224 How to Warm Up New Bulk Beef Buyers with Sarah Lovenuk from Black Barn Farms
My Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Release Date: 08/16/2023
My Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Are you charging enough for your farm products or services? Recently, I was on a coaching call with a farmer who ran a wedding event space on their farm. They were booked solid for over a year—yet hadn’t raised their prices in years. That’s a major sign they could (and should) charge more. The truth is, most farmers hesitate to raise prices because they’re afraid of losing customers. But what if I told you that keeping your prices too low could actually be hurting your business? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down five key signs that it’s time to increase your prices—and how...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Is your farm’s sales funnel doing a great job of bringing in first-time customers—but then dropping the ball when it comes to getting them to buy again? I recently coached a farmer who sells grass-fed chicken, pork, and beef by the cut, along with farm bundles and beef shares. He had an amazing sales funnel that was driving leads and converting first-time buyers like clockwork. But here’s the catch he had no system in place to encourage repeat buying. In today’s episode, I’m sharing what I told this farmer to focus on next to boost his AOV and order frequency—and I’ll give...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
March 26, 2025 A few weeks ago, my farmer friend Glen Young (shoutout to Glen!) sent me a message: "Hey, Corinna—did you know your website pop-up isn’t popping anymore?" Uh-oh. Turns out, something had changed inside (my email service provider), and I needed to go behind the scenes to tweak a few settings. That pop-up is one of the biggest drivers of email signups for my farm, so I was SO grateful he caught the issue before it went unnoticed for too long. This got me thinking—how many farmers have a lead magnet set up but aren’t actually promoting it in the right places? Or worse,...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Have you ever found yourself scrambling to write an email or social media post for a promotion—only to realize you already did it last year? What if I told you there’s a simple way to save yourself hours next season? Today, I’m sharing how documenting your promotions as you go can eliminate the guesswork and make next year’s marketing 10x easier. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you’ll learn how to track what works, streamline your marketing efforts, and save tons of time. In this episode, you'll discover: 📂 Why most farmers waste time recreating marketing materials every...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Feeling overwhelmed by all the little marketing tasks that pile up in your farm business? What if I told you that AI can take some of that off your plate—without being complicated, expensive, or scary? Today, I’m breaking down five simple ways you can start using AI right now to make your marketing easier, save time, and get better results—without working harder. In this episode, you'll discover: 📧 How AI can write emails that actually convert 📱 The easiest way to create social media content in seconds 📰 How AI can generate CSA newsletters & blog posts 🏪 Writing product...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Feeling like you’re always scrambling to come up with content ideas? What if you had a simple system that not only made content planning easier but also helped your customers remember your farm’s message—and feel like they truly “get” what you’re about? In this episode, I’m sharing the concept of Content Buckets: a simple framework for organizing your content into 5-7 key themes so your people keep hearing your core message. When you use these buckets consistently, your marketing becomes clearer, easier, and more memorable—without the constant pressure to invent something...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Do your farm sales feel unpredictable? Are you waiting and hoping customers will buy, instead of creating intentional sales spikes? Imagine if you could forecast your revenue and know exactly when your next big influx of sales was coming. That’s the power of Marketing Peaks—planned, high-energy sales events that create urgency, drive customer action, and help you hit your revenue targets. Most farmers don’t realize that retail businesses (including big brands) strategically map out four or more marketing peaks every year—and your farm should be doing this too. But how do you find your...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
It's our 300th episode!! Wow. Can I make a confession?... I didn't realize this important milestone moment until 10 days ago. And by then, it was too late. I realized I had missed my chance to make this moment a "Big Deal" and build momentum for my brand. There were SO many things I could have done with this episode!... invited a special interview guest, held a giveway, gotten a round-table of farmers who have coached with me to hear their transformative stories, or "looked back" at where I've been. So I decided to turn this into a learning opportunity for all of us. I'm "going meta" as we use...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Ever walk down the grocery store aisle and find yourself drawn to a beautifully curated lineup of products—like a collection of specialty salts, seasonal spice blends, or a limited-edition flavor series? There's something about seeing a set of related products that makes you want to collect them all. Now, imagine applying this concept to your farm business. In this episode, I’m diving into how "collections" can be a game-changer in your farm marketing strategy. Collections tap into buyer psychology, make your products feel more exclusive, and encourage repeat purchases. They also simplify...
info_outlineMy Digital Farmer | Marketing Strategies for Farmers
Sometimes life throws you a curve-ball you weren't expecting. How you respond can make all the difference. What if "everything is happening FOR you?" In this episode, I open up with Kate Weschler on the Root to Bloom podcast as I share my healing journey over the past 12 months, including the transformative insights and breakthroughs. We talk about the role of gratitude, choosing specific thoughts that would serve me, finding my true north again, and learning to "live in the land of fun." I hope this episode will help you re-imagine how to view your own obstacles that life sends your...
info_outlineSometimes you just need to have a few key elements in place in your marketing system to get the sales going. In today's episode, I interview a guest who spends most of her time on two things -- social media and an email marketing process (called a "nurture email automated sequence"). These two elements are enough to drive new clients into her world and get them to feel ready to buy her bulk beef. If you're looking for ideas for content marketing for a bulk buy business, this episode will resonate with you!
This podcast was sponsored by Local Line, the leading e-commerce platform for the local food system. Try Local Line for your farm today! Local Line is offering a free premium feature for free for one year on top of your paid subscription. Claim your discount by signing up for a Local Line account today and using the coupon code: MDF2023. Head to my special affiliate link to get started: www.mydigitalfarmer.com/localline
Who is Sarah Lovenuk?
My guest today is Sarah Lovenuk from Black Barn Farms in Oxdrift, Ontario. Black Barn Farms was started in 2017 when Sarah and her husband Phil bought their property together. After converting a pole barn into a house the first year, they started their farm adventure in 2018 with 6 pigs, selling mostly to family and friends. Sarah wanted nothing to do with Phil’s farming dreams at first, but was slowly convinced of the beauty of being able to farm regeneratively in order to improve the environment they live in and work with the ecosystems already occurring in nature!
The goal at Black Barn Farms is to provide healthy pork and beef locally, with a dedicated focus on ethical livestock treatment, regenerative agriculture practices, and a sustainable source of quality food! Both enterprises are marketed as bulk sales every year as well as retail sales straight from the farm! They are the only farm in their area that has implemented the use of hydroponically grown fodder in order to reduce hay and grain consumption year round!
Sarah recently retired from a 10 year career as a dental hygienist to take over farm sales, marketing, and farm education. Through early promotion of their farm ideals through social media, their farm has gained a reputation and a decent following in their small town. They have recently joined a local food co-op to enhance their sales reach outside of their community and created an online store in order to make selling their meats more convenient for local folks! It has been a huge success!
Website: www.blackbarnfarms.ca
Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:
Join my free email list! I have a great "email onboarding sequence" that will guide you through the marketing jungle over the course of several months. Each week, you'll get a new email with suggestions and tips to make your marketing better.
Accelerator Group Coaching with Corinna -- get on the wait list for this 15-member group Mastermind and Farm Marketing School experience.
Episode 27 Case Study: Objections of a Beef CSA Buyer - Sarah referenced this episode as being helpful as she developed her bulk-buying nurture email sequence.
Sign up for my CSA Academy -- and get access to my CSA member resource library to use for your own CSA (as long as you're a paying member). Use coupon code TRIAL to get your first month for $1.
Find my Facebook group for farmers!
Follow me on Instagram for a daily IG story tip on marketing! @mydigitalfarmer