Real life stories, lessons learned, and must-know tips from farmers and food business owners on how to succeed in farm life. Hosted by Antonio Gomes and Janice Ho from Cavaleiro Farm in Schomberg, Ontario, Canada.
In the final episode of The Hello Farmlife Podcast season one, we talk about the always-timely topic of inheriting a farm. The challenges that come with inheriting a farm property as well as the goals and motivations that make heirs see the value of their inheritance are also discussed during the insightful conversation.
An insightful conversation with one of our closest farmers, Sarah Dolomore from Mount Wolfe Farm. Sarah shares her journey in transitioning to the farmlife by inheriting a family farm property and making it progress. She also shares some tips for starting a farm business and for creating an effective farm community as well as the methods Mount Wolfe Farm applies to make their CSA program a success.
Jacqueline and Noel from the Toronto Black Farmers Collective share about their food and farming journeys from their home country Jamaica to their present home Toronto. They discuss their experiences growing up in Jamaica to observing the differences in food quality, accessibility, and culture in Toronto.
This episode discusses what community farming is and why it’s ideal to build a community at a farm. We share some tips on how to create a farm community and discuss how building good relationships brings value to the farm by having members share their skills and expertise.
Ivan Wadgymar (Maizal) shares his insights and experiences on the other side of farming: eating and the restaurant industry. He also talks about how the pandemic has affected his food business and what he sees as the role of restaurants in food security.
Why is it important for landowners and farmers to know how to observe and read nature? What are the challenges that come up when we don’t learn how to work in harmony with nature? All these and some strategies for how people can improve their nature-observing skills to increase productivity and efficiency on their farms in this podcast episode.
Our guest Angie Koch from Fertile Ground Farm talks about how she managed to get onto someone else’s farmland as a new farmer, and has since grown a profitable farm. Whether you’re an aspiring farmer or someone who’s been in the game for a few years, you’re sure to gain a ton of insights and inspiration!
In this episode, we talk about why marketing is so critical for farms these days, and bust 3 common myths that keep farmers and other entrepreneurs from doing this essential business activity. We also offer 3 foundational tips for marketing beginners to get started on their marketing journey, and share the steps they took to successfully market their farm’s vegetable box program.
In this episode, our guest Lara Mrosovsky (a.k.a. “The Queen of Balcony Gardening”) (Miinikaan) shares tips and tricks for how to grow fresh food on your balcony in the city.
Is buying farmland a good investment? In this episode, we discuss some of the ins and outs of buying a farm, including the different ways people can use farmland and what to look out for when visiting farms for sale.
In this episode, our guest from Manorun Farm in Lynden, Ontario talks about his experiences farming alongside his family over the last 25 years: moving to farmland, building a farm slowly, farming full-time, and now handing off the farm to his kids. He also shares how he weaned their kids onto farm work (and ensured they wouldn’t hate it), and how all four kids now play a role in running the farm business.
In this episode, Antonio and Janice break down why it’s so tough for farmers nowadays to make money from farming. They share 8 big reasons why farmers are still attracted to the farm life anyway, including their own personal stories explaining why they wouldn’t trade it in for anything. They also discuss the very real challenges new farmers currently face in trying to make their farm dream a reality and how we can solve this problem.
In this episode, Antonio and Janice introduce what The Hello Farm Life Podcast is all about and what listeners can expect from Season 1. They also share their stories of how they each went from living the city to farm life and ended up connecting on Cavaleiro Farm.
And don’t forget to leave a review and 5-star rating if you’re enjoying the show. It’ll help others find the show and learn all about living the farmlife!
The Hello Farmlife Podcast is hosted by Antonio Gomes and Janice Ho from Cavaleiro Farm in Schomberg, Ontario, Canada.
Antonio Gomes is the CEO of Urban Crops, the umbrella company of Cavaleiro Farm that provides training services to farmers and landowners to help them build more self-sufficient, profitable farms. As a coach, Antonio uses simple steps to help clients gain clarity on their goals, create action plans, and facilitate their professional and personal self-development. Antonio also manages Cavaleiro Farm, where he has built a community of farm members who used the land and other farm resources to grow their own food businesses or execute farm- and growing-related projects.
Janice Ho is the Chief Operating Officer of Urban Crops, the umbrella company of Cavaleiro Farm that provides training services to farmers and landowners to help them build more self-sufficient, profitable farms. She also works as a freelance copy editor/proofreader, writer, and marketing and communications consultant. Janice has a Master’s of Criminology from the University of Toronto and has had over 10 years of experience working as researcher in the fields of criminal justice, community services, and population health.
