to make sure we understand what a brand is. And let’s start with what it’s not. A brand is not simply a logo, a name or your graphics and colors. And it’s definitely not just for big companies either. A brand is something intangible, right? I mean, it’s not a physical asset…it’s a goodwill asset. When you purchase a business you’re buying more than simply the value of the assets. You’re purchasing that good will, which is almost all attributed to your brand reputation. Your brand is basically what people FEEL and REMEMBER about you. So, then what about logo, colors, and graphics? Where does that fit into branding? Those elements serve to VISUALLY CONNECT with the feeling the brand conveys. That’s all. When I see anything black and yellow, I immediately think of the Pittsburgh Steelers, my team. Those colors represent their brand, but those colors AREN’T their brand. And when I see those colors together I have the same emotional reaction I have when I see the team’s uniforms. And that emotional reaction is critical in branding because feelings/rationalization drive purchase decisions way more than logic does! Let me repeat that: Feelings/rationalization drive purchase decisions, not logic. Otherwise, why spend over $4 for a cup of coffee? Why buy a brand new shirt at a department store when a $2 used one from GoodWill will cover your back just as well. And it’s also why people will go out of their way to buy from a farmer or spend $6/dozen on pastured eggs rather than $2/dozen for cheap industrial eggs.  Or spend over $100 for a Thanksgiving heritage turkey when they could get one for free in many grocery stores. And, the emotional connection with the farmer and the values they share is why many people will accept unfamiliar items in their CSA box and learn to prepare them. They’ll to this because emotion trumps logic in almost all purchasing decisions. They’ll buy that new iPhone because of the feeling that Apple gives them. And that feeling customers get from your marketing is called your brand promise. This is what customers EXPECT to experience at all touch points. So, if you decide in advance what you want people to expect, it will drive your actions, website, email and social media communications and design. Then, customers expect to experience that same feeling each time they interact with you OR hear about you. But, listen, there are many things that influence brand perception…it’s not just one thing. These include the: Quality of your product Behavior of you and your apprentices or team members Your pricing How convenient it is to buy from you Your packaging (which includes your graphics, website and marketing materials) Reviews/media coverage/other’s perceptions Your communications Your values So your brand formula boils down to this: it’s who you really are versus how you’re perceived. And you have to manage that perception with the words you craft, the emotional images you share, the change you represent, the stance you take and so on. So you see, building a brand is a critical ingredient in the recipe for sustainable business success. But it’s not only for big businesses. It’s critical for your farm business. Join the other farmers in the Small Farm Nation Academy and I’ll teach you how to build your farm brand so that you stand out and become THE preferred brand in your market. Thanks for Listening!To share your thoughts:Leave a comment in the Farm Marketing Group on Facebook. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time!  

So what’s the secret to marketing farm and local food products? Today, I’ll tell you, and set you on a solid foundation for marketing your farm and/or food products. Now, I know you started your business because you’re passionate about food and farming. But, listen, if we produce great food and farm products and there’s no one to buy it, what’s the point? And this is what I’m all about at Small Farm Nation and in the Small Farm Nation Academy, helping you become not only a master farmer or craftsperson, but a master marketer as well.  That way, you’ll attract customers, help build a local food community and become financially sustainable. So let’s get you on the road to you becoming a marketing wiz. And let’s start this episode with what marketing is not because I know that many people are inherently uncomfortable with marketing and selling. Perhaps you are as well, but you don’t need to be. Let me tell you why. You see, marketing isn’t…. Aggressive (used-car) sales tactics Convincing someone to buy something they don’t want or need Advertising, brochures or email A website Creative/graphic design COMPLICATED OR DIFFICULT Marketing is something YOU can do, and my goal is to help you do it much more effectively. Now, what marketing is…is the continual process for you to attract and retain loyal customers. And I want to emphasize the word “attract”, because when a lot of people think of marketing they think “I want to find some customers,” “how do I find customers.” And I want you to rethink that. I want you to start with the notion that you build a business where you become a MAGNET for customers. A magnet for the media, a magnet for the community, a magnet for followers. You attract people to you, and you achieve that through building a brand, producing content and converting people from strangers into brand advocates. As I’ve said many times, without customers you have no farm business, right? You have a hobby…or a compost pile. Therefore, marketing has to be your most important job. Period. In building your farm, your restaurant, your winery, your cheese or soap business. This truth applies equally to landscaping, carpentry, professional services or  WHATEVER small business you have. Marketing is job 1 for the simple reason, no customers, no business. I mean, don’t get me wrong…weeding, seeding, feeding, breeding…if you’re a baker, kneading, are all important… but marketing is more important to the success of your farm business. And this is a business, right? We’re not talking about a hobby. So, since it’s a business it’s about getting and keeping customers. And listen… YOU CAN DO THIS! Marketing isn’t the exclusive domain of people who have an MBA in marketing or have a lifetime of experience, I mean, sure, that helps you to understand and be comfortable with what works best, but this is something you can learn yourself. In fact, you can get your own farm MBA in marketing in my Small Farm Nation Academy, both through lessons I share and from the knowledge sharing that happens in the forums. Now, one reason I know you can grasp all this is because, food and farm marketing, particularly on the scale we all practice, is ALL about building relationships. It’s not at all about hard-core sales tactics. It’s about being yourself and building relationships. But how do you do that? Well, it starts, believe it or not, with just being yourself. By talking WITH the customer, not AT them. By being conversational. That will allow you to share your mission…your story, in a way that resonates. And this is where great farm and local food marketing starts. By being open, conversational and sharing your story and mission with PASSION. It is definitely NOT preaching or talking down to people or telling them why what they’re eating is bad, but inspiring them with WHY you are doing what YOU are doing. Now, we also need to make it easy for customers to find us. In this day and age it means two things, it means being physically easy to find but also digitally easy to find. That’s the world of social media and search engine optimization, and you’ll learn all about that in the module on farm web design and elsewhere here on Small Farm Nation. But we also need to make it easy for customers to buy from us. That could be anything from having an online store, or accepting credit cards at your farm store or farmers market, or delivering via a CSA or metropolitan buying club. It could be selling retail cuts of meat versus having to buy a half or whole animal. Just whatever you can to remove the barriers to buying from you. Remember, while what you’re producing is, I’m sure, far and away better from any industrial alternative, the fact is that the industrial alternatives are far more convenient to buy. So the more we can do to knock down that barrier, the more attractive you will be to your target customer. All of these points add up to you being able to attract customers and build relationships. But, remember, marketing is NOT the goal. The goal is for…you to achieve customer loyalty and brand preference. We want customers to seek you out, to ask for you at restaurants and in stores. That’s the goal. Now, you may be thinking that marketing is complicated and constantly changing, I mean, there’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube there’s SnapChat, I mean, do I have to do ALL these things? Do I have to do a Facebook Live session? Look…Tactics and