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My Digital Farmer Podcast
348 Building a Values-Led Farm Business with Value-Added Products (Without Going Full-Time)
01:12:32
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A
What if scaling up isn't the goal? In today's episode, you'll hear how one farm uses creativity, value added products and simple systems to build something meaningful without going full time. Let's get started. Hey there. This is Corinna Bench and welcome to the My Digital Farmer Podcast. In today's market, it's not enough to just grow your product. You've got to know how to sell it too. Welcome to the My Digital Farmer Podcast where we reveal online marketing strategies and tips to help farmers like you get better and more confident at marketing, learn how to find more customers, increase your sales, and build a strong brand for your farm. Let's start start the show well. Welcome to episode 348 of the My Digital Farmer Podcast. I'm your host, Corinna Bench, one of the farmers at Shared Legacy Farms out in Elmore, Ohio. I'm also the founder of mydigitalfarmer.com which is all about trying to help other farmers like you get more confident in your marketing and sales strategies so that you can grow a profitable business. How's everyone doing today? Big shout out to my regular listeners. Welcome back. And if you're new to the pod, I'm so glad you're here today. Make sure that you subscribe to the show and go check out my first 10 episodes. I designed them to be an on ramp into the marketing lingo. Another place you can go to learn the marketing vocab is by joining my email list. That's free. Just go to mydigitalfarmer.com subscribe and I'll send you an email every three or four days for a few months. And it's going to walk you through the marketing jungle. I'm going to share the key marketing fundamentals that you need to know first, what projects you should be working on, influencers you should be following. I have some free resources to share with you to make things easier. It's really good, so go to mydigitalfarmer.com subscribe Today's podcast is sponsored by my.
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B
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A
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- [02:23]
B
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A
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And total order count grew by 9%. Look real results across operations of all sizes. Localline brings everything together in one platform. They have CSA management, wholesale ordering, automated inventory, barcode scanning, a box builder, and pos. So that you spend less time managing admin and more time growing your business. And switching couldn't be easier. There are no setup fees, my friends, no sales commissions. And their onboarding team will migrate your storefront for free, taking the workload off your plate. And that usually only takes a few days. As a podcast listener, you'll also get one premium feature for free for a full year when you use the code MDF2026 at checkout. So go to mydigitalfarmer.com localline and. And then enter that code MDF2026 start 2026. Organized, efficient, and ready to grow with localline. And now back to the show.
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A
Today, I'm sharing an interview with a farmer. I know you guys love these. When I go and look at the stats for the pod, these are the ones you guys listen to. So you must want me to do more of these. And I'm working on it. So if you know someone who would be great for the show, or maybe you are that farmer and you would love to share something you've learned in marketing over the years, just reach out to me and maybe it'll be a good match and you might end up on the show. But I heard about Claire from another farmer and I reached out to her, and here she is on the show, kind of sharing her unique story, her unique spin on farming and how she does marketing. I think you're really going to enjoy the episode, so let me read her bio. This is Claire Trumner, and she owns and operates alongside her husband, Matthew Trumner Farms in Atlantic Mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A lifelong plant enthusiast and cook, she cares for a diversified vegetable garden and crafts artisan foods using produce sourced from the farm locally and organically. She also tends a flock of just under a hundred laying chickens and. And she prioritizes quality, sustainability, and community in her work. Please join me in welcoming Claire to the show. Well, Claire, welcome to the show.
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C
Thank you so much for having me. Corinna. Yeah.
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A
Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your farm. So where you are, how you got started, what you're growing, producing today, wherever you want to get started.
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C
Yeah. So I'm Claire Trumner. I am an engineer by trade. I'm a plant lover and a cook by nature. My husband Matthew, he couldn't be here right now he had to attend another meeting, but he is also an engineer by trade and he's a builder, a tinker, a troubleshooter. Everything else by life experience and nature, really.
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A
An engineer. Interesting. So how did that get you started into the farm business?
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C
So I wouldn't say it got us started, but it prepared us well, essentially. I've always loved growing plants. I've always had them on a windowsill ever since I was a little kid propagating them, understanding how to pollinate them, to create seeds and grow them. I just. I'm the kind of person who needs to be growing something always. So when we moved up here during COVID basically we were working remote as engineers and we had a bit of free time and we started delving into what is fundamentally important to us and how can we enjoy all of the things that we do in our pastime in more of like a work setting. So how could we integrate our work and our play? So, yeah, we started farming. I just kind of went and snowballed. I started growing more and more plants, and Matthew kept building things that I needed to grow those. So, yeah.
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A
So tell us just in a nutshell, what do you sell? What are you growing? What are your products? What does your land look like, your acreage?
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C
Yeah, so we grow a diverse array of vegetables. Essentially, our main crop, we think, is beets at this current juncture. That's just because they grow ridiculously well in our soil. We have nice mineral soil with lots of micronutrients. So the beets are loving that boron. And we're located in Atlantic Mine, which is in the Upper peninsula of Michigan. So we're really far north. We have a short growing season. We have extreme, extreme temperatures. But that's one of the reasons we moved up here. We just, we love. We love the extreme and dramatic weather and the heavy snowfall and the snow sports and everything like that. So while it's not ideal for farming, it is ideal for us, and we like farming.
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A
So what are you known for if a person were to live around your area or go to your website? Like, what are they going to be able to tell that you're known for and that you do?
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C
But if I had to pick one or two, I'd say our sourdough and. And then our beets.
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A
Such an interesting combination, you know. And when I talk to other farmers, there's like this. Yeah, it's usually like a mix and mix of a lot of different kinds of vegetables or a mix of a lot of different kinds of meats and you're like Sourdough and Beets.
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C
Yeah. It's funny because my last name is Shabble, so it's a bit similar. Was Shabble prior to getting married. And so it's similar to the Shrew beet farm, which everyone has to make that joke.
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A
Yes. Oh, I love that. So do you have a, a certain kind of customer then that you seem to be attracting? And if so, who is that person?
