243. Jessica Hall on Unearthing the Heirloom Mum Movement

What does it take to run a successful flower farm?  On this episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we’re joined by Jessica Hall who is the Owner, Visionary, and Weeder-in-Chief at Harmony Harvest Farm. Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, her farm is known for pioneering nationwide direct-to-consumer bouquet shipping. With over 15 years in the industry, Jessica is driven by the belief that #FreshFlowersRule and everyone can live a better life through flowers.  Tune in today to hear all about the evolution of Harmony Harvest Farm and how they enhance their community and thrive as a result!   You’ll hear: How Jessica discovered her calling to be a flower farmer  2:20 When Jessica knew she wanted to switch gears from weddings 13:06 About the Harmony Harvest Victory Garden and how it’s doing today 27:30 More about The Mum Project  49:55 How Jessica keeps track of all their inventory and production 58:44 How Harmony Harvest keeps their mother plants in their greenhouse 1:05:40 What gives their farm true business freedom 1:08:02 About the Guest: Jessica is the Owner, Visionary, and Weeder-in-Chief of Harmony Harvest Farm. Harmony Harvest Farm is known for pioneering nationwide direct-to-consumer bouquet shipping and its impressive collection of heirloom chrysanthemums. This year, Jessica and her team launched The Mum Project, a collaborative initiative to revitalize American agriculture through heirloom mums. With over 15 years in the industry, Jessica is driven by the belief that #FreshFlowersRule and everyone can live a better life through flowers.  Resources: Website - https://www.hhfshop.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/harmonyhrvst/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/harmonyhrvst       GrownBy is the farmer-owned online marketplace. In the last three years, their 200 farmers have sold over $2M of products to shoppers on the GrownBy app. GrownBy works for all scales and types of farm sales. Spring Plant Sale? Yup. Annual Freezer Meat Emptying? Check. Multi-season, multi-farm 300 member CSA operation? Absolutely. GrownBy supports it all. As a cooperative, farmer success is their #1 priority. They are the first farmer-owned cooperative ecommerce platform in the world. With auto-payments, built-in customer notifications, CSA subscriptions, and customers helping to pay site fees, GrownBy is a tailored fit for your farm’s online sales. Upcoming, GrownBy will be the first online platform accepting SNAP/EBT with authorized farms. Startup is free, and pricing is transparent and affordable. The cooperative collects 2% of each transaction, but customers often contribute to this fee and bring down farmer costs significantly. Listeners to the Thriving Farmers Podcast get 50% off their first three months on GrownBy. Just email Grow@farmgenerations.coop to get this offer. You can learn more at GrownBy.com, or download the app on the Google Play or Apple App stores.  

Om Podcasten

If you’re looking to build a profitable farm that works, The Thriving Farmer Podcast is for you. Learn the latest tricks and strategies from successful farmers, strategize with in-depth interviews with leaders in the industry, and connect with stories of farmers just like you. With over 15 years of farming background, your host Michael Kilpatrick has the experience and authority to bring you practical advice, ask the hard questions, tease out the gold nuggets, and help share what it’s really like to build a truly profitable, sustainable farm. In the interviews, we focus on building farms that last, setting up your systems, knowing your customers, building your team, and treading that ever-challenging work/family/life balance.