How To Start A Small Farm (Pt 2) | Advice From A Couple That Created Their Dream Farm!

It's so hard. It's so hard to found a farm. You have to learn so much. So much. The learning curve is really steep. You have to know when to stop talking about the farm. And sometimes it's really hard. It's like 8 o'clock and oh! Maybe we can do this and that tomorrow. Okay. Stop. Stop. It's too late now. In comparison to the first year we said we earned 85,000. But this year in July we were at 85,000. So in July we were just on the way to the growth of the farm. So that looks really good at the moment. Yes, I think at the moment we have a turnover plus of 61%. We are very happy about that and it is really cool. Yes. But yes, what makes it possible for us to do this is that we have several sales positions. So we didn't just focus on CSAs or the collaboration with restaurants and maybe did something else. We have four ways to sell. Because many farmers start with one or two channels. I think, yes, I think you start from the front. With four, yes. Okay, because it's interesting. But we had the experience to do this. So we try to use everything to make it happen. We have a market here. We work together with several restaurants. That's really cool. We also sell on a farmer's market in Point in Montreal. We make our own mini market when we are at the CSA handover and we also have some CSA boxes on the farm. The sales positions are in my opinion quite different because they all have different needs. Restaurants, for example, not all. But they definitely want consistency. They want a high-quality product that is always the same. Because they vote on the products. Do you have a trick that you can tell us how to work with them? I think that's pretty difficult. Actually, it's not that difficult. It's actually quite nice because you build up this relationship and then they write to me Oh, I need a box of tomatoes for this week or maybe next week. And if I don't have enough, I write to them I'm sorry I don't have enough. I think they like it when they feel that you are trying to come to them. Because sometimes they have a small request. When you do that, they will remember it and they will like it. That's one thing. Besides, they are people. So it's like with all other people. Communication, communication in communication. I think the most important thing is that we spend time together. Not at the farm or where we talk about it. But just being lovers. And spend time with activities or other interests. Period. Yes, exactly. You really have to be aware of that. I think so too. And there is a big cliché. Communication is really, really important. But that also applies if you don't work with a partner. In this sense, it's not just limited to this context. But it also applies in this sense. Because when the day at the farm is over, I can't say Oh, I'll see this person tomorrow and it's okay. No, you continue the relationship. You really have to take care of it and know when to stop talking about the form. And sometimes it's really hard. It's like eight o'clock and oh, maybe we can do this and that tomorrow. Okay, that's it, that's it. Now it's too late. Yes, so yes, we need a kind of border for the farm. What we did this year is to integrate care into our goals, our annual goals. We tried to set a few goals, like meditation, for example. We also included it in the timetable. What else? Take a day off a month because we work a lot. So it's really easy to never stop. You really have to think about it and listen to yourself if you feel like you're at the limit. Even if there's something you feel like you have to do. No, you're at the limit. Take a moment to stop. Because it won't be productive, even if you keep working. And it doesn't have to be all day. No, sometimes it's just ... I'm going to stretch. I'm going to eat something delicious. I will. You just have to listen to what you need most at the moment and try to do it. What would you advise someone who is thinking about maybe moving and starting a farm? I would say go to a farm first and see if you like it. Back to the beginning. Yes, yes. And M, prepare yourself. Period. Yes. And maybe talk to your friends and family so I don't know if you need help. Will you do this alone? If you're alone, then maybe scale the farm so that you're the only one. Yes. I think you don't have to be afraid even if you don't know something. If you don't feel comfortable with something, then ... Go and get it and try it out and talk to people. Try it. Don't be afraid. Leave everything. If you're afraid, you're paralyzed and do everything wrong. Sometimes it's okay to be afraid, but it shouldn't take up all the space and shouldn't turn into nervousness. I think there are sometimes things you don't know and if you get involved, it's not that hard or you just learn it and that's it. Something else? Don't rush it. Yes, don't rush it. I think it's better to approach it slowly so that you have the energy to set up your farm if you want to run a farm. We really overcame it and I think it's a better idea if you approach it slowly. But at the same time it's an approach. So there are sometimes people who like to work in the meantime and start in part-time. But there is also another approach where you can just give everything. We did that. I think I agree with that. But it's different for everyone. So you have to learn how to eat. Something else for people who want to set up a farm? We talked a little about it, but it's really important to think about your mission and about what you want to do with the farm and how you want to do it. Because that will give you direction from the beginning when you set up the farm and it will also give the farm a color and you have more options to design it according to your own image. And it will be easier and you will be happier to run your farm and do that. So if you get as close as possible to what you are, then the rest will result on its own, not by itself. But you understand it. Yes. And people want to know your story. They also want to know what makes you unique. And that's exactly where you came from. For us it was, for example, that we put good food in the foreground because we really like to eat. So it was one of the aspects, the ecological aspect of the farm, then also the social aspect and finally the financial aspect. It is really the four pillars that give us a direction at the moment and to which we refer in our decisions. So at least a visit to the farm, maybe a project with schools and even universities. Sometimes we even made projects with two universities and so on. Every time we do this kind of project, which is perhaps less financial, there is some drive on the other side, you know. Then we think, oh yes, it means something to us, we like to do it and we have the feeling that we are also useful for the community. I think it's really valuable. So find your own way. If I may say so. Hey guys, thanks a lot for that. I think you have shared incredible knowledge. It is very valuable for anyone who wants to start a farm travel project or just thinks about it. Yes. And I think what you have achieved here in two years is absolutely incredible. I would like to be there in five years. I would like to see what that is. We really like to share a farm or experience and so on. And we really think that everyone should do the same, because we really have to work together. We always say that it is really very hard to start a farm. So if we don't have a community of farmers and not just a community with the people in the environment, then it just gets much harder. So it's a pleasure for me. Yes.