- [09:11]
C
So it's not so much based on our products, but based on who we are fundamentally. So we're very intentional about sourcing our ingredients locally, sourcing them sustainably, organically, whenever possible and just kind of having, having that meticulous aspect in terms of how we prepare things and if we're not, you know, treading on the earth too heavily and, and they can tell also I think that, that we're genuinely invested in our community. So it's people looking for, for that intentionality and luckily they've found it and they see it within us, which is a huge compliment.
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A
Now do you have other kinds of value added products? I mean, I know you do, so why don't you just tell us? I know you're known for the sourdough, but what are some of the other things that you can then offer people? Just to help my audience understand the scope of like your business?
- [10:08]
C
Oh yeah. So we make everything from like Mediterranean harissa paste, which is like a North African spicy paste. Lots of people enjoy it on eggs. They add it to pasta sauce. We also make a ton of broths, some unconventional ones like goat broth, which is frankly quite delicious. And then also jams, syrups, spice, nuts. The let's truly anything I get interested in making and feel like, you know, this is something I love and other people might love. We're going to find a way to, to bring it to the community and share it.
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A
So a lot of your products, it sounds like are coming, the product development is coming from you personally, where you explored a particular flavor or ingredient or a desired product you wanted to figure out how to make and then you fell in love with it, then decide to see if your customers will like it too. Is that are you kind of known for unusual twists on things like you're not going to find the standard chicken bone broth in your store. It's always going to have a little bit of a twist, I would say.
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C
A little bit of both. We do have your conventional beef stock and chicken bro, but I think what people most enjoy are honestly the iterations that, where I bring in my Sicilian background And just my own unique flavor profile and infuse that into the cooking. So I think people enjoy the basics but really fall in love with the more outlandish ideas of vine.
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A
Now if you had to choose between beets and the value added products or vegetables and value added products, do you feel like there's one that has your heart more, that's where your energy seems to flow more?
- [12:12]
C
Oh, absolutely not. No. I, I love growing plants. It's, it's just essential to my well being. I, I just find it therapeutic and, and I think that the wellness of the plants around me is reflected of my own wellness. So it's a really great way to receive insight. So I, I honestly couldn't choose and I think luckily with the seasonality of farming is that, you know, now with, you know, we've got snow on the ground and we didn't cover anything so. So we won't be getting anything out of the ground until spring. Yeah, I think that there it creates a natural flow from heavily focused on produce in the summer with some value added products to heavily focused on artisan foods and then ramping up back into seed starting and then planting into the field.
- [13:11]
A
Yeah, you bring up a good point that when the, the season ends and you have nothing to sell, this is the value of value added where you've taken the produce that you were profusely producing all summer during the fall and making stuff with it so that you can continue to have a revenue source and something to do in the off season as well. Tell me a little bit about your husband, Matt. What is his role in the business versus what is yours as far as the roles you have?
- [13:43]
C
Yeah, so Matthew is actually our best salesperson. I know I have my hands in a lot of the growing and the cooking so I might have the most detailed information. But he is just wonderful at working with customers. He has the energy for it and, and learns everything about them and, and just learns about good ways to serve them in the future. So that when we're discussing, you know, what do we need to bring into our farming, what, what would people be interested in and you know, what could enrich their lives then he's got all the good. So, so he's an idea person. He's also a builder and a taker. So he is very structurally minded. He actually one of, I think his master's is in structural engineering, PhD in civil. So in terms of building something, building it to code and building it exceptionally well, Matthew is just your person.
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A
Is. I didn't ask this at the beginning. Is this a full time business or is this the thing making you the money or do you all have like engineering jobs on the side?
- [14:59]
C
Yes, we actually work as engineers as well.
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A
Okay. Wow.
- [15:06]
C
Yes, that is, that is a very accurate statement. No, so basically I work part time as an engineer and I think very part time because it's, it's frankly mostly farming. And then I, if Matthew needs help on something or if he wants to kind of bounce ideas off of me, it's more that. And then Matthew is heavily in the engineering side, but that is more of a 9 to 5. So you know, farming is a, is a lifestyle, it's not necessarily just a job. So as soon as he's off work, he's doing farming things.
- [15:44]
A
Yeah, I, I imagine that building your business that way really takes the pressure off of needing to make a certain revenue goal to survive for sure. And it keeps you in playing in the sandbox and living in the land of fun within. You mean, you called it a hobby at the beginning. And I think for a lot of farmers who, who are only, you know, that's how they're making their money is with the farming. It's just really hard to, to live in that land of profit, especially at the beginning. And then there's just all this pressure and you end up like losing your love for what you were wanting to do. And it's, I love to hear stories about farmers like you that are, that are doing it kind of on the side and validating that and acknowledging that that's a wonderful way to do it. Do you have plans to try to be full time or is this how you want to build your business and is this like how you want to design it?
- [16:45]
C
I actually enjoy it this way and I think Matthew does too because, you know, we got our degrees for a reason and, and so we did want to work in engineering, but I think kind of balancing things out as they go just, you know, it's, it's, we feel like we need more engineering, we'll pick up more projects. We own our own engineering firms. So it's, you know, there, there isn't much structure to, to how that goes. So we can always add more farming or add more engineering. Ideally not both at the same time. Yeah, but, but yeah, no, I think, I think we're lucky in that sense. And it absolutely did take off a bit of pressure in the beginning because we weren't press to make profit initially and that was really important to us. Just because I don't handle pressure that well. Yeah, yeah.
