Consulting

Do you have a small farm or garden?  Do you feel like your systems aren’t as efficient as they could be?  Would you like advice on useful tools, or how to make better use of existing tools? Are you having trouble making an organized plan and keeping track of it?  Are you just starting out?

All of these are areas that I can help with.

I have a decade of experience in the following areas:

1. •Detailed crop planning and tracking systems - simplifying planning and record keeping
   

2. •Cultivation - both hand and tractor systems
   

3. •Crop Rotations - setting up rotations for improved production, and crop health
   

4. •Cover Crops - maximizing weed control, improving soil quality
   

5. •Irrigation Systems - maximizing health, minimizing water use
   

6. •Apprentice Education Programs - making a system that works for everyone
   

7. •Greenhouse management
   

8. •Planting and seeding
   

9. •Harvest and post harvest
   

My experience is in organic production systems but the systems that I can help you with are applicable to most farms and gardens.  If I can’t help you, I’ll be up front about that as well, and do my best to find you someone who can.

Initial Consultations are free.  Fees for further consultations are negotiated after the initial consultation and range from $0-50/hr plus expenses.  Most projects end up at a flat rate that is determined based on a time estimate.  For a consultation e-mail me at Josh@slowhandfarm.com 

One update on availability: the spring has turned into a very busy time for me with lots of requests for consultations, speaking engagements, and teaching classes.  If you can plan ahead, the late summer and fall are great times to be thinking about how to make improvements for the following seasons and I tend to have a little better availability during those times of year.

During my apprenticeship in farming I was introduced to the tradition of sharing equipment and information freely with neighbors in need.  So much of my farming knowledge has come freely and generously from farming friends, neighbors, and friends of neighbors.  This free dissemination of knowledge is crucially important to maintain, although it comes slowly.  Paying for a consultation is simply a way for you to speed up the process and to guarantee that it comes in a timely and cohesive manner.  I am still happy to talk to anyone about farming, absolutely free, when I have the time.  I love growing food and I always learn something from talking to other growers.  See the links page for a list of farms I have worked with and other helpful resources.