CNG Field Notes

In this episode of CNG Field Notes, we sat down with chefs-turned-farmers Cory Babb and Mike Garcia to explore what it really takes to sell to restaurants. While chefs are often eager to feature seasonal, locally grown ingredients, building a successful farm-to-restaurant relationship requires more than great produce.Cory and Mike will share insights on approaching chefs, communicating effectively, and delivering consistent quality that keeps them coming back. We’ll also dig into the challenges like coordinating deliveries, managing multiple accounts, and ensuring the sales are worth the effort. This conversation builds on themes from our ⁠Exploring New Sales Outlets⁠ class in the Business of Farming Series. If you’re looking to go deeper, the recording is available now.Huge thank you to Earth Tools for making this episode possible! Earth Tools offers farmer-tested, high-quality walk-behind tractors and attachments built for small-scale, diversified farms. Rooted in decades of hands-on experience growing food and selling to local markets, they prioritize durable equipment, practical versatility, and exceptional service. Their tools are designed to maximize efficiency without large-scale investment, making them a trusted resource for market growers and homesteaders looking to work smarter.Timestamps:3:05 – Mike Garcia’s origin story6:21 – Cory Babb’s origin story9:12 – What are the similarities of working in a kitchen on a farm?16:15 – What was the biggest shock transitioning to farming?20:18 – As a farmer, how has your experience selling to chefs changed over time?28:07 – As a chef, what are the challenges around buying from a local farm?36:16 – What is it like for chefs and farmers to coordinate sales and deliveries?41:13 – What does the ideal partnership look like?47:30 – How to start selling to chefs?49:31 – Mike describes his product sheet that he leaves with chefs.52:20 – Cory describes his minimums and delivery fees55:43 – What do you wish chefs knew more about farmers?1:00:04 – What impact has your CNG certification had on your relationships with chefs?

Running a small farm means constantly thinking about how to keep the business resilient, and for a growing number of farms, opening the gates to the public has become part of that strategy. In this episode of CNG Field Notes, we talk with Jason and Larry of McLawland Farm, who’ve steadily built an agritourism operation that supports their farm year-round.They’ve added u-pick berries, figs, and flowers, photographer partnerships, workshops, Airbnbs, and more – not all at once, but piece by piece, in ways that fit their scale and capacity. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to bring people onto your farm in a way that’s organized, profitable, and aligned with your values, McLawland Farm offers an incredible case-study.2:35 - Origin story of McLawland Farms5:21 - Why did they choose blueberries at their initial crop?7:10 - How did they find their farm?8:58 - Quick overview of what McLawland Farms looks like today13:31 - How did they think through laying out their farm initially keeping agritourism in mind?17:58 - What was the experience the first time folks came out to the farm? What went well, what didn’t?24:05 - Explaining the concept of a booking system for their u-pick operation30:49 - Explaining their U-pick flower operation53:32 - How did they start incorporating additional agritourism offerings?1:01:16 - Why did they choose to certify their U-pick operation?1:06:41 - What advice would they give to folks looking to start offering agritourism experiences on their farm?1:12:12 - What advice would they give their year-one selves?1:13:55 - How do they hope to see McLawland Farms grow in the next 5-10 years?

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at cooperative farming and an inspiring example of what can happen when small-scale producers build something stronger together.Thank you again to GrownBy for making this episode possible!GrownBy is the first free and farmer-owned software platform built for local farm sales. By seamlessly connecting growers with consumers across America, GrownBy fosters a direct and fair exchange between farmers and shoppers. Learn more ⁠here.⁠Timestamps: 4:13 - Gabe Francisco’s origin story of Thunderfoot Farms5:39 - Daniel and Emily’s origin story of Blooming Acres7:17 - Origin story of A Common Pasture (ACP)11:24 - Discussing selling wholesale vs. at market12:49 - How they market their product as a collective14:07 - Defining the idea of the “common”15:33 - Discussing the business structure of the ACP19:00 - How the financials of sales work out21:28 - Explaining how the group plans to expand with growing demand24:23 - How the formation of collective correlates to accessing CNG-approved feed sources25:36 - Explaining the inestimable qualities of being apart of a collective27:55 - How they handle uncertainties as a group29:18 - Gabe explains how the landed on what breed of pig to raise as a collective31:22 - What defines pasture raised pigs?33:03 - Why did the collective land on raising pasture pigs as their main product?35:56 - What have been the biggest challenges they’ve navigated as a group?37:37 - Explaining how a typical ACP meeting runs41:21 - Why did they choose to have each member farm become Certified Naturally Grown?42:42 - Were there any significant hurdles to jump through in order to become certified?45:55 - Explaining the benefits of working with processors as a collective vs as an individual small farm47:27 - Discussion of pasture management for pastured pork52:56 - Is there an animal they’d suggest starting with, if you were just getting into raising livestock?57:27 - Where do they hope to see ACP in the next 5 years?1:00:00 - What advice would they give to folks looking to form a collective?1:02:00 - What advice would you give your first year farmer self?