- [17:46]
A
And then you can just follow the energy, you can follow the fun and you can pull back if you sense that you need to. Today's podcast is sponsored by my friends@citizensalmonalaska.com if you run a CSA and you're always looking for value added products that feel aligned with your farm but don't create more work for you, I want to tell you about Citizen Salmon Alaska. This is my fifth season partnering with them and we keep coming back for a really simple reason. It works and I genuinely love their product. Our CSA members love it too. The wild sockeye salmon is a standout and the sky scallops disappear fast. And I just trust the people behind the business. Citizen Salmon is a small family run seafood company working directly with independent fishermen out of Homer, Alaska. They offer wild sockeye salmon, halibut, black cod, shrimp and even in house smoked seafood, which makes it an especially easy add on for CSA farms. Here's why this partnership is such a win for farms like mine. I get to accept expand my product suite without taking on fulfillment. I promote Citizen Salmon to my audience. My customers order directly from their website using a farm specific code. Citizen Salmon ships the frozen fish straight to them and I earn a commission without handling inventory, packing or delivery. And the timing just works. Halibut in the spring, salmon as the summer approaches and beautiful seafood offerings for the holidays. They're currently signing up new farm partners through April. So if you're curious whether this could be a fit for your CSA, head to citizensalmonalaska.com and reach out to Erin to get the conversation started. That's citizensalmonalaska.com wild seafood done the right way and a partnership I'm proud to recommend. And now back to the show. Help me just walk, walk my audience through a typical season because I still think that there may be some confusion about how the, the produce side mixes in with the value added side.
- [20:02]
C
We, we do have a greenhouse. We're building it right now. We used to start our starts inside of our home, all of them. And we start a lot of things that many people don't see. Start from seeds so beets, all of them are started and then transplanted. And that's a bit of a trick of the trade. Maybe that isn't so private, but yeah, so we actually put those in the ground and as we're harvesting and as we have access, I'm canning, I'm preserving, I'm freezing, I'm making broths in the background and canning them and storing them for later. So it's kind of as things go, then I create stock that we can really invest our time and energy into selling during the cooler seasons. Also, people don't generally have a ton of soup in the summer. It's generally a cooler season thing. So in terms of canning and preserving, that's going on all summer and in fall. And we also source all of our fruits locally or just in, you know, mainland Michigan. So we visit those orchards and berry patches during the summer. We make time to do that and then we freeze them, which, actually, I recommend freezing your fruits before converting them into jams because they do sweeten up through that freezing.
- [21:39]
A
And what about meat producers? Because you don't have any animals on your farm, or do you?
- [21:44]
C
We used to have goats, so that's where the goat broth came from. But we source our meat from or our beef from frozen farms. And they just have an incredible herd of cows there that. That they just care for so dearly. Gene, the owner, is. It's just a joy to work with as well. So I think it's just so easy.
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A
A good partnership and collaboration. I love that. So are you going to farmers markets in the summer? Where are you meeting customers to sell the produce, or do they come to your place?
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C
So we actually do both. We go to the Houghton and the Calumet farmers markets, and we have our farm stand. So the farm stand got started this year, but we intend to keep that up running 8 to 8 every single day as long as we can do it. So, yeah, we're. During the summer, we're quite busy, but we think that having multiple options to buy from us makes it easier on customers.
- [22:54]
A
Do you have a team to help you with this? Because if you're the farmer and you're responsible for the production, like, who's this? Who's sitting at that farm market booth or at the farm stand in the summer?
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C
Yeah. So it's a bit chaotic, but Matthew is usually working the farmer's market. Sometimes I'll drive up with him and set up, and then I'll drive back and scramble to do more harvesting and bring that.
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A
Yeah.
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C
Hope that, you know, most people don't fill up their baskets and leave, so. But I do also have a farm hand that helps me out. So with things like weeding and watching produce bins, it just wouldn't be possible without a farmhand. And luckily this year I received a grant to fund a farmhand apprentice. So that's where I met the farmhand that I had this year. And she's just delightful. She'll be a family friend forever.
- [23:53]
A
Okay. So I feel like I have a better understanding now of what you're actually selling and how some of the operations work. Because this is a marketing podcast, I want to really spend a lot of time talking about how you're messaging your product, how you're attracting new customers. If some of it's just happening organically or if you have a strategy, what are some of the, some of the few pieces you, you do strategically to try and keep the, the flywheel spinning. We actually heard about you through Erica Tebbins because they put together your, your website or to helped you like design the website. And so she's like, you've got to talk to her. I really love their business. And so I, I'm just excited for you to kind of walk through now if you don't mind, like what is what I call the sales funnel? Like what is. How does a person first hear about you? Typically you might not know everything, but what's at the very beginning when, when they become aware that you exist? What are some of the things that are happening there?
- [25:01]
C
Generally it's at the local farmers markets that they see our booth and they decide to shop at it. And we have our logo in places. We also have an email sign up list that folks can get more involved with the farm through. We also have an A frame. I mean signage is just so essential to getting those customers acquainted with our farm as quickly and easily as possible. And just getting them curious too.
- [25:29]
A
You said you have a farm stand at your place too. So like tell me a little bit about your location in relation to where the customer lives.
- [25:37]
C
Yeah, so some of our customers are hyper local in Atlantic Mine, but few of them are, they'll actually travel out to our farm stand. And so we're, we're a bit aways away. 15 minutes from Houghton and then 30 minutes from Calumet. So we actually do pick up locations in Calumet and Houghton as well. But if folks want to visit the farm stand, they, some of them have to make a little bit of a schlep. But, but it's worth it since we do stock it quite well.
- [26:12]
A
Okay, so talk to me about this pickup location concept. So that. Is that where they're, they're ordering online then? Is that what they're doing? They're placing an order and you're packing it and bringing it to a set location for a short period of time or are you there for a long period of time? What's that?
- [26:28]
C
Pickup window, right? Yeah. So our pickup windows are Actually pretty ample. I would say the shortest one is six hours. But I'm not there as a person. My pickup boxes are there. We live in a really small, very trustworthy community. I've never had any issues. And frankly, if someone wants to take another person's stuff, I'm happy that they got what they needed and I would gladly work with the customer to replace it. But that hasn't happened so far.
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A
So.
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C
So, yeah, So I drop off to the pickup boxes in Houghton and Calumet, and we also have a pickup box in our farm stand. So the farm stand is not manned. The only thing that is manned is our farmer's market. Yeah.
- [27:19]
A
Okay, so that means that a person has built a relationship with you probably through. Do you, do you do social media as well? I mean, I know the answer to that. I've, I've researched you a little bit. So they've either heard about you through social media or they've gone to the farmer's market. What about word of mouth? Do you think that people find out about you because of other customers?
