The Hidden Trap of Starting Too Big: Why 5,000 Square Feet Beats 2 Acres (Rewind S1W26 - 1)
Release Date: 11/25/2025
Cutting 80 Crops and Doubling My Profit: The 80/20 Rule for Farmers
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this episode, we're taking a look at the counterintuitive strategy of cutting out 80% of your crops to drastically increase your farm profits. Farmer Curtis Stone shares the exact analysis he used to identify which of the 10 crops he grew generated 80% of his income on just a quarter acre and how eliminating the rest gave him more free time, less stress, and higher net earnings. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:...
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Should You Grow It? The Simple Formula for Crop Selection (S1W28)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this episode, Urban Farmer Curtis Stone talks about the one solid principle that transformed his struggling farm into a thriving, profitable operation: detailed record keeping. Learn exactly how tracking your plantings, harvests, and sales prevents costly overproduction, eliminates waste, and helps you dial in perfect timing for shoulder-season crops. Curtis dives deep into the ins and outs of his system for greenhouse interplanting, managing year-round production in minimal space, and making data-driven decisions that maximize income while minimizing wasted labor. Subscribe for more...
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Stop Waiting for Perfect: Start Your Farm With $5,000 (S1W27)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
This episode pulls no punches about starting a new farm: the sacrifices, struggles, and tough decisions that separate dreamers from doers. Curtis Stone and Diego Footer discuss why successful farmers like Jean-Martin Fortier started in tents and teepees, how to prepare for worst-case scenarios, and the one question that will either motivate or haunt you for decades: "Why didn't you just go for it?" Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower...
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Why Working to Learn Beats Working to Earn in Your First Farm Year (Rewind S1W26 - 2)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
Why do the most successful farmers barely break even in year one? How could chasing profits too early destroy your farm business? In this episode, we're answering all that and more as we dive into the counterintuitive strategy that transforms struggling growers into profitable operations by year three, including actionable exercises to track what really matters: your cost per square foot, true profit margins, and which crops are secretly draining your time and money. Diego breaks down the exact approach that helped Curtis Stone build a thriving urban farm, including a 90-day learning sprint...
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The Hidden Trap of Starting Too Big: Why 5,000 Square Feet Beats 2 Acres (Rewind S1W26 - 1)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this episode, Diego schools us in on the four critical principles that separate successful farms from the 90% that fail within three years. We dive deep into all the reasons why starting small (just 5,000 square feet) gives you the validation, data, and sustainability you need before scaling up. Siego also breaks down how to track unit economics, understand your true capacity, and avoid the complexity cascade that destroys farm businesses. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: ...
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Work to Learn, Not Earn: Building a Sustainable Farm (S1W26)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
Thinking about starting a farm? In this episode, Curtis and Diego talk about why most new farmers fail and the counter-intuitive strategy that leads to long-term success. They double down on the value of working for knowledge instead of profits in your first year, starting with less land, and how building systematically will set you up for a thriving farm business. Curtis shares his hard-earned lessons on how to avoid the burnout, overwhelm, and financial struggle that sink most beginning farmers. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business...
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The 10-Day Pivot: Why Fast Feedback Loops Save Businesses (Rewind S1W25 - 2)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this episode, we take a look at how farmer Curtis Stone survived a 75% revenue drop by using 10-day feedback cycles to pivot before losses mounted. We'll talk about ways to detect failures fast, test cheaply, and adapt quickly to rapidly changing markets. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: Check out Diego's books: **** Modern Grower and...
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Why Most Small Businesses Burn Out by September (Rewind S1W25 - 1)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this rewind episode, we're taking a look at how farmer Curtis Stone achieved a 35% revenue increase while taking daily naps during peak season: by completely restructuring his workflow. We're breaking down how to stage work across optimal time windows, avoid burnout, and build systems that work with natural rhythms instead of against them—helping you scale sustainably without sacrificing your health or sanity. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the...
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The Biggest Winter Vegetable Growing Mistakes to Avoid (S1W25)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
The Urban Farmer Curtis Stone shares some practical strategies that helped increase his farm revenue by 35% without adding more land or working longer hours. He'll talk about exact planting dates for fall crops, heat management techniques that protect both you and your employees, and why strategic napping might be your secret weapon against burnout. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network: ...
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Automation and The Real Cost of Manual Systems (Rewind S1W24 - 3)
The Urban Farmer Podcast
In this rewind episode, we're breaking down why automating simple tasks like invoicing doesn't just save you 10+ hours per season...it also unlocks your farm's growth. We're looking at automation strategies you can implement this week—from digital invoicing to voice-to-text workflows—that will free you from repetitive manual work and give you more time to focus on sales, strategy, and scaling your business. Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! Follow Modern Grower: Listen to other podcasts on the...
info_outlineIn this episode, Diego schools us in on the four critical principles that separate successful farms from the 90% that fail within three years. We dive deep into all the reasons why starting small (just 5,000 square feet) gives you the validation, data, and sustainability you need before scaling up. Siego also breaks down how to track unit economics, understand your true capacity, and avoid the complexity cascade that destroys farm businesses.
Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 
Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.
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Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
Carrot Cashflow
Farm Small Farm Smart
Farm Small Farm Smart Daily
The Growing Microgreens Podcast
The Urban Farmer Podcast
The Rookie Farmer Podcast
In Search of Soil Podcast
Check out Diego's books:
Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon
Ready Farmer One on Amazon
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