My Digital Farmer Podcast – Episode 331

Coaching Call: Advice for a Farmer in their First Year

Host: Corinna Bench
Guests: Erin and Glenn from Wild Cedar Ranch, Texas
Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging coaching call, Corinna Bench sits down with Erin and Glenn, first-year farmers running Wild Cedar Ranch in Texas, to discuss the realities, challenges, and joyful discoveries of starting a small-scale, community-oriented farm business. The conversation explores marketing strategies, sustainable growth, product development, customer nurturing, and—importantly—the value of keeping fun and energy at the core of farm life and business.

Whether you’re a new farmer yourself or seasoned but looking for perspective, the episode is packed with actionable insights into starting and growing a direct-to-consumer farm and cultivating both profitability and joy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Erin and Glenn’s Farm Story & Motivation

• Background: Glenn is retired; Erin is a full-time teacher. Farming is a growing “side hustle” they hope will eventually become Erin’s full-time pursuit, but without urgent income pressure.
• Motivation: Wanting to “keep it sustainable” and fun. The division of labor: Glenn works the property and cares for animals; Erin handles marketing and chores on evenings and weekends.

  “How do we keep it sustainable? ...And how do we grow?” — Erin (10:48)

2. Sales Funnel and First Year Marketing Tactics

• Initial Challenge: Having marketing “pieces” in place but struggling to get people into the funnel.
• Action Taken:
  • Leveraged Reddit posts (surprisingly effective for local connections and feedback)
  • Collaborated with a local brewery for “Chicken Bingo” events—both a sales venue and fun brand exposure
• Quote:

  “I’ve been posting on Reddit, like once or twice a month...that seems to be actually the most productive, which is odd. I would not have thought.” — Erin (11:44)

3. Chicken Bingo: Leveraging Local Collaboration & Community

• Event Mechanics: Chicken placed atop a bingo board; first to “poop” on a number wins. Brewery hosts, Erin/Glenn provide the chickens and sell products onsite.
• Community Impact: Effective, memorable community engagement; customers request the event at other locations, expanding network and exposure.
• Brand Building: Cooperative branding, product placement (honey, eggs, syrup at bar’s cashier), asserting connection at events.
• Memorable Moment:

  “They’re cheering on the chicken...It’s pretty funny. That actually sounds entertaining...it’s a win, win collaboration.” — (13:12, 13:35)

4. Customer Clarity and the Ideal Buyer

• Target Audience: Values animal welfare, nutrition, transparency (“knowing where food comes from”), often from the local Austin “foodie” crowd.
• Product Use: Most buyers start with 1–2 dozen eggs; honey and prickly pear syrup frequent add-ons.
• Insight: Focus efforts on those who want quality and ethical sourcing, not convincing the disinterested.

5. Product Ladder & Diversification

• Current Challenge: Only a few products (eggs, honey, whole chickens, prickly pear syrup); whole chickens move slowly.
• Education Need: Potential customers aren’t always comfortable or familiar with cooking a whole bird—calls for more education, recipes, and social proof.
• Product Ladder Concept: Introduce intermediate price points and accessible offerings (cuts, bundles, value-added products) between eggs and whole chickens.
• Quote:

  “There’s a huge gap between our highest price product and the lowest. There’s nothing to graduate it from.” — Glenn (22:50)

6. Marketing & Nurturing Tactics

• Funnels: Social media is building awareness; email signups fuel a nurture sequence (series of introductory emails). Currently manageable at one monthly email.
• Tools: Heavy use of ChatGPT to streamline copy; recipe/demo content planned to educate and add value for customers.
• Action Point:

  “In your weekly or monthly emails, make sure you’re issuing an offer…give them some kind of a call to action…You will not make money unless you ask them to buy from you.” — Corinna (51:40)

7. Key Strategic Advice from Corinna

1. Refine the Product Ladder and Offers

   • Bundle products, experiment with price points, create signature “gateway” and “premium” products.
   • Explore value-added options: chicken sausage, pickled quail eggs, honey sticks, etc.
   • Test selling chicken cuts or prepared bundles to meet local preferences.

2. Increase Social Proof

   • Gather testimonials and customer photos, even offering free products in return.
   • Use reviews in emails, on the website, and on social.

3. Track Metrics

   • Start tracking order frequency, average order value, and repeat customers.
   • Use numbers to plan, set revenue goals, and assess profitability vs. effort.