technology change constantly. Heck, I hate to admit it but I remember when fax marketing was a big deal. And people were doing fax marketing. Imagine that, getting a promotional fax! Now, who has a fax machine, other than a lawyer or doctor, I guess. Maybe. So, these tactics and technologies change all the time, and they will continue to do so. There will be new ways to reach people five years from now that we can’t conceive today. Now to help you think about this more clearly, I’d like to share what I believe are the 7 Marketing Traits of Highly Successful Farm Businesses. I thought about the characteristics I’ve observed, so let’s see if this can help you. The first habit I recognize is that customers feel like they personally know the chef, the farmer, the cheese or soap maker, the wine maker. In fact, they may not know them…PROBABLY don’t know them. But they feel like they do. That could be because they’ve heard them on podcasts or they’ve read their blog or they’ve seen interviews about them, so they feel like they know them. I don’t think WholeFoods, CrowdCow or Blue Apron will ever be able to match your ability to do that. The second habit is that customers share their values and have a vested interest in their success. That vested interest could be the consumer’s desire to foster a local food community, or a chef’s desire to establish a sense of terroir, or an organization’s mission to abolish GMO food production, or whatever it may be. But they have a vested interest in that farm’s success. Therefore, they become cheerleaders, which is habit #3. These loyal customers promote the farm business to their friends, co-workers and family. These loyal customers also help the farms marketing efforts, by actively defending the farm and its values. The fact that customers stand up for the farm is habit # 4. If someone critiques the farm’s approach on social media, the cheerleaders are there to offer their insightful perspective. Of course, great food marketers also deliver very professional service, because they know that’s what their customers are used to. That’s habit #5. They don’t hide behind excuses like, “we’re just farmers” to set low expectations. No…they’re on time for deliveries, they arrive in clean vehicles, they have orders neatly packaged, they’re dressed professionally and not in dirty muck boots. In short, every experience the customer has is consistent with the image the farm portrays. And it goes without saying that the business produces excellent quality, whether it’s the appearance and taste of the heirloom tomato or heritage chicken, or the food on the plate at the farm dinner. Superior quality is habit #6. All this combines to make the customer feel PROUD…very PROUD of their relationship with the farm business. Would you like to grab a free copy of my the Guide: 7 Marketing Traits of Highly Successful Farms, Learn how profitable farms attract customers, get publicity and command high prices! It’s yours at smallfarmnation.com/habits When you add up these 7 habits…these traits, these are the traits of great brands. And I want to close here because I want you to turn your attention, and your concentration, to building a great brand yourself.  And, listen, you don’t have to be a big company, at all, to build a great local brand. Sure, you’re building a farm business a food business or whatever, but I want you to focus on building a recognized great brand in your market. So I’ll be back next week and tell you why it’s so important to build your farm’s brand. Thanks for Listening!To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google Play or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time!

We all know that sustainably produced food is more expensive than supermarket food, so how do we explain that when challenged? This week I want to discuss a challenge that many small farmers face.  It’s one that they seem to all dread and it puts them on the defensive. It’s the whole issue of defending why their products cost so much. Or, at least seems to cost so much. Now, this is a real issue for many of us, so it’s not one we should run from. We need to be prepared to face this head on, and the better you get at this, the more it will become a non-issue. Why is that? Because, as your skill improves at conveying value, that skill will permeate all aspects of your marketing. Your blog posts, your social media updates, what you say on your website and in your email marketing. You’ll become proficient at conveying value and focusing on benefits, rather than being defensive. Before we dive in, I want you to understand something. The Dollar Store shopper isn’t your farm’s customer. Or at least not for most of you. You’re not running blue light specials. I want you to understand that price objection is a good sign because it’s usually a buying signal. The prospective customer wants to buy but needs to rationalize this objection. And it’s your job to help them do just that. And in this episode, I explain how to do that. Validate with empathy. Normalize the objection. Paint a farm picture. Sell value. So here’s how it works with my director’s commentary, so to speak: The customer says, why is the chicken so expensive? “You’re right. If you’re comparing the price of our chicken to a chicken in a supermarket it seems ours costs more.” (I validated with empathy. But notice I used the word “seems.” It seems ours costs more. That’s to implant a subliminal message that perhaps the cost isn’t more. Now I want to normalize the objection, so I continue.) “And you know, I had two customers on a recent farm tour who were concerned about the price at first, just as you are now.” (now to paint a farm picture) So I walked them to the brood house and let them see the baby chicks. While we were there, they watched me fill their feeders, by hand, and check their water. We then walked out to the pasture and saw the chickens scratching for bugs in their chicken tractors. I explained how my wife and I built those tractors ourselves, and showed how we pulled them forward every day. I let one of the customers try and pull the tractor forward but she wasn’t quite ready for the workout. But it gave her a real sense of two things. The physical effort we put into raising these birds by hand, and the utter enjoyment these birds feel by soaking up sun, scratching earth and chasing insects. (this is me painting a vivid picture. Now I need to sell value). Like you, I couldn’t understand why good food cost more when I first started out. But it all makes sense for me now.  I mean, a handcrafted knife is more valued and more costly to produce than a mass-produced one, right? Therefore, it costs more. Likewise, our chickens are hand fed, hand watered and hand processed on farm by our family. It’s a handcrafted, ethical product from start to finish. So of course it costs more than a supermarket chicken, but it’s not remotely the same product.  And I strongly feel that a chicken deserves a chance to be a chicken. Don’t you? And this is where you stay silent. Which, let’s face it…can be really hard. But do it. Stay silent and let the customer respond when you say, “don’t you?” So, here’s the whole conversation again, without any commentary on my part. The customer says, why is the chicken so expensive? “You’re right. If you’re comparing the price of our chicken to a chicken in a supermarket it seems ours cost more.” “And you know, I had two customers on a recent farm tour who were concerned about the price at first, just as you are now.” So I walked them to the brood house and let them see the baby chicks. While we were there, they watched me fill their feeders, by hand, and check their water. We then walked out to the pasture and saw the chickens scratching for bugs in their chicken tractors. I explained how my wife and I built those tractors ourselves, and showed how we pulled them forward every day. I let one of the customers try and pull the tractor forward but she wasn’t quite ready for the workout. But it gave her a real sense of two things. The physical effort we put into raising these birds by hand, and the utter enjoyment these birds feel by soaking up sun, scratching earth and chasing insects. Like you, I couldn’t understand why good food cost more when I first started out. But it all makes sense for me now.  I mean, a handcrafted knife is more valued and more costly to produce than a mass-produced one, right? Therefore, it costs more. Likewise, our chickens are hand fed, hand watered and hand processed on farm by our family. It’s a handcrafted, ethical product from start to finish. So of course it costs more than a supermarket chicken, but it’s not remotely the same product.  And I strongly feel that a chicken deserves a chance to be a chicken. Don’t you? Don’t forget to join us in the Small Farm Nation Academy. Thanks for Listening!To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time!  

