144 Knowing Your “Why” – Interview with Kate Edwards of Wild Woods Farm
January 26, 2022 by Corinna
In this week’s episode I talk with CSA farmer Kate Edwards from Wild Woods Farm in Solon, IA. Kate’s farm boasts an 80% retention, and she’s learned how to build systems to make running her CSA easier than the early years.
Kate shares some of the milestones she passed through as a CSA farmer. We spend a lot of time talking about the importance of having a mentor, as well as learning how to communicate the “why” behind your business.
If you’re looking for a CSA farmer to inspire you, this is a great episode!
Hit play and let’s get started!
Meet Kate Edwards:
Kate Edwards is an Iowa vegetable farmer serving 300 families through Community Supported Agriculture. A generation removed from farming she started a farm from scratch on rented ground with a lot of support from mentors. She started the farm in 2010 and her first year, she served 11 customers. She farmed solo for eight years and in 2018 got married and taught her husband to drive a tractor. He works off farm and helps out on weekends. In 2019 she and her husband bought their forever farm. She is known as Farmer Kate by her customers and is now Mama Kate too. In early 2021 she welcomed her baby girl to the farm. She loves to tell the ever evolving story of her farm on social media. Follow along on Instagram at @Wildwoodsfarm.
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Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
Find my Facebook group for farmers!
Register for my webinar “The 3 Mistakes Rookie CSA Farmers Make (And How to Avoid Them)” scheduled for Jan. 28, 2022, at 12:00 PM EST. This is a free webinar, designed to help “new” CSA farmers learn the framework for a profitable and resilient CSA. At the end of the webinar, you’ll be invited to join my signature course “CSA Quickstart” designed for farmers who want to start a CSA from scratch and need a roadmap to get it fully implemented in 60 days.
Join my February Book Study on Zoom – Start with Why by Simon Sinek – Register for my free February Book Study. We’ll meet on Zoom for 3 Mondays in February to slowly work our way through one of my favorite marketing books. Our goal: to help you discover the why behind your business so you can communicate it effectively to find more customers. Sign up for the book study here, and I’ll send you the link to the Zoom call, as well as the link for the book.
CSA Perfect Box Guide – If you’re a “new” CSA farmer, and you’re looking for help with how to build your CSA box plan, grab my Perfect Box Planner Guide.” This 13 page PDF will give you the formula for how to build your perfect box plan for next year’s season. Use this to guide your crop production plan this winter! Grab it here.
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My hope is to feature guests periodically on the show. If you know someone who is innovating in the area of marketing as a farmer, please send me an email at mydigitalfarmers@gmail.com.
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