Podcast Summary: My Digital Farmer Podcast
Episode 338 – How to Manage Your Farm Facebook Group Between Seasons
Host: Corinna Bench | Date: November 12, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, Corinna Bench addresses a key seasonal marketing concern for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmers: What to do with your private CSA Facebook group when the main growing season ends. Responding to a listener named Jenna, Corinna explores various approaches to group management during the off-season and delivers actionable recommendations to foster ongoing community, drive customer retention, and even promote additional sales. The focus is on understanding the deeper purpose of your Facebook group—not just as a communication hub, but as a crucial community-building and brand-loyalty tool.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Big Picture: Why Your Facebook Group Exists
-
Core Purpose: Beyond providing recipes, updates, and answering questions, the Facebook group’s true value is building community and belonging.
"People come for the vegetables, but they stay for the community."
— Corinna Bench [20:41] -
Impact on Retention: Creating a space where customers feel connected helps solidify their identity as part of your farm, leading to repeated renewals and lasting loyalty.
Approaches to Off-Season Group Management
Corinna discusses three primary models for managing your group between seasons:
1. Keep the Same Group Year-Round [26:20]
- How it works: Maintain the group without removing non-renewed members, selectively admit new members (often by invitation), and let engagement evolve organically.
- Corinna’s current method:
"Even though your product fulfillment may end, the relationship doesn't. And the CSA group can continue to be a place where you build that relationship..."
— Corinna Bench [29:53] - Benefits:
- Provides continuity, allowing ongoing connection and easier re-engagement.
- Acts as a searchable 'content museum' (e.g., for recipes or member ideas).
- On-ramps potential new members as invited guests witness community culture.
- Downsides: Managing less-active or non-customer members as time passes.
2. Archive and Restart Annually [47:39]
- How it works: Archive (not delete) last season’s group and begin a new one each year.
- Benefits: Keeps content and access exclusive for current members; easier uptake for only the freshly renewed participants.
- Cons: Lose group momentum, archived conversations, and have to re-build group culture and engagement from scratch every year.
3. Hybrid: Grooming Members Each Year [51:24]
- How it works: Keep the same group, but rigorously remove non-renewers after each season.
- Pros: Preserves exclusivity and perceived value for current customers.
- Cons: Requires tedious member management (matching Facebook vs. customer names); risks mistakenly removing active customers.
The Value of a Year-Round Group [32:16]
- Content as a Searchable Library: The group becomes “a giant museum of art where I can go in and just see everyone’s different ideas and how they’ve grown.” [36:10]
- Sales Engine in Off-Season: Use the group to promote limited offers (chicken shares, plant sales, etc.), pop-up sales, or pre-orders.
"We are pitching… so that there's this illusion of activity and gives people a reason to come in and interact."
— Corinna Bench [41:01] - Nurturing Dropouts for Future Seasons: Past members stay connected and may rejoin after a break.
Managing Engagement in the Off-Season [1:01:11]
- Normalizing the Slowdown: Engagement dropping after the season ends is normal—don't panic!
- Keeping the Flywheel Spinning: Occasional posts keep momentum so the community doesn’t stagnate.
Five Practical Strategies
- Run Group Challenges: Organize simple activities like a freezer-cleanout challenge to spark participation and sharing.
- Introduce Ritual Content: Establish weekly post themes (e.g., Throwback Thursday, Freezer Friday) to encourage consistent posting and lower friction for contributions.
- Share Behind-the-Scenes Stories: Give glimpses of winter farm activities, seed ordering, equipment repair, or family downtime to nurture interest and bond with your audience.
"[Customers] really love learning about all these backstories." [1:10:12]
- Celebrate Members: Feature top contributors or revisit old posts—resurrect a great idea from years ago and publicly validate the member who shared it.
- Use for Early-Bird Promotions: Announce offers & deals (early renewals, pop-ups) to tap into customers’ FOMO and nurture a feeling of insider privilege.
Bonus: Seed the Group
- Personally enlist a handful of group “thought leaders” to commit to regular posting and commenting, ensuring a minimum level of activity and interaction during slack periods.
Strategic Uses for Sales & Retention [1:19:52]
- Leverage as a Membership Perk: Highlight access to the group (including its vast content archive) as a valuable, exclusive benefit.
- Foster Peer-to-Peer Connection: Encourage members to answer each other’s questions, sharing expertise and creating social bonds.
- Run Pre-Launch Engagement: Run daily challenge questions before offering renewals to boost energy and social proof; e.g., “How many years have you been in the CSA?” to showcase long-term member pride.
"Some people are writing 8, 9, 10, and then there’s some who are writing 1, 2, 3... That’s huge social proof." [1:26:12]
- Collect User Generated Content: Take screenshots of customer testimonials and posts for future marketing collateral.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the Essence of Community:
"When people feel like they belong and they start to make friends... that's when they stick around."
— Corinna Bench [20:48] -
On Changing Her Approach:
"Honestly, that got really tedious at the end of the year... I ultimately lessened my grip on this particular strategy and just decided I would be open-handed and generous."
— Corinna Bench [28:19] -
On the Value of Old Content:
"I love it. …The Facebook group is basically a place... like a giant museum of art where I can go in and just see everyone’s different ideas and how they’ve grown."
— Corinna Bench [36:10] -
On Celebrating Member Achievement:
"People are telling me why they love us. And I can take screenshots of those and use them next year..."
— Corinna Bench [1:33:41] -
On Gating Group Access:
"If part of the value of joining your CSA is access to the group, then yes, you should eventually remove non-renewers…"
— Corinna Bench [1:37:41]
Timestamps for Key Sections
- [20:41]: Main insight—People come for veggies, stay for community
- [26:20]: Option 1—Keep the same group year-round
- [47:39]: Option 2—Archive and restart annually
- [51:24]: Option 3—Hybrid: Grooming members each year
- [59:54]: Using group for off-season promotions and offers
- [1:01:11]: Off-season engagement; Five strategies to keep the group active
- [1:19:52]: Strategic use for sales, peer-to-peer validation, and retention
- [1:26:12]: Daily challenge questions as social proof
- [1:33:41]: User generated content as testimonials
- [1:37:41]: Final thoughts on gating access
Practical Takeaways
- Don’t let your CSA Facebook group go dark during the off-season.
- Focus on building and nurturing the sense of community; it’s your best tool for retention and organic marketing.
- Approach group management based on your goals: continuous community, easier admin, or strict exclusivity—there’s no single “right” answer.
- Use the group as an asset for both content and sales; it’s not just a bulletin board!
- Seed your group deliberately, support member-to-member connections, and collect the stories/testimonials shared for future marketing use.
Want to Dive Deeper?
Check out the next episode for an in-depth breakdown of Corinna’s CSA early renewal campaign. For one-on-one guidance, consider joining Farm Marketing School and get direct support from Corinna.