- [27:45]
C
I think absolutely, yeah. A lot of my customers are actually personal friends too. So, you know, maybe they'll, they'll say, oh, you know, my friend built this website for me, which is one tech thing that I actually do. And, and they'll say, you know, oh, who was that? Or it's Claire of Tronder Farm. And then, you know, they, I, I wear many hats, so they realize that that that's me.
- [28:15]
A
Got it? Yeah. Okay. So they hear about you and now let's just use the farmer's market example because that's probably your best location for where you pull people in. What's like, what's the pitch? What's the, what's the thing that makes them decide I'm going to spend money with this person? Like, is this a. They fall in love with your values? Like, is there some kind of conversation that happens with Matthew or is it the beautiful packaging of some of your value added or the curiosity that's built and then they start talking about it. I think, I sense that one of your answers is going to be like, some of your values come out, but maybe it's a specific product, like a gateway product that is just so good that people, it's irresistible. And they're like, I got to start here. So what are, what's going on in that first interaction?
- [29:15]
C
Yeah, so I would say it would be our, it would be our sourdough. That's our gateway product and we convey all of our values through the marketing of our sourdough at farmers markets, through the signage, if that process makes any sense. So essentially, tell me more. Yes, absolutely. So we do source our honey that we use in it. We only use a little bit, but it is sourced locally. And then we use organic grains that we freshly mill on the farm the day of each bake. We bake on thick shaman brick stones, so those really get it light, airy, and fluffy. And we just bake it as fresh as possible. So we make it the day before, let it cool, bring it right up to market, or bring it right to our pickup locations.
- [30:16]
A
So, so how is the signage communicating that? Like, do you have all of that written out on one big sign or is it like little. Little.
- [30:26]
C
Yeah. So on our A frame sign, we have printed out the whole process of how we mill our flour fresh day up and then add a touch of raw, local, mainly harvested honey. And then the oven that we bake in too. So that's like an 8 by 10 on an A frame, which, believe it or not, people will just stand there and read it. It doesn't have to be huge. If it says at the top in big, bold lettering, what makes our source special, which in a way is basically also saying, what makes our farm special. How do we go about things?
- [31:09]
A
Yeah, well, the very fact that you have multiple steps of intentionality to create this thing now adds so much value to the finished product. It's not just a quick throw a bunch of things in a bowl and put in your oven. Like, this is a. This is a process that takes time. And you've vetted the ingredients, and now a person reads that and they're like, wow, I didn't realize it was this complicated. Well, you know, and, and, you know, therefore valuable. Like, this is beautiful. I want to be a part of this.
- [31:40]
C
Absolutely. And, and getting to that point started with me being in my kitchen and wanting the best sourdough I could make it. It happened very organically. And I realized, well, I suppose I could share this with people. You know, I've gone through all these steps and, and I think I've gotten the sourdough to a point of. Of sellability that, you know, it's the best. The best.
- [32:05]
A
Yeah. I mean, so you're attracting a person that really values slow food then. And Absolutely. Deliberate intentionality of ingredients. This is not the person that's shopping and getting white bread at Walmart. I mean, maybe they're getting that too, but, like, that's not who they are.
- [32:24]
C
Yeah. I mean, I, I wouldn't discount that. I. I know some people have said, you know, I've tried a lot of sourdoughs, and I don't think there's anything special about them, but yours is fantastic. So maybe the. The price is justified by all of those steps. Making it delicious.
- [32:46]
A
Yeah. Okay, so you've got the signage. Is there anything else, like, in that moment in that transaction that's happening where you feel like this is helping sell the product or attract the customer and turn them loyal?
- [33:03]
C
I would say the presentation. We have nice, like, white proofing bins, and we have that on top of a gingham tablecloth on our. On our table, and it matches our logo. So there are all these layers of branding and marketing coming together that I think really work for us. And people are able to recognize, you know, oh, this is even the same blue as on the product tag, too.
- [33:32]
A
Mm. Now, what about your husband? Does he have to say a whole lot to move this product, or does it kind of move itself because of those elements you've just described, or is he having to talk it up the first time?
- [33:48]
C
Yeah, I would say he. He doesn't have to talk a lot at all.
- [33:53]
A
Wow. I just want my audience to pause there and listen to that again. That's pretty cool. So he could. He could just. You wouldn't even have to send your husband. You could send someone who doesn't really even know a whole lot, and it would stick. Still have the same result, for sure.
- [34:11]
C
And, I mean, sometimes he doesn't have the exact answers. So someone will ask, oh, well, what's the brand of that. That oven? I. I would love to bake on thick shaman brick stones. And he's like, you'll have to ask my wife. And the answer to that is Rothko. But, yeah, I think. I think it's effortless for him, except for the later steps, which are sometimes like, oh, you know, is it really as good as you say it is? And he'll say, you know, yeah, absolutely. And they'll say, oh, well, I've been looking around for sourdough, and I guess this one, you know, makes the most sense. You know, I tried this sourdough when I was traveling. You know, the. Getting to know people is what he attracts.
- [34:59]
A
Yeah. Now is. I. I'm not going to ask you to tell me how much you charge for the sourdough, but do you feel like it's a premium price?
- [35:07]
C
I would say it's a couple dollars more than other sourdough.
- [35:12]
A
Okay. So if this isn't a budget let's make a deal type of product. Like, you're definitely attracting a, the price, I guess, is communicating that it's got a good value. Is that fair?
- [35:24]
C
Absolutely.
- [35:25]
A
Yeah.
- [35:26]
C
Yeah. So, well, it needs to be a couple dollars more expensive because it is. You know, we're using organic grains, we're using local honey. All those things are at a higher price point. But I think when people taste it, it's justified and they return for more.