To access the full list of resources mentioned in this episode, visit our website here.Thank to Keene Garlic for making this episode possible!Timestamps & Resources2:19 - Ed’s Origin Story7:25 - Let's start with the nitty gritty - 16:33 - Prepping soil for garlic21:58 - Ed talks about working Cornell University to aid in research on soil health and pest management 27:42 - Adding Inputs (compost and fertilizer) to garlic beds29:27 - Q: Do you sanitize your garlic seed or soak the seed in fertilizer before planting?31:03 - Mulching34:46 - Irrigation39:37 - Monitoring the plants for pest and disease40:55 - Ed will side dress the garlic with ⁠Chilean nitrate⁠ if he thinks it’s needed43:05 - Dealing with garlic scapes46:01 - Judging when to harvest49:10 - The curing process52:38 - Selecting seed from the harvest55:23 - Finding sales outlets for the garlic1:00:07 - Ed talks about focusing his operation around one main crop1:02:02 - Q: What would Ed’s advice be for folks who want to go all in on garlic?1:04:35 - Ed discusses his game plan for the Allium Leafminer1:09:04 - Ed discusses why he chose to switch from certifying his operation from USDA Organic to ⁠Certified Naturally Grown⁠1:16:01 - Q: What would Ed tell his first year farmer self?

In this episode we're joined by CNG Farmer Sam Otto, of The Woven Trifecta, and Passion Rutledge and Tomas Delgado, from the National Farm to School Network. Head to our website for the full list of resources mentioned in this episodes.Thank you to ⁠Local Line⁠ for making this episode possible! In 2016, they launched the first version of our platform, empowering farmers to move their businesses online and accept orders from customers. Today, their suite of sales, inventory, and distribution tools is trusted by food producers across North America and beyond.Timestamps:2:00 - Origin Stories9:06 - Meat and Potatoes Questions9:20 - Can you describe different ways schools source food and who are the different players for sourcing food and menu planning - where would you suggest is a good place for a farm to start seeking out these connections?14:00 - Sam talks about how she got her farm connected with a food service director.16:17 - As a direct-to-market grower - what are the best places to start seeking out these relationships?21:05 - How federal mandates around nutrition come into play when schools are sourcing food?23:03 - Truth or myth? Do you need food safety certifications or specific requirements to sell to an institution?25:30 - Do you remember some changes you had to make at your farm to meet those requirements?28:08 - If you are a small-scale farmer and you’re looking for other ways to provide food to these institutions beyond the school lunch?30:24 - Sam holds farm field trips - asked about the logistics of that, how could a farmer present that to a school - what are the liabilities?33:07 - There’s been a lot of wariness this year with funding freezes and funding loss - Can you give an overview of the impact and if there are other places to look for funding help?36:15 - Questions from Field37:05 - Is there a place where a farmer can get a better understanding of the portion size requirements that schools require?41:30 - Thoughts on selling meat versus selling vegetables?43:33 - Are there solutions for selling to schools that don’t have well equipped kitchens? Or are there examples of farms who are working with co-packers or other innovators to provide ingredients to be sold as value added products, like pickles or cole slaw?46:00 - If a farm is a scale to sell directly to a school, are there examples of forward contracts or other agreements?49:54 The lowdown on the ⁠10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference⁠ coming up in December 1-4, 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico