SE2 Ep 1. Building a Sustainable Farm Business with Brian Bates
Brian Bates farms with his wife Anne at Bear Creek Organic Farm in Petoskey, Michigan. In this episode, we dive into what it takes to run a successful farm business, how Brian innovates constantly on his farm, how he believes that his team is his most valuable asset and the process he uses to train them, his foray into super sustainable packaging, and why his favorite tool is a calculator.
In This Episode:
>> Why their original farm plan had no plans for a team and why that changed
>> The simple schedule that Brian follows and why it makes his farm work better
>> The number one mistake that new farmers make and how to avoid it
>> How Brian and his wife Anne split responsibilities on the farm
>> Brian’s number one focus in his business and why that has made him successful
>> How one of Brian’s key decisions on where to locate his farm came from a conversation he had while stocking groceries.
Quotes from the episode:
“you might want to think twice about growing arctic kiwis ”
“You are hiring a human- not a washer, a cultivator, a weeder, so treat then like one”
“all our enterprise budgets are built with $25 an hour labor included so we can afford to pay well”
“because we are in far north Michigan, in a small community, with already established farms, we wanted our own market, and not to step on toes”
“asking for money through a loan filters out many bad ideas”
“If we didn’t focus on our customers we would be out of business”
“Self-care is so important, - you can’t keep a farm going for long going to sleep exhausted and waking up tired”
Full Bio
Brian Bates owns and operates Bear Creek Organic Farm in Petoskey, Michigan with his wife Anne. Brian is passionate about small farm finances, making a living doing what you love, and savvy marketing. With no secrets, a lot of ideas, and some serious elbow-grease, Bear Creek has grown dramatically in five years to over $400k in sales on just 2 acres. Growing from part-time farmers to full-time farmers with 6 employees and a growing family, Anne & Brian are committed to the process, their people, and serious customer service. Brian and Anne have been honored as Entrepreneurs of the Year and Local Food Heroes by their community and in 2018 Brian was named one of Fruit+Vegetable’s Top 40 Under 40 Next Generation Leaders. Follow them on Facebook & Instagram @bearcreekorganicfarm for daily updates from the farm!