Email marketing is a great way to sell your farm products, but how do you build a list in the first place? In this episode I walk you through the four not-so-simple steps of email list building for your farm business. You’ve heard it many times, but an email list is your most important communication asset. It’s the best way for you to control getting a message directly to your customers. But most farm websites do an awful job of list building. I mean, list building comes down to four simple steps. have a place to capture emails. drive traffic to that place give people a great reason to sign-up give subscribers a way and reason to share Of course, successful list building is much more detailed than that and requires tools and know how. I just covered all this in an 11-video course on list building. That was released to the Small Farm Nation Academy just this month. But what you can do now to review how you’re doing with those four steps? The first step to building your email list is to have a place to capture emails. Of course, that means being on your website. Do you have one? An opt-in form? If you don’t, that’s a problem. So create one, right away. But even if you do, does it stand out? Does it have great contrast with the rest of the page?  Is it located above the fold and also at the top of the sidebar, if you have one, and at the bottom of blog posts? That’s important, because the three rules of list building are to ask for the email, ask again and then to ask again. Keep asking! So make sure that opt-in box is visible on your website. But not just on your website. Make sure there’s a “sign-up” button on your Facebook page so people are driven to the opt-in form that way. The second step to building your email list is to drive traffic to your opt-in form. Sounds easy, right? Just drive traffic to your website. But how do you do that? I mean, that’s probably one of your challenges, right? Getting enough people to your site. Ok, so you’ve basically got two macro options. You either have to 1) buy traffic or you have to 2) earn traffic.  Now, buying cold traffic, or traffic from people who aren’t yet familiar with you, means advertising. That’s PPC advertising on Google, Facebook or elsewhere. There aren’t too many scenarios I can think of where I’d recommend buying PPC traffic on Google. And, while I am a fan of Facebook ads, you shouldn’t just throw money at that without having clearly defined goals and sales funnels set up, and automated. I have a course on how to do all that inside the Small Farm Nation Academy. So let me give you 10 quick tips on how you can drive traffic to your site. The first is fully optimizing technical and on-page SEO. I’m not sure why so many farm sites fail to do this, but it’s hugely important to being found. And let’s face it, most people find things by Googling them. Academy members can check out my video lessons on search engine optimization, but if you’re not a member of the Small Farm Nation Academy, just research SEO and get both your site and your specific pages optimized. Tip two is to blog. Your blog posts shouldn’t be what you want to write about. Rather, they should start with the end in mind. Who are you trying to reach, and what do you want that person to do once they read your blog post? That will help you to create a catchy headline and to optimize the right keywords in the post so that your post is found, and read. Tip three is guest blogging. Now, many of you will cringe at this because you’re already struggling with what to blog about on your own site. But one of the keys to SEO is getting backlinks, and a great way to do that is to blog for another site. Maybe restaurants you’d like to target have blogs? Or maybe local natural health practitioners do? They both serve audiences who would be interested in what you have, so why not offer to write a blog post for each of them? You’ll get backlinks, reach a new audience and perhaps get a new restaurant customer at the same time. Boom! Tip four is similar to tip three, but instead of guest blogging, offer to be a guest on a podcast. This is much easier in that you just have to show up and talk. Hell, I love to talk…just ask me something ???? And it’s a great way to convey your passion for what you’re doing as, let’s face it, vocal emphasis is often lost on the digital screen. So look for podcasts that make sense for you. You’ll get backlinks to your site as well in the show notes. Sweet! Tip five is email marketing, but that’s the point of all this, right? I mean, you need a list to email to. But this is the reason you need a list, because most people who visit a website never return unless given a reason. And the best way to drive them back is to email them a link. So, if you have a list at all, drive people to your site, your blog posts and your special offers. Tip number six here is to promote events. Maybe you want to create Easter egg hunts on your farm, or a farm dinner, or whatever. Create the event and list it on your site, of course. But also list and promote the event on Facebook, as well as with relevant newspapers, online community sites and so on. Lots of sites have event calendars, so get yours listed. Again, you’ll get backlinks and you’ll get exposure. Okay, tip number seven here is a good one. Create a viral giveaway using tool like KingSumo.  Now, normally when you do a giveaway, when someone enters the giveaway, they have only one entry. But tools like KingSumo are different. They create an incentive for people to not only enter, but to share and promote the contest on social media. How? Because when they refer, lets say, 3 friends to enter the giveaway with their unique link, they receive 3 more entries, thus INCREASING their chances at winning. And for every new email sign up that they refer, they get 3 (or whatever number you choose) additional entries into the contest. So they dramatically increase their chances of winning by sharing it with their friends and telling them to sign up. Visualize this. Imagine that one person refers 3 new people, who each refer 3 more people, each referring 3 more people. All of the sudden, that one single email subscriber just turned into 48 email subscribers. So you can add a LOT of subscribers to your list quickly. A word of caution though, because many of these subscribers may not be qualified as likely customers for you, right? And you don’t want a big list of people who will never buy from you. So, you can qualify them by how you choose what prize to promote. For instance, if it was half a lamb that had to be picked up locally, you wouldn’t be getting entrants from the other side of the world. Tip number 8 to drive traffic to your site is to use social hash tags. You see them all the time on Facebook and Twitter…you know, #endfactoryfarming or what not. Now, don’t get your hopes up about this, but maybe you’ll come up with something catchy that will drive people to your site. Tip number 9 is to engage online in groups and blogs, or even to comment on relevant newspaper articles. There are a ton of Facebook groups that you can engage in, but carefully choose those that represent your target audience. In other words, don’t promote yourself in those farm Facebook groups, because those are your peers, not your customers. Go where you customers are. Finally, tip number 10 of how you can drive people to your site is to speak at conference or event. This can be an organic conference, a real food event or a local social club, such as Chamber of Commerce. Just take an hour or two, get out there and press the flesh. Okay, so there are 10 great tips on how you can drive traffic to your site. Let’s move on with the next two steps to list building. The third step to building your email list is to give people a great reason to sign-up. This is where so many people struggle, as they try to come up with a great idea for the illusive lead magnet. A lead magnet is just a resource that the visitor wants and is willing to exchange an email address to get. It started out years ago as an e-book, but nowadays is more often a one or two page checklist, recipe, guide or cheat sheet. For instance, one of my best performing lead magnets is the 7 Marketing Traits of Highly Successful Farms. That lead magnet works for me because my target audience is small-scale farmers, and many of them want to know what is working, from a marketing perspective, with other farms. The question you’ll have to answer is what does your target audience want. It could be recipes, it could be how-to guides, such as how to make salami or how to make cheese at home. Or it could be that they just want to be first on the list when you have an opening in your CSA or whatever. Many times you do NOT need a lead magnet. Many times people just want to be notified. I mean, you don’t see Apple offering a lead magnet on their site do you? But people sign up because they want to be notified when something’s new. This taps into a very important marketing dynamic called the Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO. And you can tap into it as well, as I often did on my farm. How? Well, we only raised so many heritage turkeys. We only produced so many Ossabaw pigs.  So, if people wanted to be notified when they were offered so they’d have a chance to get them, they had to be on the list. And that’s one of the reasons we built a list of over 5,000 subscribers. Because almost everyone has FOMO, or a fear of missing out. So create a lead magnet if you feel it’s best for you, but you don’t have to. You can leverage the innate fear of missing out to your advantage as well to get people to sign up. Now, I’ll tell you this. Regardless of whether you focus on lead magnets of FOMO marketing, you’re not going to convert many visitors into subscribers if you don’t optimize your calls to action. I’m not talking about the offer here. I’m talking about that SUBSCRIBE button. It’s really important where it’s located, how it contrasts with the rest of the screen and what words you use on the button. Using words like subscribe or enter are generally not the best. I cover all this in my list building course inside the Small Farm Nation Academy. You gotta make sure that button and the entire call to action form pop on the site so that the eyes are drawn to it, and that the copy lures the visitor into becoming a subscriber. Okay, so that’s the third step of how you get people to actually sign up. The fourth and final step is to give people a way and a reason to share. So how do you do that? A big mistake almost 100% of farm sites make…and most other sites, come to think of it, is they overlook the single most important step in list building. And that is to create a thank you page. Here’s what I mean. Normally when you subscribe to an email list, particularly on farm sites, you get something that says “you’ve subscribed” or “thanks for subscribing.” Sometimes you get nothing, sometimes you’re redirected to the home page, sometimes you just get a blank screen. I’ve seen it many times. Here’s what should happen. You should be redirected to a thank you page. Again, go to https://smallfarmnation.com/habits/ and download the 7 Marketing Traits of Highly Successful farms guide to see what I mean. Once you subscribe, you’ll be redirected to a thank you page. Now, why is the thank you page so important? Pay attention here because this is really important. The Thank You page is the ONLY page that you’re guaranteed 100% of your subscribers will see. The only one. Because, and you know this, even when people subscribe many of them don’t see the confirmation email, right? It goes in a SPAM or promotional folder, or they delete it by mistake. That’s why you have people in a double opt-in email system who never confirm. But your thank you page can not only fix that for them, it can further engage them in a relationship with you. And if you set it up right, it can give them both a way and a reason to share your page with others. Listen in as I guide you through how to grow your farm’s email list! Thanks for Listening!To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time!  

