My Digital Farmer Podcast

What if the fastest way to grow your farm business wasn't finding more customers… but finding the people who already HAVE your customers' attention? In this episode, I'm introducing the concept of the "Dream 25 List" -- a simplified version of the famous Dream 100 marketing strategy -- and showing farmers how to identify partnership opportunities hiding all around them. We're talking about: what's a Dream 25 list? why partnerships can accelerate trust faster than social media how to identify 25 businesses and influencers that already serve your ideal customer examples of creative partnerships for flower farms, CSA farms, meat producers, and wedding flower growers I also share real examples from Shared Legacy Farms, Anderson Farms, Weber Ranch, and a coaching call inside Farm Marketing School that sparked this conversation. Homework Assignment: Create your own Dream 25 List: Who already has the trust and attention of your ideal customer? Then choose THREE relationships to begin building this month. Helpful Links & Resources What email provider do I use? I recommend Kit.com -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Use my affiliate link! Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step monthly membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 20 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)  

In this episode, I sit down with Krista Barzen-Hansen of Thirsty Fruit Farm (one of my students from Farm Marketing School!) to break down how her farm marketing has evolved and strengthened over the past year. In this farm marketing case study, we unpack: how customers discover her farm, how she nurtures leads, how she's constantly optimizing her "gateway" product what content she creates, how she thinks about onboarding, the systems she's building, and how she's learning to approach marketing with confidence and experimentation instead of overwhelm. Krista's primary sales model happens to be a CSA "buy down" structure, so much of the conversation naturally flows through that lens. But the real lesson here is seeing how marketing principles come together inside an actual farm business. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to move from "random acts of marketing" into a more intentional marketing ecosystem… this episode will give you a practical example. Meet Our Podcast Guest:  Krista Barzen-Hanson from ThirstyFruitFarm.com Krista is an environmental chemist turned farmer. She and her husband, Brad, started Thirsty Fruit Farm in upstate NY during the pandemic. They farm about 10 acres of certified organic fruit and vegetables and sell direct-to-consumer through their buy-down CSA farm share, online store, and farm stand. Krista oversees the vegetable operation and marketing. Helpful Links & Resources Krista's Tip Jar Ideas: You can find these at our show notes page: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/364 Proof Sentence Live Workshop: Want help finding your farm's proof sentence? This June inside Farm Marketing School, I'm hosting a bonus live workshop where we'll write your farm's proof sentence together. You'll get time to draft it, share it for feedback, and get coached on revisions so you can use it in your emails, product descriptions, website, and social media. Join here: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms What email provider do I use to connect with my farm customers? Choosing a good marketing email provider is SO important. It's one of the most important tools for making money!  I recommend Kit.com -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Use my affiliate link! Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 15 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)

What if one sentence could help your customers trust you faster? In this episode, I'm introducing a powerful marketing tool called a proof sentence — a simple line that helps your customer think, "Yeah… this is probably going to work for me, too." A proof sentence doesn't just describe your product. It shows what happens after someone buys it. We'll talk about why promises are so powerful in marketing, how to identify the transformation your farm product creates, and how to build your own proof sentence using a simple formula. Because your customers aren't just buying vegetables, meat, flowers, or CSA boxes. They're buying the transformation. In this episode, you'll learn: Why proof sentences help customers overcome hesitation The 4-part structure behind a strong proof sentence How to start identifying the real transformation your product creates Examples of proof sentences for CSA farms, flower farms, meat producers, and more How to use proof sentences in your emails, website, product descriptions, and social media Your homework: Take a first stab at drafting your own farm's proof sentence. Ask yourself: What can I honestly promise will happen to most of my customers after they buy from me? Get specific. Your customers are already experiencing a result. Now point to it. Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 15 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Proof Sentence Live Workshop: Want help finding your farm's proof sentence? This June inside Farm Marketing School, I'm hosting a bonus live workshop where we'll write your farm's proof sentence together. You'll get time to draft it, share it for feedback, and get coached on revisions so you can use it in your emails, product descriptions, website, and social media. Join here: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms What email provider do I use to connect with my farm customers? Choosing a good marketing email provider is SO important. It's one of the most important tools for making money!  I recommend Kit.com -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Use my affiliate link! Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)  

Is your farm website reflecting what's happening on your farm RIGHT NOW… or is it stuck in last season? A few weeks ago, our farm was featured in the Toledo Blade newspaper during asparagus season, and suddenly we had a wave of new people discovering our business online. There was just one problem… Our website wasn't ready for them. The homepage wasn't talking about asparagus. There was no mention of the newspaper feature. And there wasn't a clear next step for new visitors trying to figure out how to buy from us. That experience sparked a huge realization for me: Farm websites are not static brochures. They're living storefronts. And just like a retail store changes its displays, promotions, featured products, and signage throughout the year, your website should evolve with the current season of your farm business too. In today's episode, I'm unpacking: Why stale websites quietly create friction and confusion How new customers experience your website differently than loyal customers The hidden role your homepage plays in guiding people deeper into your funnel The seasonal elements I think farms should regularly rotate and refresh A simple "website grooming rhythm" you can use throughout the year If you've been treating your website like a one-and-done project, this episode will completely change the way you think about your homepage. Helpful Links & Resources Grab the FREE "Living Storefront Website Audit Checklist" - I designed this worksheet for this exact episode. It's a seasonal website tune-up worksheet to help you audit your homepage, promotions, hours, featured products, calls to action, and mobile experience. Download my FREE guide: The 10 Most Common Farm Website Mistakes - This practical PDF walks through the biggest issues I see farm websites making over and over again — the kinds of things that create confusion, friction, and missed sales opportunities online. 👉 https://shared-legacy-farms.kit.com/a52ed2b4df What email provider do I use? I recommend Kit.com -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Use my affiliate link! Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step monthly membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 20 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)  

