FARM CONSULTING
Grow your business
Update: As of November 2022 I am not taking on any new consulting clients so that I can focus on running my farm business. However, I am always happy to answer email inquiries or offer recommendations on the fly!
Design it
Thinking of building new farm infrastructure but worried about doing it right the first time? Reach out. I can work with you to clarify your current needs, and future goals to create a layout, an equipment list, and a process flow that will keep your work days enjoyable and efficient as you grow more food season after season.
Pack-house design
Greenhouse Design
Hi-Tunnel Design
Field Layout & Irrigation
Retail Displays
Sell it
Most farmers got into this field to be in the field. We want to grow food, drive the tractor, and revel in a perfectly timed cultivation of our favorite crop. However, the office work is still required. Good advertising and web presence is key to keeping your products flowing off the farm so you can keep on growing.
I can assist you with setting up a logo, website, print material and social media presence that work together to attract and inform customers and showcase the premium quality of the product that you grow.
Farming requires a dedication to constant personal and professional growth. If you aren’t growing you aren’t farming right.
How it works
Inquiry
To gets things started you will fill out the inquiry form. This lets me know what you considering hiring a consultant, and what you are hoping to work on, and I can see if my experience and expertise can help you reach your goal.
First Visit
The first conversation we have is free. We can meet virtually or at your farm. We get to know each other, make sure we are a good fit, and lay out a plan, budget and timeline for my services.
Consulting Services
Once accepted as a client, I provide farm business consulting to you to grow your business and tackle that next big thing! I provide a quote for services agreed upon, and we stick to that budget.
Get in touch.
Connections are free
If I don’t have the answers, I will make sure to connect you with someone who can. The farming community is close-knit and I am happy to be your in, and share my connections with you. Whether you need a soil scientist, a NRCS grant, or a good deal on a used cultivator I will point you in the right direction.
Who do I work with?
Non Profits / ‘For Impact’ Organizations
New Farms
Established Businesses
Market Gardeners
Wholesale Growers up to 10 acres
About Kat, the Farmer
Hi! Thank you for finding my consulting site. I am excited to share my experience and know-how with fellow farmers who can benefit from it. Ultimately I strive to help to support a local food system that is built on sustainability, good business practices, and innovation that creates a good living for farmers. But who am I, anyway? I am Kat, born and raised in Palo Alto, California. I took my first farming job in high school at Hidden Villa, and fell in love with food, farm work, and farmers from there. I pursued the agricultural path after graduating from Mills College with a degree in American History. I have worked in the intersection of Gardening and Education at places like Oakland Based Urban Gardens, Berkeley Spiral Gardens, and the Colorado Rocky Mountain School as an apprentice. I came to the east coast, and quickly found Hickory Nut Gap Farm where I got to work with animal production, agritourism, and retail sales. When I first moved to Floyd, I had the opportunity to cut my teeth at Riverstone Organic Farm growing retail and wholesale organic produce and taking the lead on Sales, Retail, and Lamb production. I had the honor to work for Patchwork Family Farm, as their first employee and marveled at their tiny and mighty production systems. And for the last three seasons, I have been the Farm manager at Fields Edge Farm, developing and managing all aspects of specialty vegetable production. Since moving to Floyd in 2013 I have raised and sold over one million dollars worth of vegetables. I am so grateful to call beautiful and musical county of Floyd my home. This year my husband Josh and I completed our work of building a house on our land and I am just beginning to establish a small salad-centric farm business of my own.
“From the minute I met Kat, I was blown away by the depth and breadth of her knowledge, her mad skills, and her accessible communications style. After 3 years, we are still using some of the amazing work she created for the Open Food Network USA. She is smart, professional, friendly, and has a generous attitude of "always teaching, always learning". She's well-connected in multiple food systems sectors, energetic, kind, and a pleasure to work with. I recommend contacting her for both complex process-oriented work and straightforward farmer advice. I look forward to the chance to work with her again!”
— Laurie Wayne, Open Food Network USA
“I learned a ton of stuff and am more excited than ever to get going. [Kat’s] knowledge and experience are incredible, but so is [her] ability to share it in a way that makes sense.
— Dave Trible, Bottom Creek Farm