Small businesses routinely fail in every industry segment, but what causes small farms to fail? In this episode I share 7 reasons why small farms fail, so you learn what not to do so that your farm thrives. So, starting a business is a risky venture, right? And it doesn’t really matter what sector you start a business in. If you start a restaurant, and insurance or law practice, a car wash or even a marketing agency, there’s a pretty high probability that you’re gonna fail. That’s just a fact. But let’s just examine the reasons why these businesses fail. And actually, the agriculture sector has a much lower failure rate after 5 years than most industries. For example, 50 or more of agriculture businesses are still going after five years, whereas only about 36 of construction businesses make it the long. So the perception that some have that there’s a high failure rate in small farms isn’t born out by the data. And one of the reasons that many farming businesses make it that long and go much longer is because they’re subsidized. Not by the government. But by the farmer, who is most often working a second job so that the farm can work. And that’s cool if that’s what you want to do. But, again, that’s more of a hobby farm and not really a farming business. And the point of this episode is to discuss why farming businesses fail and what you can learn from those mistakes. So let’s get right into them. Here’s reason number one that small farms fail. 1) They approach it as a lifestyle and not as a business You see, many people are attracted to farming because they love the notion of the lifestyle. They want to farm or grow produce. Or have a collection of animals, and they want to spend their days in the sunshine, producing something with their hands and being out on the land. And that’s great. But is that how you would approach a business opportunity? Is that the opportunity you’d pitch to an investor or a bank?…that you want to go work with your hands in the soil and have some animals? Of course not! Because a business approach means identifying the market first. And that’s very different from what most farmers do, who start simply because they want to grow things. Or produce things like soap, herbs and cheese. So they treat selling and marketing as an afterthought. Now, as I’ve said many times, that’s a mistake. A business is a business because it has customers that buy from it. So you always start with the market in mind. There’s an excellent publication for small farmers called “Growing for Market and the title means just that…produce what the market will buy and that you can sell. And sell at an attractive profit margin. That means focusing on high-value crops and products. For me, that was artisan cheese, raw milk and grassfed beef. For you, it may mean cut flowers, herbs, soaps or what not. But there are many farm enterprises that aren’t high margin or high value, and that leads me into the second reason why small farms fail. 2) Reason number two is that they choose low-end profit streams In these cases, the math just doesn’t work, because the farmer chose either a low margin product or is targeting a very cost-conscious consumer. And while Wal-Mart can pull off that strategy…at least until Amazon buries them…that’s only because they achieved enormous scale, efficiency and supply chain integration. Those aren’t benefits you’re likely to achieve as a small farmer. So it’s really difficult in small-scale farming to make it on the price dimension and, let’s be honest here, there’s no business opportunity selling to people who don’t have money. Just. A. Fact. So target opportunities with segments who do have disposable income. And select farm enterprises that don’t have such a low barrier to entry. Because if you choose something that’s easy and cheap to get into, even if you achieve some level of success, it won’t be difficult for others to emulate. So it’s imperative for any small business to choose a business model focused on high-profit margin enterprises that target customers who have the means and willingness to purchase what you’re offering. And that’s doubly important for farmers. But how do you know if you’re producing a high margin farm product? That leads straight into the third reason. 3) Reason number three that small farms fail is poor/non-existent accounting Look…as farmer…or entrepreneur, you must wear many hats We all know that. And it can be overwhelming at times…hell it is overwhelming, all the time. Ideally, you have an accounting background or can hire an accountant, but let’s face it. Most small farm businesses don’t. They may rely on a CPA for occasional help…like yearly taxes, but the day to day accounting falls in their own laps Too often, they don’t know what to do, so accounting is just as much an afterthought as marketing is. They don’t set up proper systems for measuring everything and properly allocating overhead or fixed expenses. They just buy the feed, buy the seed, get to work, go to market and hope they have money at the end of the month. You know it’s true. So the farmpreneur doesn’t know what the real cost of production is, what the real fully-allocated profit margins are by product line, by customer segment, by go to market approach and so on. They don’t know where they should be investing more, and where they should cut back. So the numbers are bad.  And with bad numbers or no numbers, you’re flying blind. For instance, I’ve mentioned before that we used to raise lots of heritage turkeys for the Thanksgiving market. And while that was a good entree into our other farm products, it was a pretty poor business. Turkey poults are expensive, there’s a reasonably high mortality rate, particularly on pasture. There’s the brooding, feeding and daily care for 6-8 months before you get paid, and when you do, it doesn’t come close to an attractive margin. We “convince ourselves” that it covers our costs…but it doesn’t. Not when you factor in the land cost, the opportunity cost and the sheer time it takes. We get emotionally attached to these enterprises because let’s face it…we enjoy it. We like the work. But if you had an accounting push an analysis in front of you that showed how much money you were losing for all the time you put in…and how much you could be earning if you focused instead on another enterprise…you’d make the switch in a hurry. And that’s what good, solid accounting can give you. So don’t make that mistake. Know your numbers in detail from day one. Okay, let’s move on to the fourth and probably biggest reason small farms fail. It’s the same reason any small business fails. 4) And that is that it’s undercapitalized from the start It lacks a cash cushion. Now, this is the reason WHY you need attractive profit margins.  Why you MUST have attractive profit margins. Because there’s a cyclical nature to business. All businesses. If you think your farm is recession proof, you haven’t been through a real recession.  But even if there’s not a recession bad things can and will happen over time… You suffer the loss of a key restaurant or distributor. Or, there’s the entrance of a new competitor that creates price pressure or forces additional advertising investments. Or the filing of a lawsuit because someone got injured or sick. Believe me, I know…I’ve run businesses where we had to settle lawsuits for absolute false claims. But it was cheaper than going through the process. This stuff happens…particularly in this country. And these things happen in any business, so a business has to amass enough earnings over time to weather these storms. And beyond business cycles, farming is impacted by drought, disease, storms, and other calamities. Now, I know many people want to get into farming and they don’t have much money. Okay, I get it. I hear you. But farming is a business like any other, and if you expect to be successful in any business, you’ve got to have operating capital and cash reserves. If you don’t have it, get it! Don’t complain about it…we’re all adults, here. If you don’t have money, get out and earn some and save it first. You’re gonna need it. Let’s move on. 5) Reason number 5 that small farms fail is lack of focus or trying to do too much Now, I find that this is rather unique to farming. With other businesses I’ve started and run you tend to be laser focused. I built a high-tech marketing agency that was focused squarely on offering a certain set of services to mid to large B2B tech firms. Very focused! My wife and I also had a gourmet online fudge business for a brief period of time, but we didn’t try to make anything other than fudge. That was the business…and it was killer fudge. But with farming, it’s not only easy to venture into countless enterprises…it’s almost like a drug. With livestock, you get some chickens then rationalize adding pigs, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits…even donkeys and geese to the mix. Before you know it…you’ve got a petting zoo. Only you’re not operating a petting zoo, are you? This goes back to the accounting issue of not knowing what’s profitable and what’s not, but also to not treating the farm