Bootstrap Farmer Radio

While filming factory tours the Bootstrap Farmer Creative Team sat down with Tracy Lutz, who is working on a year long filming project, on what happens in the creative dept.  This unplanned quorum tackles topics like: Social media tips, recognizing B-reel in the field, making content for different personality types, working with shot lists, scheduling a year of content, recycling content, reposting shared content, making videos, pronouncing grow bags, planning media, building your personal stock footage bank, and a real world example of trying to end an interview. 

USA Manufacturing has been at the forefront of Bootstrap Farmer’s goals over the past few years with new products added all of the time. Join Bootstrap Farmer’s Creative Director Katie Russo, Tracy Lutz our farmer in residence, and Cal our lead injection moulder for a discussion about what it takes to produce our trays in the United States, why it matters, and what more is to come. We hope you will join us. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:00 Factory Tour Overview 2:00 Plastic Characteristics and Food Safety & UV Stabilization 3:55 Process of Bulk Resin to Finished Product 4:53 Injection Moulding Process 6:39 Limiting Waste During Manufacturing 9:24 Tracy Relates Farm Sustainability Practices and Manufacturing Practices 11:47 What can we do to limit plastic waste? 13:18 Bootstrap Farmer and the Manufacturing Learning Curve 15:23 Impact of USA Manufacturing on Quality and Transparency 18:13 Creating Community with Products 19:48 Bring Manufacturing Back to the United States and Job Creation 20:35 Overview of Lates

Pipe Klee announces the opening of the Urban Dirt Co Design Studio in Sherman, Texas. We examine the opportunities in serving the garden needs of homeowners private schools, and chefs while connecting the dots of gardening misconceptions. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 00:50 Why opening a design center as an extension of Urban Dirt Co 03:23 Homeowner gardens and the disconnect to market gardening for a living 07:02 Microgreens, market gardens, culinary gardens: delivery needs density 08:43 Real Estate & urban expansion speculation 10:57 Property investments need to generate income 12:55 Design center class room 16:56 The scale of home gardens 22:42 Buying pro products for home gardeners 24:51 Purchasing property 28:71 How to get people behind your ideas and earn support 34:42 Experiencing different gardens and budgets 40:34 The experience to say NO to shiny objects and false opportunities 41:32 Private school garden opportunities 42:14 Soft opening beta tests 43:37 Implementing hospitality into agritourism www.b

Join us as we explore this service-driven business with Piper of Urban Dirt Co. Previously a guest on our Podcast, Piper returns to give updates to her chef’s garden service in year 6. Chef gardens help expose guests to the benefits of seasonal vegetables while giving access to farm-fresh ingredients for culinary talents right on site. Learn more about this business and what it took to build it. Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 04:16 Urban Dirt Co. Chef’s Gardens 08:33 G.A.S. Gardening As a Service 10:58 Edible Landscape Seasons 18:12 Bar and cocktail programs 20:45 Chefs as clients 23:48 Seed starting and new farm 25:06 Edible Landscape Crops 28:00 Seed room, test garden, & hoop house 29:33 Gardens in public spaces 30:46 Irrigation 37:49 Small business skill sets 44:38 When to hire 1st employee 47:08 Learning to delegate INSTAGRAM https://instagram.com/urbandirtco?utm_medium=copy_link #farming #farmplan #farmmarketing #seedstarting #bootstrapfarmer #designstudio #nursery #chefsgarden #ediblelandscape #gardening

Jill Ragan of Whispering Willow Farm interviews Calvin (Bootstrap Farmer's Injection Moulding Partner) on the manufacturing process of her limited edition pots.  They discuss the step by step moulding process, USA manufacturing, supply chain, and waste reduction in the moulding process.  Instagram @whisperingwillowfrm