- [35:45]
A
Yeah, well, and I'm just going to make the argument here because I know my farmers listening, have a hard time pricing things what they really need to be priced if they want to make a profit. I, I think the fact that you have that sign, you know, or where you really point to the, the, the value of the process of making the bread like that, that adds value to the whole experience. And so there's just this, well, of course I'm willing to spend this much. This is an investment. And I want to support this farmer because I believe in what she stands for, what else is on that table. So I'm, as a marketer, I'm always telling my farmers, like, one of the ways you make more revenue is by increasing. Whoops. Increasing your average order value, like getting them to buy more things in that moment of purchase. Like, what, what are you doing to eventually get that to happen with your customers? Do you have different kinds of breads? Do you have, oh, why don't you add this jam? Or are there upsells cross sells? Like, what does that look like over time they continue to shop with you?
- [36:51]
C
Yeah, so I guess we never really put much pressure or incentive on customers to continue spending money. I think we make it easier for them to do so based on our other signage for other products. So for example, we have a variety of beads. We sell red beads, chioga, pink beets, golden beads and white beads. So most folks looking at that, they're okay, they're just different colors. Well, they also taste slightly different. So we go into, we actually created something called the beadometer in terms of sweetness so that the beet curious folks can, you know, maybe try a white beat. You know, it's pretty, pretty darn sweet. It doesn't taste that much, you know, like the earth, like a red bean one. So, so yeah, I mean, people will stand in front of that and be like, you know what, maybe I'll try that, you know, or oh, gosh darn. I really love, you know, an earth flavored beet. Let's take a red one. And I do know, for example, golden Beets aren't carried in our grocery stores here, so those are a huge hit. And we also have other signage on all of our other products that. That kind of alludes to the intentionality of each product and. And how much we care to explain to them, you know, that. That maybe this is for you.
- [38:28]
A
How many different kinds of products would you say you have at your farm stand if I were to walk in and just meander around the tables?
- [38:38]
C
Currently, right now, since we don't have produce in there, I would say 10 value added.
- [38:44]
A
Okay. But if you have the produce.
- [38:47]
C
Oh, 30.
- [38:50]
A
Yeah.
- [38:50]
C
A lot.
- [38:51]
A
And a lot of colors.
- [38:53]
C
Oh, yeah.
- [38:55]
A
This is making me think about something my husband and I just did this weekend. We. We live in Ohio and we went to Amish country for the weekend just for a sabbatical weekend. And we stopped at one of these Amish stores to get some chocolate treats, honestly, for my kids. And I had this sensation walking in there of just like a kid in a candy store kind of feeling because there were so many beautiful, beautiful jars with bright colors and the way that they're decorated and with the cloth on. I don't know, they just. I wanted to. To take things just because of how pretty they looked. And I wonder if that's part of what happens when a person comes to your stand where they. They go for the sourdough, because that's the classic and they need that. That's a staple. But then they're just like, 10 tempted, like, in a good way. Like, oh, this is so beautiful. Look at this red beet. And what if I get the orange one, too? And this jar over here. That sounds amazing. And the way it's packaged just makes it look more elevated too. And they just want to have that experience. Do you think that that's part of what's going on in. In terms of how you create the environment?
- [40:13]
C
I think so.
- [40:14]
A
I.
- [40:14]
C
Well, I think that people do eat with their eyes and. And if we can get people excited about beats, they're amazing for you. They're not really like a sexy vegetable. Like, oh, yeah, and I got some beets. You know, most people.
- [40:29]
A
Yeah.
- [40:31]
C
Frankly, don't know what to do with them. Yeah, but. But, yeah, just the beauty of them. And then even, like, the packaging on our jams, it's very retro and, like, simple, vintage. And it, I. I feel like, brings to mind this sort of, like, simple farm.
- [40:53]
A
Yeah.
- [40:53]
C
That's actually quite thoughtful. Like, you know, maybe before now when everything seemed expedited and everything, you know, is. Is rushed or produced. As cheaply with the highest profit margin possible. I want to show people that we are not that we. We're a little bit old school in the slow food movement. And I think that people that when they see our branding, that resonates with them.
- [41:24]
A
Yeah, I'm really resonating with that. How are you. What are some of the other values that you think go along with some of those that you've just listed that people are responding?
- [41:43]
C
Yeah, I would say in kind of the slow food genre is also the aspect of sustainability, which is like, you know, it's going to be more expensive to create. How can we use the resources we have that are as close to home as possible and put them to use to grow tastier produce? So essentially we have farm composting, where we provide a free bucket and some bokashi, which is like a pre composter and it keeps things odorless. We send that kit for free home with customers. We let them bring it back, trade it out for a nice clean bucket and start again and fill that up. So. And it's branded. It's. I think it's quite a cute little kit. And the bokashi is free, so we subsidize that. And that's one great way that we're reducing waste. We're using that local resource of otherwise landfill waste and putting it into our soil first. We're letting our chickens peck at it and go to town and create that good manure on there as well, and then moving it separate to sterilize. But yeah, I think that that is something people did, you know, and times when. When things, you know, were slower, I.
- [43:10]
A
Guess it's like you're bringing back all these old secrets of the. That have been lost, you know, of the former generations, and there's this hunger for that. Do you. Do you teach some of this stuff on your social media? Like, if I were to go there, would I see you popping on a video of something you're doing for dinner that night or teaching a small portion of one of your processes to just kind of showcase that this is very real and personal and you're doing it every day in your life? Is that something that a person would see on a regular basis?
- [43:46]
C
Not on a regular basis, but I do work with a really wonderful photographer and videographer locally who does do longer reels. So I would say maybe 1 minute, 45 seconds, 2 minutes. So those. I don't have the time to make those. I do. I have been trying to get more reels in my feed, but. But you know, we're on a time crunch and. But yeah, I think those longer reels that. That Hans of Kuva Creative, the photographer I use, he. He really instills, like, our. Our thoughtful and meticulous mindset through his videos and. And he makes it come to life far better than I ever could.
