Shawn Kuhn of Vitruvian Farms raises about five acres of vegetables with his business partner, Tommy Stauffer, in McFarland, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison.
Vitruvian Farms raises a little bit of everything, and a lot of salad greens, so we dig into the ins and outs producing 1,200 pounds of salad greens a week, from bed shaping and weed control through harvest and delivery. Shawn shares the ways they have – and have not – mechanized their salad production, and how they make this intensive level of production work on a small scale. We also look at the key success factors for their other main crops, oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, and microgreens.
Most of Vitruvian Farms’ produce is sold through 45 restaurants in Madison, and Shawn shares how they got started in that marketplace and how they maintain those relationships. We dig into what quality really means when selling to restaurants, and how Vitruvian Farms gets top-notch produce to demanding chefs in a crowded marketplace.
Vitruvian Farms raises a little bit of everything, and a lot of salad greens, so we dig into the ins and outs producing 1,200 pounds of salad greens a week, from bed shaping and weed control through harvest and delivery. Shawn shares the ways they have – and have not – mechanized their salad production, and how they make this intensive level of production work on a small scale. We also look at the key success factors for their other main crops, oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, and microgreens.
Most of Vitruvian Farms’ produce is sold through 45 restaurants in Madison, and Shawn shares how they got started in that marketplace and how they maintain those relationships. We dig into what quality really means when selling to restaurants, and how Vitruvian Farms gets top-notch produce to demanding chefs in a crowded marketplace.
Sponsors
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BCS America: BCS two-wheel tractors are versatile, maneuverable in tight spaces, light-weight for less compaction, and easy to maintain and repair on farm. Gear-driven and built to last for decades of dependable service on your farm or market garden.
CoolBot: Build your own walk-in cooler with a window air conditioner and a CoolBot controller. Save on upfront costs, monthly electricity bills, and expensive visits from refrigeration technicians. Controllers, complete cooling systems, and turnkey walk-in coolers available atStoreItCold.com. Mention the code FTF to double your CoolBot warranty at no charge. StoreItCold.com
Quotes from the Show
We wanted to do something that felt right and had some meaning behind it. I think you could argue organic farming can be that.
[Starting the business with a focus on restaurant sales] pushed our quality to a really high level because we always thought we had to have the best stuff because we were sending it to these fancy restaurants and these chefs.
I learned that when you show up, as long as it’s not during rush hours, with a bunch of free samples, the chef is normally happy to see you.
I take it upon myself to say, if something’s repeatedly not being done correctly, how can we design a better system or give better directions or create a better work culture so that those things happen.
[Starting the business with a focus on restaurant sales] pushed our quality to a really high level because we always thought we had to have the best stuff because we were sending it to these fancy restaurants and these chefs.
I learned that when you show up, as long as it’s not during rush hours, with a bunch of free samples, the chef is normally happy to see you.
I take it upon myself to say, if something’s repeatedly not being done correctly, how can we design a better system or give better directions or create a better work culture so that those things happen.
Show Links
Vitruvian Farms uses a bed shaper from Buckeye Tractor to make raised beds for salad greens.
The Six-Row Seeder from Johnny’s Selected Seeds lets Vitruvian Farms seed the solid beds of greens that set them up for mechanical salad greens harvest.
Vitruvian Farms started the mechanization of their salad harvester with the Quick Cut Harvester from Farmer’s Friend.
The HarvestStar baby leaf harvester from Sutton Ag allows Shawn to harvest salad greens from an upright position.
Vitruvian Farms uses Entrust for flea beetle control.
Sustane 5-2-4 provides an organic slow-release nitrogen fertilizer that Vitruvian Farms uses to keep their salad beds humming along.
The Six-Row Seeder from Johnny’s Selected Seeds lets Vitruvian Farms seed the solid beds of greens that set them up for mechanical salad greens harvest.
Vitruvian Farms started the mechanization of their salad harvester with the Quick Cut Harvester from Farmer’s Friend.
The HarvestStar baby leaf harvester from Sutton Ag allows Shawn to harvest salad greens from an upright position.
Vitruvian Farms uses Entrust for flea beetle control.
Sustane 5-2-4 provides an organic slow-release nitrogen fertilizer that Vitruvian Farms uses to keep their salad beds humming along.
Transcript
The transcript for this episode is brought to you byEarth Tools, offering the most complete selection of walk-behind farming equipment and high-quality garden tools in North America; and byRock Dust Local, the first company in North America specializing in local sourcing and delivery of the BEST rock dusts and biochar for organic farming. And byLocal Food Marketplace, providing an integrated, scalable solution for farms and food hubs to process customer orders – including online ordering, harvesting, packing, delivery, invoicing and payment processing. Additional funding for transcripts provided byNorth Central SARE, providing grants and education to advance innovations in Sustainable Agriculture.
