$130,000 in farm revenue. $30,000 take-home. Where does the other $100,000 go? That gap is the most useful part of Chef Mikey Russo's story.

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A hundred and thirty thousand (yes, $130,000) in farm revenue sounds great until you see what stays. Chef Mikey Russo took home $30,000 from his farm last year. He paid $40,000 in labor. The rest went to reinvestment: compost, tools, YouTube equipment, coaching, infrastructure. That's not a failure. That's a deliberate strategy.

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Michael Russo spent 20 years as a chef working 80-hour weeks, sometimes 100. He walked away at 40 with no farming experience, no degree, and no business background.

First real growing season: $2,100 in his best week ($600 restaurant, $1,500 farmer's market). Even off weeks with groundhog damage, he pushed $1,000. He spent $30,000 on equipment in year one...all cash from his previous career, no debt.

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Chef Mikey Russo left a 20-year kitchen career to start a market garden in Tennessee. We first talked in 2023 during his first full-time season. Now he's in year four with no job, running $130,000 in annual revenue across 80 fifty-foot beds on two properties, selling to roughly eight restaurants, and paying himself $30,000 after $40,000 in labor costs.

Click here to learn more about Chef Mikey and Chef's Harvest!

Watch the episode here!

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

After 10 years of analyzing crop economics, one crop keeps scoring a perfect five out of five on every profitability metric I track. It's not lettuce. It's not microgreens. It's carrots.

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Neil Robinson spent 20 years designing dishwashers and ovens for factory assembly lines. Then he quit and started a market garden. When I asked what transferred, he didn't say growing skills. He said: the way factories think about movement, waste, and process.

Click here to learn more about Neil and Garden to Market.

Watch the episode here!

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

35% profit margin. Your accountant says bravo. Your spouse says we're not losing money. But 35% of not enough is not enough. This is the profit margin trap — and it catches more farm businesses than bad weather ever will.

Click here to learn more about Neil and Garden to Market.

Watch the episode here!

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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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

$400 a day. That's where Neil Robinson started his first year at a farmer's market in New Zealand. The vendor two stalls down selling nearly identical product had a line out the front. Neil was standing there, wondering what was wrong with his carrots.

Nothing was wrong with his carrots. The other vendor's carrots were familiar.

Click here to learn more about Neil and Garden to Market.

Watch the episode here!

Interested in watching the series? Hop on over to our YouTube Channel!

Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights!

Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow 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

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.