Exploring New Sales Outlets – Digital Class Recording
$20.00
Note: this is a digital recording of a previously aired class on February 19, 2026.
Purchase includes a downloadable Homeroom Document. This interactive PDF serves as the central location for all course materials and links to the recorded Zoom session, presenter slides, and any additional resources provided with the class.
To use:
- Download the Homeroom Document from your confirmation email
- Visit page 2, and click “Watch the Recording”
- Make sure to visit the Recommended Resources for additional content that supplements the lesson
- Save your Homeroom Document to your computer for lifelong access
Description
Building stability in your farm business doesn’t always mean scaling up. Many farms hit a familiar point a few years in: the crops are growing well, systems are in place, and labor feels more predictable, but income is still inconsistent. This class is designed for farmers in that in-between stage who are realizing that one sales outlet (or one distribution day) isn’t enough to create financial stability.
Rather than pushing growth for growth’s sake, this session focuses on strategic diversification – how to add or adjust sales channels in ways that improve cash flow, product quality, and predictability without burning out or overextending your operation.
Using real farm case studies and insights from buyers across multiple markets, this class helps farmers understand when it makes sense to explore new outlets, which ones fit their farm, and how to do it intentionally.
In this class we learn:
The Instructors:
Janet Aardema of Broadfork Farm (VA)
Janet describes farm business success as 50% soil and 50% systems. Appropriately managing both allows one to meet their farming goals! As co-owner of Broadfork Farm with Dan Gagnon, Janet enjoys helping others learn practical farming information with her pragmatic approach grounded in realism. Drawing on her experience growing vegetables for market customers since 2011, Janet teaches learners to adopt systems-based-thinking in order to apply knowledge to the unknown future events inherent in farming. Learning from soil and plants while walking gently on the shared earth, living mindfully while surrounded by vegetables and flowers, and mothering four children in the context of both makes for a life simultaneously uber rich, challenging, and ceaselessly full of learning opportunities. With patient explanations and a strong attachment to honesty and integrity, Janet thrives on helping others learn about growing and selling vegetables.
Cory Babb of Firelight Farm (AR)
Cory Babb owns and operates Firelight Farm in Searcy Arkansas. Firelight Farm is a 3/4 acre market garden growing and selling year round via Farmers markets, restaurants, small grocers and online food hubs.
Before starting Firelight Farm, Cory worked as a chef for 15 years and studied Sustainable Food Systems and Entrepreneurship at Montana State University. Beyond its fresh produce offerings, Firelight Farm also makes a range of value added products such as Harissa spiced pickled carrots, tomato jam and more.
The Panelists:
Nena Hammer of Spring Creek Food Hub (AR)
Throughout my professional career, I have had the opportunity to be a part of several local food-based organizations, from serving as an AR GardenCorps member, to owning/operating a farm/forage to table restaurant, to managing livestock and garden operations at Cobblestone Farms, and most recently, to serving as the Interim Executive Director at Spring Creek Food Hub. At Spring Creek, our team works to build relationships with local farmers and local buyers, connecting the dots from farm to table to build a more resilient local food system. We work with farmers to help them scale up production and become wholesale ready. We work with buyers to increase their interest in purchasing local and help them overcome hurdles to increase the amount of local food on their menus. We have seen great success in our work, sending $385,838.70 back to Arkansas farmers and distributing 165,695.21 pounds of local produce to Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma-based organizations in 2025.
Rick Harrison of TheFarmTrader.com
Rick Harrison is the Founder and CEO of Farm Trader, an online marketplace built to help small and mid sized farms connect with consumers and wholesale buyers. Through Farm Trader, he works closely with farmers and agricultural organizations to improve market access, increase visibility, and support more resilient local food systems.
Corey Davis (VA)
Corey Davis is deeply engaged in building resilient local food systems, drawing on a background in wholesale distribution and community partnerships. Actively involved with organizations such as Certified Naturally Grown (CNG) and Shalom Farms, Corey supports initiatives that strengthen sustainable farming and expand food access. With a passion for connecting people to healthy, locally grown food, Corey brings both strategic insight and hands-on experience to the work of advancing community-based agriculture.