as a business. Not starting with the market in mind. Now, the reason farms often make this mistake of trying to do too much is the next reason why they fail. 6) And reason number 6 is that they try to emulate other farm’s success without understanding why they’re successful AND whether it can be replicated I’ve discussed this before and the best example I know to illustrate this point is Joel Salatin at Polyface. As you know, Joel is a very popular proponent of small-scale sustainable agriculture. He and his farm are featured in pretty much any documentary on food choices and industrial agriculture. He’s a prolific, opinionated and inspiring author. He speaks frequently at conferences and events, and his farm doors are open, so to speak, so countless people visit his farm. And fall in love with what he’s accomplished. So, starry-eyed, they rush back to emulate his model. And some do a fine job of pulling it off. But most don’t. At best, they struggle and wonder why Polyface can get customers and run a profitable farm, but they can’t. At worst, they give up after a year or two and say it doesn’t work. In other words, they don’t understand why the model they’re trying to emulate worked in the first place. In my view, the Polyface model works today for three reasons. Polyface has achieved scale. They don’t produce 100 chickens a year. They produce well over 20,000.  20,000 is the maximum you can do on a single farm, at least under the PL90-492 exemption, so they lease other farms. And they don’t have 10 cows. They have over 1,000. So that’s a sizable grassfed beef operation. So if you’re going to set out to replicate some of that success understand you’ll need scale too, and that also means not being distracted by too many farming enterprises. I’ve already discussed that as a reason why farms fail. Now, their scale leads to another reason they’re successful. They’re VERY efficient! They process chickens faster, cheaper and more efficiently than the rest of us, they handle chores more efficiently than the rest of us and they serve more customers more efficiently than the rest of us. But this is all a result of the scale they’ve achieved. Finally, and I know I’ve said this before, they’re successful because of the wonderful success Joel has had branding his farm. He’s an innately effective marketer. So if you’re gonna get inspired and go out and attempt to emulate that model, ask yourself…can you achieve scale, efficiency and the branding that they have? Or if you’re modeling after someone else, do you really understand their success drivers and can you replicate that? Now, there’s another reason too that Polyface is successful. And it’s easy to look at Polyface today and say, wow, I’d like to have a farm like that. But we’re looking at the “after picture.” The “before picture” was a lot of years scraping by, not incurring debt and tirelessly evangelizing about the farm’s practices. Okay, let’s move on to reason number 7 why farms fail. 7) They make marketing an afterthought. And they make two big mistakes in this regard. First, they simply don’t prioritize marketing until they have product to sell and they fail to understand how critical it is to build a strong brand for their farm And as I said in a previous post the time to start marketing your farm is BEFORE you start farming. Go back and listen to that episode if you want to understand why. Now, the second mistake related to marketing is this, and it’s commonplace. When they do start marketing their ideology gets in the way. They get so caught up in all their personal beliefs and values that they let that drive their marketing. You know what I’m talking about. They say GMO is bad, industrial food will make you sick, CAFOs are horrific. It’s not only copycat language that we see everywhere that does nothing to differentiate the farm, but it’s fear-based negative language. And fear is not a good way to get people to buy your products…telling them that industrial food will make them sick or is bad for them…that won’t work for most people. And this is a problem not just on farm websites. I see it all the time on Facebook, often when a farmer posts a link to an article and then goes into a diatribe about all that’s wrong with the world. That doesn’t exactly inspire, does it? Imagine if the world’s great marketers, such as Apple did that. Instead of showing you all the amazing things they’re products can do for you…and that you can do with them…that they talked only about how you’ll have dropped calls with other solutions. Or you’ll have to carry a separate camera and that’s a hassle. Or that you’ll need a paper map instead of their GPS. They don’t hammer on that stuff. They show you the life you can have…the joy and convenience you can have if you buy their products. So there’s WAY too much negative language in the world of sustainable farming, but…this creates an opportunity for you to be different. Instead of emphasizing what’s wrong with the world,  focus on why you farm the way you do and the joy, health, and connection your customers can realize if they support you. Show them with pictures, tell them with emotive, positive words. Because most farmers aren’t doing this. So the good news is that if you can market positively…with a vision for positive solutions and change, it’ll be music to people’s ears, and it will differentiate you as a farmer. This episode will help you understand why farming businesses fail and what you can learn from those mistakes. Listen in as I give you food for thought on how to make sure your farming business is one that will thrive! Thanks for Listening!To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time! OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY THIS EPISODE Download on iTunes

The phrase hobby farm is cute and all, but what’s the difference between a hobby farm and a farming business? In this episode, I’m going to tell you why you might have a farm hobby that costs you money rather than a thriving farm business that earns you money. So, this topic of understanding the difference between farm hobbies and farm businesses is very important. It’s an issue I’ve see often with small farmers, as they seem to operate partly as a farm business and partly…or mainly, I should say,…as a hobby farm. And I understand why this happens when people opt out of other careers for farm life. What draws them is the idea of working on the land. Of having animals…livestock. Of tending sheep or chickens, collecting eggs, planting seeds, harvesting crops. Of growing food under blue skies to the soothing sounds of birds and bees rather than grating sounds of traffic and ambulances. And those are all great reasons to embrace farm life. But, notice I didn’t mention anything about finances? About customers? Because folks are rarely lured into this lifestyle by thoughts of, “I’ve got an idea of how to make a boatload of money farming.” So, it’s generally not the business plans or finances that lures them to these businesses. And that’s a shame, because, as you yourself may already know, these ARE businesses.  And they’re not immune to the laws of business. Namely, they need customers and a sales price that far exceeds the production cost. And, that’s how they would approach any other business, right? I mean, if someone was stuck in a soul-sucking cubicle job and wanted out, and if they stumbled across an opportunity to start a dry-cleaning operation, wouldn’t they assess it as a business? They wouldn’t daydream about folding clothes and cleaning suits. No, they’d assess the business model, get confident with their profit projections and marketing strategy before pulling the trigger on the business. But this is where farming is different than most businesses. Not all, because, I know just as many people who have started restaurants, because the love to cook, as those who started farming, because they love to garden. But just because you can cook doesn’t remotely mean you can run a profitable restaurant. And ditto for farming. So the first question you have to ask yourself is do you have a farm business or a farm hobby? Or if you haven’t started yet, are you committed to having a farm business, or a farm hobby? Stated differently, will you garden and homestead or will you farm? If you’re not sure of the difference, here’s one way you can tell. If you’re producing something for YOUR consumption, then you’re either gardening or homesteading. But if you’re producing something for others, then you’re FARMING. And that “producing something” doesn’t have to be food. It can be soap, fiber or animal feed. Something produced from the land—-that’s the defining characteristic of a farming business. Now, if you left a job to become a farmer, you’d tell people that you’re going to farm, wouldn’t you? Your friends and family would think you went to start a farm, right? But is that true? NO! Because you need this enterprise to MAKE MONEY, don’t you. And that means it’s a business. It means, like it or not, that you’re an entrepreneur. So you must accept the fact that you own a farm BUSINESS or you’re planning on starting a farm business. And