- [44:37]
A
Yeah, I'm just thinking out loud here, you know, how much of your personal investment, your personal story really comes through in the marketing. I don't know if you know this, but a couple of years ago, I got very sick, and I have spent the last two years healing from that. It was a digestive thing. Had to heal my gut. I had to completely. My microbiome was shot. I had to change what I ate. Now I can only do only organic things, and there's a bunch of food sensitivities that I have and doing, like, amazing now. But because of that haunting experience, I mean, it wrecked me and. And I clawed my way out of the pit and allowed my body, gave it the nutrients it needed, learned what I needed to be eating, what I needed to not be eating, and allowed my body to heal itself. And so this is a really deeply personal story for me. And it's interesting how now that I've begun to be open about it and share it, that it is creating energy in the brand in a way that I had not foreseen because I've always been very profound, professional about stuff, and I'm still professional, but I feel like this is vulnerable to kind of share what happened to me. And now I always say it happened for me. And it feels a little bit like that with you, where you. It's so deeply ingrained in you. These. This love that you have for the land and sustainability and the story behind food and your Sicilian roots and like, let's teach everyone again how to cook again. And long lost flavors, like, if that somehow comes through, that's very attractive to a. To a client. Right. Like, they want to follow someone that, I don't know, that believes in something that, that really, you know, it's not just like, I made some food for you, but, like, where there's a story behind it too. I think that it sounds like you have that. I know that you have that, and I'm just kind of curious how that's getting communicated in the way that you sell your product. It sounds like it happens at the farm stand or at the farmer's market, but are you using like email? Like, are you losing other. Other vehicles to do this?
- [46:53]
C
Yeah. So we do have a newsletter And. And we do kind of convey the story behind, you know, oh, I was making this French onion soup. And. And this is the process I went about. And it kind of deviates from convention because I had some fresh cilantro, so I tossed that in and I balanced it out with these other things. I talk more about my process through the newsletter, which, frankly, I don't think I send enough of those. But when I do get around to crafting those, I really try to instill my own experience into them and talk to my customers.
- [47:33]
A
What do you think are the marketing channels that drive most of your customers to. To buy?
- [47:43]
C
Meeting us or seeing us at the farm stand and then looking us up on our website. We do give our business cards or looking into us on Instagram and then, you know, learning about what we. How we work and what we produce that way.
- [48:04]
A
Do you have any key metrics that you're tracking yet in your business as far as, like, to help, you know, how healthy things are or how you want to grow?
- [48:15]
C
Yeah, so we do track. It's a little bit crude, but we track what sells, when it sells, and how much it sells for. And then we also do some stuff behind the scenes of like, where are we sourcing these ingredients? Are, you know, are they still valuing their. Their sustainability? No. Did that get taken from their website? You know, checking up on them? Because it matters to me with what I'm eating, and I think it should matter to what other people are eating. Sourcing always changes. So we check up on those. You know, maybe they've had a high price, like, they've had the market, their market share, and then a new granary comes around that. That is actually improved. You know, I'm always looking into those sorts of things. So we keep metrics on those. Watching the pricing and. And watching their commitment to their values.
- [49:16]
A
Do you have any, like, collections or where you bundle things together to try and, like, suggest ways, different ways that they could use things? Or maybe do you try different varieties of bread so that it's not just the same one every time? But, hey, try it. This is a seasonal new thing we're doing.
- [49:35]
C
Yeah. So we do make a couple different varieties of bread. We do a Saprito sourdough, which basically just means savory and Italian, and. And so that I kind of modeled the inclusions after a pizza. And some folks say it's like eating a light pizza. So, yeah, I loved that. And then we do garlic bread as well. But generally we don't try to bundle things just because I Feel like that would overwhelm me. And things a la carte are doing well enough on their own that I don't think people need or even want to be incentivized in that way when they're purchasing our products.
- [50:24]
A
Okay, tell me a little bit about your website. Because Taste the Local Difference, I know helped you with its design. How long ago was that?
- [50:41]
C
That was probably two years ago now. And, and they help preliminarily with, with, you know, what, what to include where and what tabs I should be using. But the actual writing with a little bit of wordsmithing from Taste and Local Difference I did myself.
- [51:05]
A
Okay, so what was the reason? I'm just curious. What was the motivation to reach out to an outside service to help you try to figure that out? Was there like a specific quote, unquote problem you saw with your website and you just needed a little guidance or just what precipitated that decision?
- [51:27]
C
I just wanted it to be better. I think improving things is very fundamental to who I am as an engineer, as a farmer, as a cook. And, and yeah, I think I, I just wanted a second pair of eyes to, to go through everything and, and give good suggestions. And I absolutely got that. I get brilliant suggestions from Taste the Local Difference and, and they're very good at, at understanding my brand as I understand it in order to give them those kind of guidances.
- [52:10]
A
I have found that sometimes when I, when I get help from someone on the outside, what I really need them to just tell me is, yep, you did it right.
- [52:18]
C
You know, like, is you're always sure.
- [52:20]
A
Am I missing something?
- [52:22]
C
Like, is there something obvious or, you.
- [52:25]
A
Know, is something not tracking when you read that? And sometimes that's all you need is just someone to review it. And even just the, especially with a website if, if all they do is, and I know they do more than this, but like just helping you see the architecture and like this, this is how you could organize it so it's really intuitive and clear and maybe they even help write a little bit of it, but you, then you can at least go in and take the guts of it and really put your own, your own voice into it. But yeah, that can validate, give you confidence that you're on the right track. Right. And just release some of that. Those roadblocks. So for sure, yeah. Well, I was just curious what your experience with them was, because I know that they do website, they do lots of different marketing services. So I was just curious. All right, what have been some of the marketing and sales challenges that you've had to overcome, just say, over the last year or two.
- [53:31]
C
Challenges that I've had to overcome, I guess just making time for everything. And I understand the value of marketing, so I want to make time for it, but I also need produce in the fridge, in my fridge and on the farmer's market too, most. So it's a bit of a balancing act. And unfortunately, to hire someone externally to do that just isn't in the budget right now. So, yeah, it's making time for it and also being a little bit more intentional with it. So. I know I harp on our intentionality in our products, but not necessarily in our marketing. I don't often schedule things. I kind of just have images and thoughts and hope it works out. It's. It's really a layman's.
