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005 Nick Stolberg: Pasture Farming in Haiti on a mission

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Release Date: 02/24/2020

023. 4 Enterprises, 3 Kingdoms, 2 Families, 1 Farm show art 023. 4 Enterprises, 3 Kingdoms, 2 Families, 1 Farm

Pasture-Raised Podcast

For the past decade, two families have settled on a rolling 120 acre property in Henry County, KY under the name “Valley Spirit Farm”. We discuss their unique partnership, the ways they’ve integrated their pork and beef with mushrooms and vegetables, plus marketing, business structure, and much more.

info_outline 022 Farm Marketing with Ginger Shields show art 022 Farm Marketing with Ginger Shields

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Ginger shields of Pastured Life Farm joined me to discuss her extensive knowledge and experience in farm marketing.

info_outline 21. Ginger Shields on our farms' most important product: future adult humans show art 21. Ginger Shields on our farms' most important product: future adult humans

Pasture-Raised Podcast

When done thoughtfully, farms provide a great context for raising kids; especially when education is seen as life-long, and as wide as the world around us. Dave and Ginger rely on their children to run their successful farm business with them. And they rely on their farm to provide the context for learning about the world around them: how to work and learn, or at least to fan the flames of the curiosity we are all born with. Look for Episode 22 to see our discussion on farm marketing.

info_outline 20. Joelle Wood: Striking out on your own: growing, marketing, processing, and skilling up. show art 20. Joelle Wood: Striking out on your own: growing, marketing, processing, and skilling up.

Pasture-Raised Podcast

I talked to Joelle Wood about her path towards guiding her farm as she took on a lot in 2020, feeding her community and seizing on great opportunities to grow her farm; all while holding to her aspirational values. 

info_outline 019 The Post-Permaculture Pig Farmer -Cliff Davis show art 019 The Post-Permaculture Pig Farmer -Cliff Davis

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Cliff Davis spent much of his adult life, and became known across the region as a permaculture educator. But in this episode we talk about his new act: farming and breeding pigs, and selling food to his community in central Tennessee. This episode explores much of this transition, as well as going deep into Cliff's business, hog genetics, and the application of his principles to his livelihood on his particular piece of land.

info_outline 18 A Farmer, A Butcher, and A USDA Compliance Officer walk into a bar... show art 18 A Farmer, A Butcher, and A USDA Compliance Officer walk into a bar...

Pasture-Raised Podcast

After Jesse sharing on episode 17, Matthew joins the conversation to share about the ins and outs of their operation; but especially hiring and managing employees, and navigating USDA inspected slaughter and processing with both poultry and mammals.

info_outline 17 Growing/Processing/Selling/Staffing a farm with Jesie Lawrence show art 17 Growing/Processing/Selling/Staffing a farm with Jesie Lawrence

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Part 1 of 2 with the Marble Creek Farmstead Team: I had the pleasure of speaking with Jesie and Matthew Lawrence about the many sides of their diverse business, including farming, marketing, selling, and processing on a growing farm. In this episode Jesie helped me wrap my brain around all they do, their infrastructure, staff, and the ways they get their products to their customers. Check them out at the links below!

info_outline 016 Mid-Season Check up! show art 016 Mid-Season Check up!

Pasture-Raised Podcast

I asked some of our past guests to share their answers to seven questions, so that we could hear some unique perspectives on how different farms and farmers across the country are faring during the wild year that is 2020. Joe Koopsen, Jordan Green, and Ben Grimes all shared their answers to my questions.

info_outline 015 Marketing, Distribution, and Partnerships for Efficient and Successful Farm Business with Curtis Brown show art 015 Marketing, Distribution, and Partnerships for Efficient and Successful Farm Business with Curtis Brown

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Curtis Brown is back for part two of our interview, where we talk all about how he has, and will continue to, get his meat into his customers' hands. We talk CSA logistics, marketing ideas, and streamlining through a cooperative distribution network. 

info_outline 014 Regenerating the Northern Plains with Curtis Brown show art 014 Regenerating the Northern Plains with Curtis Brown

Pasture-Raised Podcast

Part one of Two:

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Many of us doing pasture-based agriculture in the United States are doing it because we love our craft. But at the core, ideally we also have goals for our lives and land that match up with the life, lifestyle, and realities of running a pasture-based agricultural enterprise. And to run a truly sustainable farm, we are going to have to work in alignment with our goals in a long-term sustainable way. My goals are probably not that different from many of the people listening to this podcast: To produce nutrient-dense food for our community: yes. But more to the core of my passions, it is to live and work alongside my family as we enjoy the many good things that come from this land together: connection to nature, the ability to learn to work and to live life well. Pasture-based farming provides us a chance to raise our most important crop: future adult humans -in a way that we think enables a great childhood that we hope can, in turn, lead to a great life. 
 
Today's guest is someone who's farm produces many of the things mine does -even with similar growing methods and at a similar scale, all on pasture. But, while he has young children like me -and probably can resonate with much of what I just said- he has a set of goals, and a vision for his farm that both challenge and excite me to look beyond the boundaries of my own nuclear family and the boundaries of our farm:
 
Nick Stollberg of New Roots Haiti is a farmer, yes. But he's a social entrepreneur and missionary working to bring about real change in his community in Northern Haiti through gainful employment in a regenerative profitable enterprise, providing nutrient-dense food and enabling soil building where land has been mined of nutrients by centuries of sugar cane planting, as well as a market for small plot farmers to get a fair price for their crops. Nick, with his wife Nikki and their team are doing all of this in Northern Haiti as they build a supply chain that enriches the stakeholders in their community, upstream down and sideways to their neighbors.
 
I hope you'll enjoy this conversation with Nick Stollberg of New Roots Haiti!
 
Well there it is. I want to thank Nick again for coming on the podcast. He's a wonderful fellow. Last month I got to meet him and his farm production manager, Jovenel Kenold. They are doing really cool things in just three years of production, and I hope you'll check them out: Newrootshaiti.org, or on facebook: New Roots Haiti.
 
 And as I said in the interview: I personally can't endorse a project highly enough, when they are taking donated dollars and using it to build a long-term sustainable socially enriching enterprise that blesses so many in the community with the possibility of employment and a better life.
 
And thanks for tuning in! I'd love to hear any feedback you've got along the way. The theory behind this podcast is that I'm probably not the only one interested in hearing the kind of farmers I want to talk to, answering the kinds of questions I want to ask of them. But whatever ideas for making it better that pop into my brain don't have to be the only ideas. So as I'm working to continue to make this podcast better and better, I would love to hear any suggestions you might have along the way.