• Quote:

  “As you’re thinking about what am I scaling, you probably will need to scale your eggs a little bit, but… the money is being made over here in the protein department.” — Corinna (34:22)

8. The Importance of Joy & “Fun” as a Guiding Principle

• Staying Energized: Both guests and host aligned on the need to protect the fun, energy, and partnership in building the farm.

• Warning Against Burnout: Corinna shares her own burnout story and lessons learned about aligning business structure with what brings energy and margin, not just chasing profit or growth.

• Quote:

  “What if…one of your goals as you scale is to make sure, whatever you do, you stay in the land of fun?” — Corinna (35:02)

  “We see it from a point of view that this is not a manufacturing plant…this is a place we enjoy.” — Glenn (35:44)

• Memorable Banter:

  “Now we have bougie chickens, little AC unit going up…Let’s put a TV out there!” — Glenn (36:44–36:58)

9. Managing Scarcity and Waitlists

• Scarcity as Strategy: Don’t fear demand outpacing supply; use waitlists and price increases as strength.
  • “Ride the wave of scarcity and the waitlist and maybe play around with…raising your price on eggs.” — Corinna (41:42)
• Pre-selling and Bundling: Pre-sell turkeys with urgency; use offers like payment/deposit options and value-increasing bundles.

10. Long-term Goals, Metrics, & Milestones

• Revenue and Lifestyle Milestones: Pick tangible victories to signal progress—e.g., selling all turkeys for Thanksgiving or making enough for a specific purchase or experience.
• Tracking: Use spreadsheets and regular review to avoid “rabbit holes” and ensure real progress, not just activity.
• Manifesting Success:

  “When you hit a target, what does that make you able to do? Or how will you feel? ...That could be the milestone that you’re aiming for.” — Corinna (63:59)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On sustainable growth:

  “We never outsell our demand. We never overpromise and underdeliver. Want to be able to give our customers what they want at a good price.” — Glenn (16:34)

• On differentiation:

  “One thing we’re missing…is the differences between what we have and what is available at the supermarket.” — Glenn (16:56)

• Customer insight:

  “People want the breasts. And then you’ll be stuck with all these other ‘less desirable’ pieces…this is why they often don’t do it that way.” — Corinna (26:04)

• On the education gap:

  “For some people, they honestly don’t know how to cut a chicken. It’s actually sad, but it’s true…” — Corinna (29:51)

• Coaching wisdom:

  “The answers are inside of you, my friends. Sometimes you just need to talk it out with someone.” — Corinna (07:48)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 09:34 — Interview starts: Erin introduces their situation, goals
• 11:47 — Reddit and “Chicken Bingo” marketing strategy
• 13:02 — What is Chicken Bingo? Community impact
• 16:34 — Glenn on sustainable growth and differentiation
• 18:07 — One year in business: current products and customer base
• 22:50 — Product ladder gap: whole chicken isn’t moving
• 25:09 — Brainstorming bundles, education, and chicken sausage
• 32:09 — Eggs as a gateway product, increasing customer value
• 35:02 — The “Land of Fun” philosophy
• 41:32 — Scarcity as a marketing tool
• 45:01 — What to focus on next? Corinna’s top recommendations
• 48:09 — Tracking metrics and planning for profitability
• 54:20 — Value-added ideation: pickled eggs, sausage, honey sticks
• 58:41 — Follow the energy: “pay attention to where there is already energy”
• 63:02 — Thinking about milestones as lifestyle markers
• 65:08 — Pre-selling turkeys: urgency, testing demand
• 66:05 — On setting goals beyond your comfort zone

Closing Thoughts & Takeaways

Corinna emphasizes that the early stages of the farm journey will feel chaotic, experimental, and full of learning—but that following the energy, leaning into community collaborations, educating customers, and consistently nurturing your audience will set the stage for sustainable, profitable growth. Most importantly, she reminds Erin, Glenn, and all beginning farmers to prioritize the joy and partnership that motivated them in the first place.

“Follow the energy. Stay in the land of fun, and let the universe unfold as it wants to…” — Corinna (67:27)

Action for Listeners: Consider your own “land of fun”—where are you finding energy? Are you tracking metrics, collecting social proof, and nurturing your audience? What milestone (financial or experiential) could help you measure your progress in the months ahead?

Show notes and resources at: mydigitalfarmer.com/331
Learn more about the Farm Marketing School: mydigitalfarmer.com/fms