​It’s rare that I get to share this part of my story. Everyone always wants to hear about the farming + homesteading + sustainability side of my journey (all of which I am happy to talk about!), but today that changes.

Today I am opening up about my online marketing journey. If you’ve been curious about my path to sitting here writing you this post, how I started multiple e-commerce businesses, or how much money my marketing skills have made me over the years - then I got a helluva a treat for you.

I did a tell-all with Katelyn Duban on The Rural Women Podcast where we cover all things online marketing for your farm or homestead. Katelyn did an amazing job interviewing me and getting to the heart of my marketing origins.

This interview taught me how you can’t fit 21st century farmers into a box. We all have such eclectic journeys, from second-career to first-generation or (in my case) actress turned filmmaker turned photographer turned marketer turned farmer.

Happy creepin’ on me!

In my last few farm marketing posts, we learned how to pitch your farm’s story to local papers and how to share your products with online influencers to get great reviews.

In this post, I am sharing the surprising way I've gotten local papers, major podcasts, and online bloggers to seek me out, instead of me having to pitch my farm. This tip also has grown customer awareness for our local area for our farm and boosted sales. So what is my special ingredient that makes this magic happen? 

It’s all about having a clear cause on behalf of your farm. Let's dive in!

No matter if you sell eggs, wool, hemp, pickles, or beef - you need reviews for your farm’s products. Why? Because a review is what we marketers call “social proof.” Having a well written review about one of your farm’s products gives website visitors or your social media followers proof that spending their money with you is worth it. 

A glowing review proves to a potential customer that the investment they make in buying your products is a good and trustworthy one - even if it is for a $5 bar of goats milk soap! Seeing reviews is a psychological tipping point when someone is considering purchasing a product. They think, “If this person did it and they liked it, then I will most likely be happy with my purchase too.”

So why have an influencer write you a review for your farm’s products? Reaching out to a local influencer for a farm product feature is like the mother of all reviews. Typically an influencer will have a healthy-sized following that trusts them and their opinion on products.

Influencers also maximize your farm’s exposure when they write a review. They have the ability to do an Instagram post, Instagram story series, send out an email to their list, post to their Facebook Page, and even do a blog post - all for your farm. 

When most of us farmers hear the word “networking” we get a little pang at the bottom of our stomach. The word sounds so modern, so glossy, so dare I say it - corporate. What this word has stood for over the last few decades in our culture is quite literally the opposite of why most of us farm. We farm to escape the rigidity of cubicles, the stuffiness of meetings, and the obligation of hard deadlines.

I want to reframe networking for you and your farm so it doesn’t make you want to turn tail and run to the back forty. Instead, I want you to see how networking is a powerful tool for you to get your farm featured in your local newspaper and beyond.

While screen-time might be the last thing you think you need when building a successful farm, it’s actually what you need the most.

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by a child in my community. She was working on a project for school where she could choose anything she wanted to focus on, and she chose to study female farmers and how to open her own farmstand. So she chose me, a first generation female farmer who raises pastured chickens and produce through permaculture methods on five acres in Southeastern Wisconsin. To say I was touched was an understatement, I felt like I had won a ticket to the moon.

After a short tour of the farm, we chatted in my living room. Her first and most important question was, “How do you find your customers for your farm?”

I stopped to think about it. Then it hit me. We find all of our customers for our farm online.

If you are wondering how to use diatomaceous earth for a parasite cleanse, you are in the right place! I can tell you that it has safely helped not only me and Paul, but our three cats, and all 90+ chickens on our farm.

I tried diatomaceous earth as a last ditch effort to find out why I suddenly couldn’t eat eggs anymore. TMI, I had been dealing with constant diarrhea for nearly a month that would worsen with eating eggs. I was so frustrated and at the end of my rope. After doing exhaustive research, I felt that I was dealing with a parasite. Enter diatomaceous earth.

In this post, we will discuss exactly what diatomaceous earth is, how it works to kill pests and parasites, and how exactly you can use it for your health and your pets and livestock. Let’s dive in!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Katelyn Duban of Wild Rose Farmer on The Rural Woman Podcast. This podcast is a collection of stories from women in farming, ranching, homesteading, agriculture and more. Each of these women are doing life in their own unique way and sharing their stories. Tune in each episode to be inspired by these amazing Rural Women. 

• Learn about the differences between annual agriculture and permanent agriculture and what we stand to lose if we keep farming conventionally.
• Understand more about how Green Willow Homestead raises pastured chickens.
• Hear more about my journey with opening our roadside farmstand in Franklin, WI.
• Discover the fatal mistake farmers keep making when they decide on how to price their products.
• Learn all about I got into farming and why I'm still here despite crazy weather and sick animals.

I recently had the honor of being interviewed by Audra Mulkern on The Female Farmer Project: The Podcast. Audra works tirelessly on The Female Farmer Project, a multi-platform documentary project that chronicles the rise of women working in agriculture around the world.  From in-depth stories, personal essays, photographic portraits, a podcast, and in-development documentary film, the project gives a powerful voice to the fastest growing demographic in agriculture - The Female Farmer.

In this episode we discuss:

• My background as an artist, filmmaker, photographer, and producer and how these skills have helped me on the farm.
• How we raise happy hens on pasture and use permaculture methods on our farm.
  
• The unseen side of farming (i.e. sitting at a computer desk!) and how important it is to devote this time to market your farm.
• How I learned to farm and some of my personal blindspots when it came to getting started.

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If you are starting out as a beginner farmer or homesteader, or dreaming of becoming one, chances are you’re craving guidance. I felt the same exact way four years ago as I set out to put action to my values. Maybe you were inspired because you want to be a part of the climate solution, or you want to feed your community and family the healthiest food possible, or you want to learn to be more responsible for your food - maybe it’s all of the above!

Regardless of your reasons for wanting to get into farming and/or homesteading, you need the well-won knowledge from other farmers and homesteaders to help light the way. I can tell you I’ve read countless books, articles, and blogs on the subject and there are a definite few that have helped shape me. In this blog post, I want to share the top five books to help get you started with farming or homesteading.

Before we dive in, I want to pass on to you the single best piece of advice I was given as I started reading farming and homesteading books...

After taking the time to share what we learned in 2018, I figured we should also share what we have planned for 2019 at Green Willow Homestead, from farming to living sustainably. I’m a firm believer in setting big goals every year (like publishing a book!!). So without further ado, here’s what we have up our sleeves for the next year…