what’s the one thing that EVERY business needs? CUSTOMERS. Because customers are the difference between a business and a hobby. That’s basically what defines a business, isn’t it. But, the thing is, I still find a lot of people who behave as if their farm business was a hobby. They focus on chores more than marketing and the “business” struggles to make a difference or achieve the owner’s desires. I mean, they get up in the morning and dive into farm chores first thing. They don’t stop to ask if this is the most important STRATEGIC use of their time, or if they’d be better off blocking out two hours to create emails and blog posts. No…they wake up, weed, feed, seed and operate with the if I build it they will come mentality. And, most often, they (the customers) don’t come. So ask yourself…do YOU think of your farm as a business or a hobby? Here’s how you know if it’s a hobby rather than a business. When it’s a hobby, you think, what do I want to grow? Or, what do I WANT my garden beds to look like? You think, look how cute those goats/chicks are…I want one! Or ten! And I want to build a cute little brood house to hatch the chicks. You think, I can’t wait to browse the new seed catalog! But when it’s a business and you’re the entrepreneur, you think differently. The questions you ask yourself all relate to strategy and profitability. Questions like: what is my vision for the farm business? what products will I make or produce? why did I choose those? was it profit margins? competitive uniqueness? What do my garden beds NEED to be like to maximize efficiency? Who will I sell my farm products to? How will I go to market and sell my products? Who else makes these products or replacement products? What makes me unique…what’s my defensible competitive advantage? What’s my profit model…how will I make money? Those are the questions an entrepreneur asks. They have a vision for what the business can become in the future, and they work to draw a line between the present and that future vision. Every action they take, every decision they make, is in the context of moving toward that vision. As a result, entrepreneurs work ON their business rather than being trapped IN their business. They are 100% aware that they OWN A BUSINESS. That means they understand things like, you’re not keeping cows…you’re running a profitable livestock business you’re not gardening…you’re running a profitable market garden business you’re not raising chickens…you’re running a profitable pastured poultry business you’re not making cheese…you’re running a profitable artisan cheese business you’re not giving a farm tour…you’re running a profitable agritourism business The bottom line is, you’re running a profitable farming business. One that just happens to afford you the natural lifestyle you desire. You left or sacrificed another career choice for this one, but just as that other career paid you money, your job is to make sure your farm or small business MAKES YOU MONEY. Otherwise, it’s not remotely sustainable. This is how entrepreneurs think. And, as the owner of a farming business, you’re an entrepreneur, so this is how you must think. This is really a critical issue, and it’s one of the first course lessons I teach in the Small Farm Nation Academy. That course is called the Farm Business Mindset, and goes much deeper into this topic. I recognize that not everyone…not most people, really, feel that they are entrepreneurial. So I created lessons to show you how to become entrepreneurial and included downloads to help members focus on the critical priorities to build their farm business. The Farm Business Mindset course includes a lesson on creating a one-page farm business plan, with it’s own downloadable template. All the other marketing courses in the Small Farm Nation Academy are important too. The courses on developing your farm brand, WordPress 101, website design, email list building, copywriting, blogging and so on, they’re all important. And, sometimes members want to jump the gun and dive into those later courses. But the most important lesson is to make sure you have the right foundation in place. And that means recognizing that you’re not just farming…you’re running a farm business! Listen in as I help you get on track with your farming BUSINESS! Thanks for Listening!To help the show:PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW for Small Farm Nation on iTunes. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn Thanks for listening. Until next time!  

How to Start a Farm Business

When you search for rural land you’ll find all sorts of places that look promising. But how do you know if you’ve found your dream property? Today, I’ll share what we’ve learned and cover the 23 questions you should answer before buying that rural property. Listen to the PodcastSubscribe to Small Farm Nation on iTunes, Stitcher Radio or TuneIn So, Liz and I have bought rural property twice now. It’s both an exciting and exhausting time, Before you plunk down that deposit on the first rural property that screams your name, consider this: you are planning to make a move there for life. A new life, a better life and, perhaps, not only the rest of your life but a homestead that future generations will cherish.  So, yeah, it’s appropriate to take time and weigh the decision against criteria that are important to you and your family. With that in mind, I’ve come up with a list of 23 important questions you should ask and answer when looking for rural property. But, really, these 23 questions are more like 23 categories. As you’ll hear, each question…or category…has many sub-questions, so it’s way more than 23 questions. So, having said that, let’s get going on our list of 23 questions to ask when looking for rural property. 1. How much land do you really need? This gets to the issue of land lust, as we all seem to want more land and more privacy. But the question you’ll need to answer is how much land do you actually need to achieve your goals or dream? I mean, if you simply want to have a garden and some chickens you can certainly homestead on less than an acre.  Many people do. But what if you want livestock, such as cows and horses?  How about orchards? Do you want to be able to hunt on your own land…do you want a lake or pond for recreation and fishing? The risk here is that you, like us, will say…yeah, I want all that, and more. But of course, all that comes at a cost, both financially and in terms of upkeep. So you have to be clear on your goals because keeping chickens and rabbits require very little land, sheep and goats require a little more and cows require, at a minimum, one or two acres of dedicated pasture each… and that is IF you are in good pasture/rainfall areas typical of the eastern United States. In much of the western parts of the U.S. more land is usually required, often much more. And if you are thinking about having horses, get far more rural property—10 acres per horse (in the east) in addition to your house, driveway, garden, etc. Okay, moving on. Question # 2. Can you COMFORTABLY afford the land? Only you know how much you can afford for the home and land. Can you purchase your rural property and be debt-free?  You’ve heard me talk about this before so you know I think this is a really important milestone to achieve. But, if you’re not there yet, can you comfortably afford the down payment with plenty of financial reserves left over to deal with the unexpected? And I mean plenty because there’s always a need for money out here. For instance, how much will any improvements to the land or buildings cost? Then there’s the cost for livestock, trees and garden beds and so on. So make sure your purchase leaves you with financial reserves. # 3. How is the water? Does the land have excellent water? (I encourage you to make this a very high priority.) Does the water come from a natural spring or has a well been drilled? If it is a spring, is it located above the elevation of the house and garden so you can use gravity for water distribution? If the water is from a well, how many gallons per minute does it produce AND what is the static water depth? For example, on our last farm, we had two wells, each 300 feet deep that produced over 45 gallons per minute, but the static water depth is less than 40 feet. On my current homestead, we only have one well that produces about 5 gallons per minute, but that’s plenty. Besides, we have lots of springs and small streams on this property, and we just put in a one-acre pond. Also, have you tested the water quality? Most likely it will be hard water. I’m sure your test results will show it’s fine to drink, but you’ll be wondering why your dishes come out foggy and dusty looking. So here’s a hint…add a small amount of citric acid along with the detergent when you run your dishwater, and your dishes will look fine. But back to water. If it is raw land have you received an estimate for the cost of drilling a well? If you’re going to farm you can offset the cost of the well with an EQIP grant…I covered those in episode 22 of SSL.  