If you have ever dreamed of starting a flower farm, you need to watch this video! Meet Shannon from Sky Field Farm who turned her hobby of flower gardening into a profitable cut flower farm business. Learn how she gained her floral skills and learned from experimenting along the way. In this video, we will cover cut flower profitability, mistakes to avoid, and an overview of what it takes to start a cut flower farm. TimeStamps: 0:00 Intro 4:00 Making a Profit with Cut Flowers 5:15 Cut Flowers for Weddings 7:10 Managing Customer Expectations with Local Flower Availability V. Imported Flowers 9:20 Large Floral Installations 11:55 Sourcing Sustainable Floral Containers & Vases 13:18 Selling Bouquets at Farmer's Markets 16:30 Building a Bouquet 101 (Filler, Fluff, Focal) 19:00 Flower Farm Packaging, Branding, Marketing 20:00 Teaching Flower Workshops 24:00 North Texas Gardening Resource Guide and Curriculum 29:00 Considerations for Planning a Flower Garden Space 31:00 2022 Workshop Schedule 34:00 Planning Tip

Part 4. Karl Binger of @parisnaturalfarms/ discuses refining systems of his market farm homestead for income opportunities.  Time Stamps: 00:00 Intro 00:39 Refining systems, leveling up, increasing crop yields 05:09 Measuring crop value 07:39 Heirloom variety woes  09:17 Hybrid seeds are not GMO 10:25 Picking your startup battles 10:41 Mass market appeal 12:34 How to beta test a new offering 13:45 Learning from other farms 16:47 First restaurant sales 20:50 Fully operational farm & full time farming 25:32 Experienced based farm income   www.instagram.com/bootstrapfarmer www.instagram.com/parisnaturalfarms/

Part 3. Karl Binger of @parisnaturalfarms/ discuses year two & three of his market farm homestead.  Time Stamps: 00:23 Year 1, 2, & 3 infrastructure budgets 04:25 Deciding how big to expand structures and hoop houses 09:59 Becoming the Bootstrap Farmer Test Farm and Gothic thoughts 12:59 Next goal: grow 100% under cover 14:36 Day in day out working in a hoop house thoughts 18:59 Adjusting to rural life and tuning into nature 22:25 Improving farm task workflows over time 24:38 Exodus from tech, medical & finance to agriculture  25:57 Open house and agritourism    Bootstrap Farmer Gothic Hoop House: https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/products/gothic-all-metal-greenhouse-kit?_pos=1&_sid=0a66d1c33&_ss=r&variant=41045159674014  INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bootstrapfarmerKarl's Paris Natural Farms INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/parisnaturalfarms/  

Part 2. Karl Binger of @parisnaturalfarms/ discuses year two of his market farm homestead.  Topics include: Developing four season clients Cold wet springs Standard farm practices vs. in field engineering Irrigation Time management and setting boundaries Raising a family on a new farm A walkthrough of a week on and off the farm Farmers market set up Farmers market events Paris, Texas Hatch Green Chile Fest Promoting the farmers market Year two confidence www.bootstrapfarmer.com

  Bootstrap Farmer Podcast is back for 2022!   Karl Binger and his family's homestead near Paris, Texas is in its  third year of production. In this episode we discuss a wide range of topics including: budget, infrastructure, land clearing, used hoop house hindsights, propagation, hoop house worries, microgreens, poultry eggs, and first farmers market.   YouTube Video Supplement https://youtu.be/4re-vR5JIYo Follow Karl https://www.instagram.com/parisnaturalfarms/ https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/

Interested in NRCS grants?  Nick and Julian from Bootstrap Farmer take us through the specifications and requirements for NRCS funding. Interested in learning more?  Video https://youtu.be/ddKHyIuOnYs Full Guide NRCS

Do you live in a windy or snow prone area? There are extra supports and bracing available for hoop house builds. Julian and Nick from Bootstrap Farmer take us through the options and explain in detail how they work together to make a more rigid structure. Watch this video to learn more about how to add extra support to your hoop house. ************************************ Full Guide and How-To to Set Up a Hoop house or Greenhouse