May 13, 2026 There's a missing piece in most farm marketing funnels, and it lives after the sale. If your customers feel overwhelmed, unsure what to do, or like they're "failing" with your product… they don't come back. In this episode, I'm breaking down the concept of a Success Path -- the intentional roadmap you build to guide your customer from confusion → confidence → transformation. When you build this well, you don't just create repeat buyers… you create loyal fans who trust you, stick with you, and tell others. What You'll Learn: What a Success Path actually is (and why it's the most overlooked part of your funnel) The key elements every success path needs: Why teaching matters (and the kinds of skills your customers need to succeed) How to think like a guide: building frameworks, processes, and "curriculum" for your customers The power of normalizing roadblocks—and how it keeps people from quitting Why community and belonging are retention superpowers Once you see the path, you can start building resources around it: Simple how-to videos (YouTube, social, website) PDFs, checklists, and quick-start guides Recipes, tutorials, and tool lists A "home base" (Google Doc, Google Sheet, or webpage) to organize everything Evergreen content you can reuse year after year Over time, this evolves into a repeatable system that moves customers from the point of first purchase through all the items in your product ladder (and creates super fans). This episode will show you how to get started with this key element in your sales process. It's SO GOOD! Helpful Links & Resources 👉 Join my CSA Academy membership for $19/month (get access to Corinna's full library of CSA training resources that her CSA members get). You have my permission to use the resources inside for your own farm business, as long as you are a paying member. 👉 Gut Healing Resource Page (Example of a Success Path in Action) I mentioned my Shared Legacy Farms Gut Healing Resource Page in the episode. You can view it here! What email provider do I use? I recommend Kit.com -- it is easy to use, powerful, and getting better every year. It also integrates with most e-commerce providers and tools. Use my affiliate link! Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 15 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)  

I own every single album by the Indigo Girls. I'm a true fan. I know the deep cuts. The obscure songs. The ones most people have never heard of. But the album I reach for the most?...Their greatest hits. The one with all the favorites. The songs I already know I love. And it got me thinking… What if your farm had a "greatest hits album"? Most farmers are sitting on their most powerful sales tool… and not using it. Your best sellers—the products your customers already love—are doing more work than you think. But if you're not intentionally leveraging them? You're leaving money on the table. In this episode, I'm breaking down how to identify your farm's "greatest hits"… and more importantly, what to actually do with them so they drive more sales, higher order values, and repeat purchases. Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 15 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)

What if the growth you've been chasing… isn't actually about getting more customers? In this episode, I'm introducing a simple (but incredibly powerful) metric called Customer Value. And once you understand it, it will completely change how you think about your farm's revenue, your marketing, and your growth strategy. Most farmers are focused on the wrong lever. They're trying to bring in more people… when the real opportunity might already be sitting inside their current customer base. Inside this episode, I'm going to show you: What Customer Value actually is (and how to calculate it for your farm) Why this number brings clarity and predictability to your revenue How it helps you make smarter marketing decisions (including what you can afford to spend to get a new customer) And the mindset shift that moves you from chasing sales… to building a system We'll also walk through a real-life example of a farmers market vendor and show how small changes—like getting someone to come back one more time or spend a few dollars more per visit—can dramatically increase your revenue without adding a single new customer. This is one of those episodes that will quietly rewire how you think about growth. Thank You to Our Podcast Sponsors: Local Line is my farm's preferred e-commerce platform for farmers. Are you looking for a new solution for your farm? I can't recommend it enough. Easy-to-use inventory management, great customer service, continuous improvement, and a culture dedicated to equipping farmers with marketing expertise. Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2026. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline Farm Marketing School is my step-by-step membership program for direct-to-consumer farmers who are ready to treat marketing like a system, not a guessing game. Inside, you'll get plug-and-play projects, templates, monthly coaching, and a repeatable framework to help you grow your email list, run stronger promotions, and increase sales (whether you're a vegetable, meat, CSA, flower, dairy, microgreen, or value-added farm). Your investment is only $69/month. Over 15 marketing projects to choose from. Learn more and enroll at: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/fms Support the Podcast: Love the My Digital Farmer Podcast? Help me reach more farmer earbuds! Subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. ⭐️  Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts, because it helps other farmers find the show. Share this episode with a fellow farmer or small business owner. Or forward my weekly email about the show to a farmer! (Get on that email list here to get more marketing tips: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/subscribe)