Otherwise it will set you back at least $5-$10K. And if you don’t have a well but need one, check the well depths and flow rates for your closest neighbors first so you can have confidence that your well will perform as needed. Finally, as it relates to water, if you plan on raising livestock, how will you get water to them? #4 Is there good potential for alternative energy? Many homesteaders share the dream of completely off-grid, but that is not possible if the land is not conducive to energy production. If you are considering solar energy, does the land have excellent sun exposure or is it surrounded by dense woods? If you are considering wind or hydro-power, is the land suitable for that? Is there a woodlot so you can cut your own firewood if you plan to heat with wood? And is it the right kind of wood? Elm and Ash burn fine but they burn fast and doesn’t put out nearly the BTU’s as oak or hickory. All wood species aren’t the same, so find out what you have. If you don’t know, you can get the forestry department to come out and walk the land for you, for free. That’s what we did. Moving on. #5 Do you have a good understanding of the local weather? How much rain per year does the area receive?  More importantly, how frequently does the rain come? Now, this issue of frequency is a big deal. Here’s why…on our previous property in Georgia, we averaged over 50 inches of rain per year. Sounds nice, right? Yet we often went through the hottest parts of summer and received only one to two inches during a three-month period. That created a lot of stress on our livestock and gardens, and our large pond would go down 2-4 feet. That made it hard to keep oxygen in the pond for fish. So it’s not enough to know how much rain you get per year. You need to know how much you can depend on frequent rain. And it’s this reason that I prefer land in or near the mountains. Also, what are the winters like where you are looking? And the summers?  How frequently is there a drought?  Of flooding? What about the risk of tornadoes and hurricanes? Wildfires? Just something else for you to factor into this big decision. #6 What is the growing season and how long is it? This is one of the reasons we moved from our prior farm because we wanted to live in a different gardening zone. For your desired location, have you spoken with other local gardeners and/or agriculture extension offices? Do you know what crops can be grown, when they must be planted and harvested? What kind of fruits can you grow? You might fantasize about an apple orchard but good luck if you’re looking in central Florida. Also, what kind of pests are you likely to encounter? Do you have skills in all these areas or are you starting from scratch? Either way, see if there’s a master gardener’s group in your new area. Or at least talk to the county extension agent first to see if they’re knowledgeable about small-scale organic food production. #7 What is the community like where you’re moving? Are there like-minded people in the area, whether it be for homesteading, homeschooling or what not? Are there groups or organizations you would like to join? Can you join them BEFORE you move to see first-hand what the people are like? Nowadays, some of these groups are online, notably in Facebook groups. So you can join well before you move. Are there gardening clubs, homeschooling support groups and so on? Because just as there are micro-climates in the weather, there are also micro-cultures. So, did you subscribe to the local newspaper BEFORE making an offer and relocating? If so, how is the help wanted section? Skimpy or full?  What does that tell you about the local economy? What about police reports? What crime is in the community and how close is it to the property you are considering? Are there many foreclosure listings or only a few? # 8 How likely is it the community will drastically change? Is the town you are considering located between major points of interest that may cause it to grow over time? For example, I grew up in a beautiful mountain town in northern Georgia that was quaint and sparsely populated, with families who had lived in the county for generations.  It’s the town where the movie Deliverance was filmed. Lots of other movies were filmed there too, and my mom actually waited on Walt Disney and Fess Parker back in the 50s when they were filming The Great Locomotive Chase. But that was then, when the town was remote and…well…a little backwards, I guess. Or quaint, if you prefer that word. Today, the town is still there but “prosperity” has arrived in the form of fast-food restaurants, souvenir shops, chain coffee shops, and LOTS of traffic. Why? Because a major road that connects Georgia to the Smoky Mountains goes right through the valley where the town is located. So while it was once the town I’d like to live near, today I wouldn’t want to live anywhere near it. Moving right along. #9 What are the immediate neighbors like? If you are seriously considering a specific property, have you introduced yourselves to the neighbors before making an offer? Do you share anything in common with them? Children, hobbies, political beliefs, religious views, societal views, etc? Would you invite them over for dinner? Would you want to go to dinner at their house? One of my neighbors about a half mile down the road has a large apple orchard, so we’re able to discuss pruning trees and growing apples. Plus we share similar views on preparedness, which is an important consideration if you think of yourself as a prepper. Now, there aren’t many people around with young kids, like we have. But we’ve found that to be pretty normal when looking at rural property. More often than not the population is gray…or bald. Still, make an effort to talk to at least one of your neighbors. Or stop by the local store…every small town has a gas station slash candy bar store, and ask them about the area. #10 How remote is it/how close to town? One of the best things about homesteading can be seclusion, but, for some, it can also be the worst. This is particularly true if you’re a “people person” or love to shop at Target. You’ll find all that stuff to be far away. So, how close do you want to be to a town? And what do you want out of the town? Simply a store or two? Or are you interested in being close to decent restaurants, yoga studios, pubs, golf courses and the like? There are no right answers, but be honest about what you want and find that community. #11 What are the physical characteristics of the specific land you are considering? Is it flat, gently sloping, or steep mountainside? Ours is a mix of gently sloping to steep, and that’s important to us. Why? the ridges give us a lot of privacy between us and neighbors, none of which can be seen from our house. And because an area with two small streams between two sloping hillsides created the perfect spot for a large pond, which we very much wanted. What about your new land? Is it wide open with no trees or are there wind breaks?  If you plan on raising livestock, they’ll want some shade and protection. Plus the windbreaks increase your privacy. But what about the soil drainage? That’ super important if you plan on putting in a septic system. You’ll need to know that the land can perk. Even if you don’t, you don’t want flat land that doesn’t drain. It’ll be hard to grow things if the ground is always flooded. Also, if your land has pasture, what perennial forages are growing there now? Is the pasture suitable for your intended use? Are there also legumes such as clovers, vetch and so on that can help fix nitrogen to the soil? Is it only one species of grass, such as Bermuda, or is the pasture a mix of forages? Does the forage match the animals you hope to put on it? For example, if the pasture consists of “old” fescue that is prone to endophytes, it may not be wise to plan on raising horses. How is the earthworm activity? Did you bring a shovel to dig a quick scoop? You should get at least one earthworm in each scoop. Is the garden area positioned for maximum sun exposure? Is the land fenced?  Is there a perimeter fence around the entire property? Are the pastures cross-fenced for rotational grazing? If so, are the fences high-tensile, woven-wire field fence, wooden fence or what? What is their condition?  How much time will it take you to maintain and mow them? These are just a few of the questions you’ll want to ask about the physical aspects of your new property. #12 How was the land previously used? Regardless of whether the land is beautiful or unkempt, do you know how it was previously used? Were chemicals used and, if so, when were they last applied? What types of fertilizers, if any, were applied? Was the land frequently disked or tilled? Have you confirmed that you will own ALL water and mineral rights? Most states in the eastern US follow the riparian rights concept. That means the landowner has the rights to water on, or underneath, their land. And if they own land adjacent to a river or lake they’re entitled to withdraw water from those water bodies, as long as they use the water on their property. It’s very different in the western states that tend to receive far less rainfall.  