Protect your plants from harsh rays and help deliver more usable light with a shade cloth.  We discuss the different percentages of fabric growers use and give us tips on how to install it. Are you curious about whether to use white or black shade cloth? Bootstrap Farmer has you covered.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlJ0sz6FJJE Timestamps: 00:12 Shade Cloth Percentages 01:22 Black V. White Shade Cloth Fabrics 02:06 Installing Shade Cloth 03:44 Shade Cloth Technology 05:17 Shade Cloth vs. Sun Shade 06:54 Creating Microclimates for Speciality Crops FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL HERE

Trying to decide whether a double-layer film is something you need for your hoop house? Nick and Julian discuss the benefits of double-layer systems and explain the most efficient way to install them. Video https://youtu.be/vDN3jMLUDu8 Timestamps: 00:20 Considerations with Inflation Fans 01:44 Low v. High Volume Fans 05:02 Mistakes to Avoid with Inflation Kits 07:46 Where to Install Double Layer of Plastic 08:42 Benefits of Double Layers of Plastic 09:55 Do You Even Need a Second Layer? www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/greenhouse-kits

Don’t install a hand crank on your hoop house UNTIL you hear these tips! Julian and Nick from Bootstrap Farmer explain the simple mechanism behind the useful hand cranks used for greenhouse roll up sides. Bootstrap Farmer introduces their new very own hand crank system and Julian shows us how to correctly use them! Watch this video to learn more about hand cranks and how they are often misused. Timestamps:  00:20 Components of the Hand Crank 01:45 How to Use Hand Cranks 02:30 Common Questions about Hand Cranks https://youtu.be/nTlHXEvmU9k https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/greenhouse-kits

Bootstrap Farmer’s Tech Line specialist, Julian Sandoval explains the most common questions we receive on roll up side hand crank operation. 1- Rolling the hand crank to the inside of the hoop house to prevent catching water in the roll up side. 2- How to begin the roll up process at ground level. 3- How the gearbox works with the guide rod. https://youtu.be/WXH6FGnWlDU https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/greenhouse-kits

Learn more about how to install greenhouse film and how to AVOID common mistakes. Nick and Julian discuss methods they have seen used to attach film to hoop houses and give tips on how to make the task easier. https://youtu.be/qxApDmKXYyo Timestamps: 00:10 What to Consider Before Installing Greenhouse Plastic 01:46 Unfolding and Laying out the Plastic 05:06 Recruiting Help for the Install 05:42 Tools for the Job 08:31 Installing Greenhouse Plastic 11:00 Tightening the Plastic 14:00 Endwall and Door Plastic https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/greenhouse-kits

Join Bootstrap Farmer for a discussion about greenhouse film and why it is so important to get the RIGHT one. Want to protect your plants from the elements? Learn about how UV protection in greenhouse films work and the Best way to install it. Video https://youtu.be/H3A63Qlb5Gw Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:16 Greenhouse Plastic V. Big Box Store Plastic 02:38 Using Lock Channel to Attach Plastic 03:14 Greenhouse Film Installation Tips 07:05 Speciality Greenhouse Films 08:28 Availability and Lead Times

Want to know why insect netting is so VITAL for a hoop house? Bootstrap Farmer’s Nick and Julian talk about the latest insect netting technology and why the big box store netting might not cut it. Learn more about the uses of insect netting and when to use it. Timestamps: 00:10 Intro to Insect Netting 02:40 Agricultural Insect Netting V. Big Box Store Brands 03:38 Benefits of Insect Netting https://youtu.be/V8VKpNeF7BA www.instagram.com/bootstrapfarmer https://www.bootstrapfarmer.com/pages/greenhouse-kits

Watch this video BEFORE you design your end walls and doors! Join Bootstrap Farmer for a conversation about end wall designs and considerations you should have when designing your doors. Avoid making this construction project harder than it needs to be. Nick and Julian from Bootstrap Farmer guide you through the process and offer suggestions that will help you AVOID common mistakes. Timestamps: 00:07 Intro to End Walls 02:57 Designing Doors 07:27 Pre-Fabricated Door Kits 09:30 Endwall Construction Mistakes to Avoid Video examples: https://youtu.be/jnh7W5bJxY8 www.bootstrapfarmer.com