- [54:30]
A
Yeah, but it's, it's. I was just gonna say, though, it sounds like you aren't really concerned about your marketing. It is. I mean, do you, if you had degrade yourself, do you feel like you're doing pretty good? It's. It's doing what it needs to do for you, or do you feel like there is, like, huge room for improvement somewhere? I guess that's what I'm trying to get an idea from. And if so, what would that area be where you're like, oh, I'd really like to work on that element one day, but maybe you're like, no, it's. It's doing great. It's just going to keep growing slowly and I like it.
- [55:00]
C
Oh, absolutely. It's. It's working wonderfully. I, I don't think there are major issues with it or anything like that. And I think absolutely, I'll, I'll grow into incorporating that into my life. I think I'm just not the sort of person who, who wants to post at the same time, you know, every week. But, but I'm getting used to it and I think it will improve naturally over time. But I think the contact, the. Sorry, the. I'll pause for a second. I think the content that I'm getting out there is essential for customers to know, and I think I'm providing them a little bit of a look into my own home life, where I live, the values that I talk about.
- [56:00]
A
I want to double click on that for just a second. So you say that in terms of your social media strategy that you feel like the content you're putting out there is addressing what people need to know. When you do create content, what are some of the things that you are sharing? I mean, Is my audience will be interested in this because they're always like, what do I post, Corinna? What should I be talking about? And I always tell them, well, what are the objections or concerns or questions that you're customer might have that you need to overcome? And so you can create content around that or show pictures of your product. Like, what are some of the things that you're doing in the regularly? Like, do you see patterns? Yeah.
- [56:46]
C
So since social media is so visual, I've kind of gotten accustomed to taking photos of everything that a customer might see or something that I find beautiful in cooking a dish or some vegetable, I think is, is particularly inspiring. And I log those on my phone so that when I'm like, oh no, I gotta post something at 6pm today, you know, what am I gonna make out of it? Then I look through my camera roll and I kind of just instinctually pair different images, weave them into a story and post that. And yeah, I think people can tell that it's very natural and honest because it is absolutely what is coming from my camera roll, what I'm seeing every day. It's not super stylized, a lot of.
- [57:39]
A
It, or even like super strategic, you know, like you're just aware every day, like I'm going to just capture moments of beauty in, in my own personal journey and trust that that is what is attracting people, is the personal story of my brand, that this feels very natural, very organic and that sort of sells itself.
- [58:03]
C
Yeah, absolutely. And I, and I personally really enjoy creative writing and poetry. So I think when it comes to that caption or when it comes to those, that video narration that just falls into place.
- [58:17]
A
Yeah, I'm also what I would call a creative. It sounds like you are too. Just the fact that I push out a podcast every single week for like 300 plus episodes, like, tells you I'm a creative. I have no problem just sitting down and talking or, or wondering or being curious. And I think that for us creatives, we have a little bit of an edge when it comes to social media because we, it comes naturally to us to create something and to see the beauty and to point it out to people to inspire. Would you agree?
- [58:53]
C
Oh, absolutely. I think you hit the nail on the head there. I think there are many times where I'm in my head when I'm harvesting hundreds and hundreds of beets and I see a neighbor's dog tramping past outside our fence and a poem comes to me because it's concerning seeing that. But, you know, why am I concerned, you know, Am I jealous of the hound's freedom? You know, that. That sort of inspiration that comes very naturally, you know, then I'll sit, I'll take a break, I'll write up a poem on it, and I'll put that on social media. And. And someone that also lives in the country or someone who dreams of living in the country.
- [59:35]
A
Yeah.
- [59:35]
C
And. And, yeah, yeah.
- [59:39]
A
You cause people to pause and reflect and you inspire. You help them imagine what they could become. There aren't too many people doing that anymore. And that's a powerful, A powerful gift to share. You're a catalyst for life change in that way. So for those of you who are listening, who, who are good writers, who are natural at that, you. You have. That is a superpower, in case you haven't figured it out. And you should just use it. Don't be afraid to use it because it can totally help you. And what would you say to a business owner who doesn't have that? Like, what's. What's the solution to helping their brand still get a message out and still feel authentic and real?
- [60:24]
C
So even if they're a business owner that isn't super creative or enjoys writing poetry, that sort of stuff, they still know so much. They're a wealth of knowledge, and they know those things intrinsically through their own voice, whether it sounds beautiful or whether it simply sounds informational. So tap into what you know and then maybe make some time, if you have it to. To read things you enjoy reading and pick out what makes those pieces really good. Is there a way you could also make your writing appealing in that way?
- [61:03]
A
Yeah. If you could go back to year one and shift something in your strategy or get a redo. I know people hate this question because they're almost like, I wouldn't change anything. I can learn, I've learned. Like, don't answer it that way. Like, what would you wish that you'd done earlier? Like, what's just a lesson that you've had to learn the slow, hard way that maybe you could share with people who are out there listening.
- [61:32]
C
Yeah. Understand that everything will be influx no matter. Sure, you can have your values, but how you accomplish them will be different from season to season. Just because life isn't set, you know, you can't say, I do this, I always do it this way, and this is the outcome. It's going to change. And frankly, that's a good thing because then that means that you have new content to post. You are making changes. You are a living, growing farm. I think that was frustrating. For me in the beginning because I wanted to have everything nice and clean and packaged and beautiful and just present that repeatedly. And boy, that has not ended up being the case.
- [62:20]
A
You know, I'm thinking of, I'm thinking of the image of a potter's wheel right now and throwing a lump of clay on the potter's wheel. And like, if you are skilled craftsman, you kind of know the basic formula for building a certain style of vase, for instance. But every time you get on the potter's wheel, that vase will look a little different because of the quality of the clay that day or just one quick turn of the thumb or how you manage the clay as it's spinning, it's gonna, it's gonna look a little different than the one you threw last week. And I think that's kind of a good metaphor for. We can, we can learn a general like system and follow a general system for how to get our product done, but realize that there are all kinds of variables that can make, that can come into play and create a unique and beautiful piece of art every season that's a little different and Absolutely. That's how it's supposed to be. Yeah.
- [63:23]
C
Yeah.
