In this first episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we’re talkin’ all things niche meats marketing with Casey Smith of BCS Livestock out of Winthrop, WA. Tune in to learn about the various sheep and lamb products and the diverse marketing channels created by BCS Livestock’s whole animal approach. We also take a deep dive into the processing methods they are using for their niche meats business model, including scaling from WSDA custom exemption to USDA inspection. Keep listening till the end to learn more about efforts to create a USDA processing option in Okanogan County with Alyssa Jumars, of the Methow Conservancy.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we get to talk with Heidi and Mike Peroni of Boistfort Valley Farm in Curtis, WA. We chew through all things organic certification. We learn why they decided organic certification was right for them and break down the certification process by covering everything from required farming practices and recordkeeping strategies to annual inspections and helpful resources. We then hear from Brenda Book, WSDA Organic Program Manager as she shares the history of the WSDA Organic Program and addresses common questions about organic certification.

Pablo Silvia was born in Yucacani, a small town in Guerrero, Mexico. At the age of 14, he arrived in California where he started working at a farm harvesting strawberries. After a couple years of working on farms in California, he moved up North to Mount Vernon, Washington, where he worked on strawberry farms for the next ten years. Frustrated with the long work days and with the toxic spraying practices of these farms, he started working for Bow Hill Blueberries in 2012. While at Bow Hill, Pablo acquired the skills necessary to manage and sustain an organic berry farm and in 2017, he harnessed those skills and started his own business.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we dive into direct-to-consumer marketing with Emily Tzeng of Local Color Farm and Fiber in Puyallup, WA. We talk about developing marketing channels, building a brand, and the ways she adapted her CSA and farmers market approach during COVID. We then chat with Matt Kelly, Executive Director of the Queen Anne Farmers Market about farmers market operations during COVID and what’s in store for the 2021 season.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we catch up with Emily Asmus of Welcome Table Farm in Walla Walla, WA to talk about their direct-to-consumer marketing channels including their customizable CSA, farm stand, and online shop. Emily also addresses farming over 40 and her lessons learned for managing body care, mechanization, hiring, vacation, and working with a spouse after two decades of labor. Later in the episode, we have a chance to chat with Simon Huntley, CEO and founder of the online sales and distribution platform Harvie about the ins and outs of the e-commerce website.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we have the opportunity to talk with Bil Thorn of Sky Island Farm in Humptulips, WA about low-risk marketing outlets and food safety best practices for direct-to-consumer marketing and wholesale outlets. Bil also addresses innovative ways to find farmland and his approach to scaling up their business by expanding their market reach. To close out this episode, we get to chat with Laura Raymond, WSDA Regional Markets Program Manager. Laura shares about innovative marketing strategies and safety precautions employed by direct-marketing farms during COVID to provide our communities with local food while keeping farmers, farm workers, and consumers safe.

In this episode of the Farm Walks Podcast, we get to sit down with Ryan Lichttenegger of Steel Wheel Farm in Fall City, WA to talk about developing COVID-specific employee training protocols and discuss recent updates to their wash/pack facility to help prepare them for GAP/FSMA compliance. Ryan will also share about his love of vintage farm equipment and Steel Wheel Farm’s approach to completing infrastructure projects on leased land and some of the marketing pivots they’ve made during COVID. Later in this episode, we get to chat with Andy Chamberlin, Agricultural Engineering Technician at the University of Vermont Extension about DIY hygienic design.

In this BONUS episode Farm Walks Podcast, we talk about niche meat-marketing with life-long farmer Tina Timmerman of Oberg Brothers Natural Beef in Tonasket, WA. Tina shares the thought process behind transitioning some of their processing to USDA Inspection and outlines important tips to building a positive relationship with your processor. We also go into some of the challenges and opportunities of selling beef at farmers markets. Later in the episode, we talk with Kira Olsen of Smokey Ridge Meats about the processing side of the value-chain, including tips for building a good relationship with your processor.