Rooted Farmers in the Press

This is part 2 of Scott Shepherd's chat with Kimby Decker of Millsap Farm and Amelia Ihlo, Founder of Rooted Farmers to discuss their approach to pricing and how it has evolved over the years. Amelia also shares a little about Rooted's new pricing tool and its functions and why they saw a need for it in the flower market. Learn how pricing doesn't have to be a dreaded part of your flower farm!

The shift from growing vegetables to flowers, or even just adding flowers to your farm's inventory, may appear to be an insurmountable challenge; however, flowers may prove to be an invaluable asset to your growing business. Hear from Kimby Decker, the farm manager at Millsap Farm located close to Springfield, Missouri, talk about her experience growing flowers and selling through a collective.

Justine McFarland, owner of Tupelo Farm, part owner and manager of River City Flower Exchange Cooperative and Jill Shea, manager of the Connecticut Flower Collective talk all things collectives and cooperatives! What's the difference between a coo-op model vs. single owner LLC? What makes a collective or co-op different from a wholesale house? How does the financial model work?

In this episode, "Tackling Burnout and Farmer Well-Being Through Collective Selling," Jennie Love, owner and Creative Director of Love 'n Fresh Flowers, and Amelia, founder of Rooted Farmers, share their personal stories and strategies for farmer fatigue.

In this episode, "Am I Ready to Join or Start a Collective?" Amelia and Lisa Mason Ziegler owner of *The Gardener's Workshop* discuss what it takes as a flower farmer to be ready to join or start a floral collective. They touch on common indicators for success, such as knowing your market & your customer’s needs, examining your grower network & relationships, thinking about short and long-term plans, and building resources.

In this episode, "What is a Collective, Anyway?," Amelia and Lisa Mason Ziegler owner of *The Gardener's Workshop* discuss the ins and outs of this flower-selling model, the differences between a floral collective and co-op, and more.

Listen to this roundtable chat featuring Amelia Ihlo of Rooted Farmers, flower farmer Lillian Calhoun of Calhoun Flower Farm in New Mexico, and floral designer Rhea Calpeno of Photosynthesis Floral Studio in Virginia. Discover Lillian's insights on the efficiency and time-saving benefits of the Rooted platform. Additionally, hear how Rhea approaches designing with local floral product and why she views local as a valuable selling point when talking with clients.

Amelia began flower farming five years ago, jumping (somewhat naively!) into growing after feeling called to a more back-to-nature approach to life. She lives with her husband and a flock of children, chickens, and ducks on their rural New Hampshire farm (Zone 4b), where she has about an acre in production for flowers. Most of her product is field-grown, with the help of an NRCS high tunnel for season extension.

Debra, Amelia, and Haley discuss new ways to showcase floral inventory for wholesale or retail sales – on Rootedfarmers.com. This podcast and article walk us through updates since the launch of Rooted Farmers a little more than a year ago. As the resilience of flower farmers large and small was tested in 2020, it was surprisingly a good year for launching the new Rooted Farmers platform.