- [63:25]
A
Okay. I have a couple more questions before we wrap up. This has been really fun. Many farmers listening are thinking, okay, I'm interested in making value added products. I'm telling people all the time to do this because there's such a good profit margin on them too. And it's just such a fun thing to buy as a consumer. So how do I make value added products and market them well? And what advice would you give them based on your journey?
- [63:55]
C
Yeah, so you need to create something that you love to eat. Initially I did that because I thought, what if nothing sells? Then I'm going to be stuck with all of it. And luckily everything sold and, and I could just continue making it. So, so yeah, you, you really need to believe in that being like your little masterpiece for that time. And I also recommend when you're making it because I don't go from recipes and I generally don't write down rec is write down what you're doing. You will need to reference that in the future for repeatability. I, I've had to make something from my head, you know, some of these broths at least eight times to get to the point of. Oh yeah, that's exactly what I, that's the one for that taste example.
- [65:00]
A
That'S actually making me think about the, the power of trial and error. Or I almost said failure. That's not really What I mean, but when you're trying to iterate and find, find that perfect version of sourdough or whatever like that, there will be many versions before you find the winning one. And you can't let that feel like a waste of time or, you know, make that be something it isn't. It's. It's the process of finding the one is sometimes a process. It takes some time. So.
- [65:35]
C
Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, even once you have that recipe, you. You want to lock in of repeatability. So practice a lot in making it just so that you know if you're scaling it up as as much as you can, that it ends up the same.
- [65:52]
A
Yeah, that's good. That's good. Any other advice you would give to someone that comes to mind or is that the big one?
- [66:00]
C
Focus on things that matter to you. So if you often are reaching for really good broth to use as a base for couscous instead of water because you want it really hearty, then try making really good broths for couscous. You can speak to that infinitely. If that's something you're passionate about at market or on social media or on your website, people can tell if you believe in it and if you use it yourself.
- [66:30]
A
Nothing sells better than if you love what you made.
- [66:35]
C
Yeah.
- [66:36]
A
And you believe and you believe it. I completely agree. There's a different energy behind the pitch. Yeah, that's good. All right, well, let's look ahead into the future. What's something you're excited about? Is it a product initiative or what do you have cooking?
- [66:57]
C
So it's related to the farm, but not necessarily anything related to our sales, our marketing or anything like that. But we will be welcoming some foster children into our lives and I get the opportunity to show them life on a farm. And so good. And I feel like I'm actually just inadvertently, accidentally going to stumble across so much interesting inspiration because, you know, what do I focus on explaining? What do I tell them I find fascinating? And why can't I explain that to other people? So I'm. It's like a live action movie of me finding the beauty in some things, finding the value and the peace and the fulfillment in something and then converting that into an actual, living, breathing human that I can also share with the rest of the public.
- [68:02]
A
Wow, that's. That's going to be huge. You are going to transform so much personally. There's going to be an evolution of self and anytime that happens, there's growth on the other side. And in so many ways, I'm Excited for you. Wow. When does that begin?
- [68:20]
C
So we will begin receiving calls of available children in January.
- [68:26]
A
Okay.
- [68:27]
C
Yeah.
- [68:29]
A
Good luck. I'm gonna pray for you about that. That's really great.
- [68:32]
C
Thank you.
- [68:33]
A
Yeah. I want to make sure, before I let you go, that you have a chance to. To just briefly mention how you also interview other kind of influencers around your space and you write their stories. And I want to just give people a chance to come and read some of that work, since I know as a creative, you probably want as many people as possible to hear this work. So talk a little bit about that project.
- [69:02]
C
So it's called the Dish. And. And I have to look up the URL. Currently, I think it's Dish the Up. But yes, it's dishtheup.com and the social media handle is also Dish the Up. I had to look these things up because I'm more focused.
- [69:30]
A
We'll put it. Yeah, we'll put it in the show notes. Give people a chance to go look for it.
- [69:34]
C
Yeah.
- [69:35]
A
Thank you.
- [69:35]
C
Yeah.
- [69:36]
A
So tell us a little bit about what that is.
- [69:39]
C
Yeah. So it's an interview series where. Where I go around talking to local Keweenaw farmers, foodies, and chefs and basically learn what got them cooking. What. What does food mean to them? What experiences have they had in the kitchen? So, so many a variety of questions that I just genuinely want to ask each of these people. Why don't I just share it with the world if they're okay with it? So. So yeah, I. I'm so curious about other people that. And I just am obsessed with food, so I felt like melding those two things together would be great.
- [70:22]
A
Well, I'll make sure our farmers know where to find that. We'll put the link in the show notes, but I'm going to go check that out. You told me in the. In the pre show, you were explaining that I'm like, oh, that's a neat, fun fact. Well, Claire, this has been so fun. Thank you for giving me an hour of your time. If listeners want to connect with you and just see what your farm's up to or collaborate with you, like, what is the best way for them to reach out?
- [70:48]
C
Yeah. So they can follow us on Instagram at Traffic Trumner Farm, or they can look up our website, which is trumnerfarm.com and there's a tab for Contact us that'll send directly to my email, or my email is at the bottom of the page, and you can just email me directly from there.
- [71:09]
A
All right. And so we're going to spell that T R O E M n e r farm.com Correct. All right, well thanks again for meeting with me today. It was such a delight. Good luck with fostering and canning or I guess selling all this value added stuff that you've canned all summer long. Have a wonderful season.
- [71:31]
C
Thank you so much.
- [71:33]
A
Well, I hope you enjoy that interview. Today's show notes can be found@mydigitalfarmer.com 348 if you like today's episode, please go leave me a rating or a review. Or even better, just give. Grab the link for this show and share it with a friend. Just text it over to a farmer friend. I want as many people as possible to find out about this show. If you want to get onto my email list, I have some free stuff to send your way to make you a little more confident in your farm marketing. You can get that@mydigitalfarmer.com subscribe and don't forget, I'm now on Instagram ydigitalfarmer. I'd love to connect with you there. Thank you for joining me today for some supporting my work and for being a believer in the local farm food system. Have a great week. I'll talk to you next time.