Meet Sean Pessarra, The Mindful Farmer, Toolmaker, Hoop House Builder, and Small Farm Supporter

Join Sean Pessarra, Nick, and Karl Binger and learn how Sean, the founder of Mindful Farmer, and learn how he took his part-time beekeeping operation in Texas and transformed it into a full-time sustainable agriculture business rich in experience that has led to an amazing career serving farmers through better tools and consulting. This is part 1 of a two-part Soil Block interview.  https://mindfulfarmerarkansas.com/ @mindfulkitchenarkansas 00:00 Intro 01:40 Mindful Farmer Beginnings 07:08 Heifer International 10:00 starting Mindful Farmer  12:15 $200k on 3 acres 16:50 Sourcing to local restaurants 18:10 Organic growing in the south 20:30 Where it's grown vs. how it's grown 21:18 Regional vs. national chain stores 23:30 Wholesale vs. direct-to-consumer prices 25:50 Farmers market options 29:45 CSA model options  30:40 Defining direct vs. wholesale on the farm 32:46 Should a new farmer start with wholesale 34:07 Farmer math= $ per square foot 36:00 Boutique grocer options 37:30 What you need for winter flower growing 39:17 First to market early in the season 41:30 Making the most out of sqft 43:00 Creativity in your farm 44:00 Avoid burnout 4 5:20 Bundling your energy 46:50 Learn to say NO 51:20 Mindful Farmer's Made in the USA Tools, Drop Seeder 56:20 Broad fork tools 58:10 Making better tools 59:08 Helping home gardeners 01:00:00 Investing upfront to save later  https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/blogs/how-to-grow-seedlings/soil-blocking