Farm to Table
A conversation in the Modern Homestead Clubhouse which included coffee, networking, and chatting all things Farm to Table!
Introductions
Katie Schrock, moderator, is in her second-year homesteading after a lifelong love of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder, growing and raising food, and serving it to family and friends. She’s an Admin for the Modern Homestead club on Clubhouse with fellow moderators, Natalie & Mona who joined today. Natalie has a speciality in Kunekune pigs and Livestock Guardian Dogs and is the OG creator of the Modern Homesteaders, while Mona Weathers homesteaded for years in California before taking a break to raise her family. She has recently started returning to her Healthy Homesteading roots in the great state of Georgia!
Jason Medows, a cattle rancher and host of the Ag State of Mind hollistic rancher health podcast joined, as well as Donny, a California-based man with a passion for raising food and sharing it which even manifested to his own farm to table restaurant wholesale and own restaurant!
Regulations
When you want to start producing your food and sharing it beyond your own home, you need to make sure that you pay attention to the different regulations from not only the USDA, but also your own state-specific regulations and county. A great person that you can chat with is your local land-grant university’s extension agent!
For example, Katie produces chickens in Oregon and has regulations on how many birds they can sell a year that are processed at their home. In order for them to be able to process onsite, they must have the point of sale of the bird on the site that the bird is raised and processed which creates a natural checks-and-balances for the buyer.
Donny shared that there are similar regulations in California, which also includes the number of eggs sold a year. For those wanting to sell produce, Californians have to have a producer card which lists the number of plants, expected harvest and more. A simple process, it does require an auditor to come out for a quick walk around your facility to ensure that you were accurate on your form in order to get that processors card.
Sharing Your Homesteading Adventure
Like anyone in an industry they are passionate about, we all want to share our homesteading adventure! Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms are a great way to share those stories but here are a few additional tips from this club room’s speaker panel.
Facebook Groups: Community Over Everything
Natalie shares that finding Facebook groups on topic are the best place to share, even more so than just sharing on your own Facebook profile or Facebook page. The Facebook algorithms are curated to promote community growth and engagement which is why you want to do this. Find a couple groups that fit your ethics, morals, and passion - start sharing!
Please note that many Facebook groups will have all-moderated posts by the admins and moderators with the latest Facebook update. The reason is that any post now made in the group by any individual will show on newsfeeds as if the Facebook group itself posted that statement. Don’t see this extra care and TLC by moderators for the group as a negative - it is actually a benefit!
Monetized Platform First - Others Second
Donny shared that he has found the most importance with his content to create it on a platform that you can monetize first, such as YouTube, and then share from there to the other sites. This keeps the business model aspect at the forefront in your sharing and, subsequently, marketing plans. Katie seconded this opinion, sharing that she uses her online platform of the Digital Ag Academy to promote different tips, techniques and “what’s happening now” in order to promote those more in-depth courses.
Email Marketing
While social media followings are important, we have all heard the horror stories of accounts hacked, accounts deleted or even the potential threat of a social media platform going away. Owning your email list is an important way to connect with your followers no matter what! If you are nervous about starting your own list, don’t stress! Head to FloDesk on our resources page HERE and get started for 50% off. You can send us an email to answer any questions you might have!
Make sure to join us in the Modern Homestead Clubhouse for daily conversations about all things homesteading for the small and large homesteads, rural and urban homesteads!