With water being more scarce each year, they follow prior appropriation water rights. That means local irrigation districts define water rights and assign the highest priority for water during droughts to the first people to apply for a beneficial use. Bottom line…check out your area to see if the water on your dream land actually is yours or not. The same thing applies to surface and subsurface mineral rights, but you get the point by now. Talk to someone knowledgeable in your area and know what is yours and what isn’t. #13 Have you tested the soil? You are what you eat, so you will want to know what is in the soil. Have you had it tested or asked the current owner if they’ve had it tested?  When you tested the soil, did you sample several areas of the land and pasture, or only one? What were the recommendations for soil improvement for each area? How long will it take to get the soil where it needs to be based on your planned use for it? Granted, this is probably more important if you plan on farming the land versus homesteading, but you still may want to know. I mean, you may dream of having a personal vineyard or planting a large orchard, but is the land suitable for that? For example, if it’s acidic, that’s great for growing blueberries and pine trees, but not a lot else. So how much lime is required to decrease the acidity and what is the cost for purchasing and spreading the lime? And if you’re gonna raise livestock, you’ll want to know if the soil sorely lacks nutrients that your animals need, such as selenium or manganese. Even if you’re not gonna keep livestock, we both know the you’re gonna have a garden. I mean, what homesteader doesn’t. So what are the specific recommendations for the garden area? Again, have you sought the free advice of the local county extension agent? To some extent you can mitigate this with raised beds and bringing in soil or compost, but it’s better, and cheaper, if you don’t have to. #14 Who maintains the roads? If you’re moving from suburbia, this will be a new concept for you. Is your new property accessible by nice, maintained roads, or is it accessible only via Class IV (unimproved) roads that you may need to maintain? Is there a driveway to your house or must you install one? Have you considered the costs for gravel, grading, plowing, etc? Your long gravel drive may be dreamy, but guess who’ll maintain it. You will, Bucko. That means clearing snow and grading it, which I can promise you it will need from time to time. So check this issue out before moving and make sure you’re up for it. #15 Does the land have potential for your plans? Sure, you may want to start simply with a garden and a dozen chickens, but is it possible you may want to grow your farmstead into something more? If so, will the land accommodate your dreams? Is there room for the cows, sheep, horses, buildings, ponds or whatever visions tease you while sleeping? This is something I look at closely when evaluating property. I visualize what I want the land to look like as much as what it does look like. I gave you the example of the pond we put in earlier, and I talked a lot about how to improve pastures and land in my first book, The Accidental Farmers. Again, is there a sunny spot for the garden on your new property, or is the land on a mountainside where direct sunlight is measured in minutes rather than hours? #16 Does the land have usable outbuildings? That’s great if it does, but what is their condition? Can you afford any repair costs or can you do it yourself? Can the buildings be used for future income-generating ideas that are discussed in this book, such as for classes or events? You know I talk a fair amount about self-sufficient entrepreneurship, and if you’re interested in earning money from your farmstead, you can use these buildings to get started. They’ll be of great value to you but little value to the current owner. #17 Are there local hospitals and high-quality health care? If you frequently need medical attention, are there hospitals and good doctors within a reasonable driving distance?  Is there good emergency care should someone in your family suffer an injury on the farm? Is there adequate dental care? I don’t have much else to say on this issue, but you’ll know whether this should rank as an important consideration for you or not. #18 Is the house (or homesite) properly placed in its environment? A house snuggled up against the woods sounds great, right? That’s until you find the woods are loaded with copperheads or timber rattlers who take a liking to your back porch. If the land has a house on it, is it where you want it?  After all, it’ pretty hard to move it later. Have you really visualized yourself in the home? Is the garden area placed downslope from the house so you can use the house roof to capture rainwater for the garden? That would be nice if you could. But if it is, where is the septic system relative to the garden area, since it too will be downslope from the house? You don’t want to build your raised beds or plant your garden right on top of it. #19 Does the land afford the ability to hunt and/or fish? You may grow much of your own food, but if you enjoy meat, you can also hunt or fish it for free. Does your land allow that? Is there an abundance of deer, turkey, wild pigs, freshwater fish or whatever you are interested in? Access to this can dramatically reduce the cost of food for you and your animals. I’d hate to not have access to this. We’ll probably raise some turkeys this year since we always do, but I can’t imagine why. There are so many wild turkeys walking around, pretty much right up to our porch, that it seems crazy to raise some. Of course there’s tons of deer and big lakes nearby, but we just put in a one acre pond so we can have a lifetime of fishing. If these things are important to you too, make sure your property has them, or can have them. #20 Are there neighborhood dogs? If your new land is not securely fenced, are there neighborhood dogs that may enjoy your new chickens or rabbits? Do you know for sure? Does anyone else in the area seem to raise goats/chickens or the like? If so, can you stop and talk to them. Just another thing for you to ponder. #21 Are there other potential hazards of the location you are considering? I’ve mentioned snakes, but what about other wildlife such as bears, mountain lions and wolves? Even wild hogs are a hazard in terms of wrecking your gardens and food plots. Are you in a frequent tornado or hurricane risk area? Is there poisonous vegetation that could harm you (or your animals), such as poison sumac, poison ivy, poison oak, wild cherry trees? Those can be poisonous to livestock. Are there pasture grasses high in prussic acid, such as sudangrass and sorghum-sudan? Grazed improperly, these can be deadly to cattle. Even if your pastures don’t have them, if local pastures do and that’s where you’re getting your hay, you can still have problems. And, while not necessarily a “hazard,” are there nuisances such as fire ants or seasonal gnats and/or mosquitos that could spread disease? Man, are we glad to be away from fire ants! Don’t forget about disease-spreading ticks. Is Lyme Disease a risk in your new area? I don’t mean to scare you, but: embracing the simplicity of self-sufficient living means embracing ALL of nature. #22 Are there zoning restrictions? Covenants? HOAs?  Hopefully you’re moving away from that and not to it, and my recommendation is to not move anywhere that has a HOA or any covenants. Regardless, are there local zoning restrictions? Can you later open a bed and breakfast or offer farm dinners/classes if you want?  Can you erect barns and simple farm structures without a permit (and fees), or is that required for even the most simple structure? Believe me, you may not begin planning on any of these things, but growing the farmstead becomes addictive for many, and may for you as well. Now, let’s jump to the final question. It’s short and sweet. #23 Did you rent or camp in the area prior to making an offer? If you are unfamiliar with the area, did you rent or camp in the area for an extended time first? Are you certain this is the community for you?  After all, you do not want to hate your new home! Clearly, purchasing a rural property and leaving “normal” life behind to become more self-sufficient represents a major life decision. It may be one of the most important decisions you ever make and, therefore, deserves careful consideration. Still, having made that move myself over a decade ago, I highly recommend the lifestyle and would never “go back.” I don’t know anyone who would! Now, think about these questions and feel free to add your own. That way you’ll be fully armed with the knowledge you need to leave the rat race behind for your piece of rural paradise. Listen into this episode as I walk you through the 23 Questions to Ask Before Buying Rural Land. So, if you’re looking for ways to tips and inspiration to become more self-sufficient, you won’t want to miss this. So grab some coffee and pull up a chair!  

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