Jul 31, 2026 · 1 hr · 15 segments
Ben Hartman wrote The Lean Farm in 2015 and changed how a generation of market gardeners thinks about systems and waste. Twenty growing seasons in, he farms just 15,000 square feet—about a third of an…
Ben HartmanGuestDiego FooterHost
I would say that the biggest, what I've learned the most is that nothing stays the same.
And even on a farm from 8 o'clock in the morning till noon, it can sometimes change.
And so just imagine from 20 years ago to now, how different our farming systems have changed, the products available to us have changed so much, and the seed genetics have changed.
It goes down in the evening, but even weather patterns have changed dramatically in the past 20 years, but that's what makes it fun.
seed genetics, more access to tools, more access to content, which you've pushed a lot of yourself.
And I remember I started working for a specialty crop farm in Southern Michigan.
And at that time, greens were selling for in the neighborhood of about $10 an hour.
At this point, you know, we like to pay around $20 an hour to give living wage to our workers.
So the price for labor keeps going up and up and the price, food costs are going up too, but they're not going up to match.
I would say that the biggest, what I've learned the most is that nothing stays the same.
And even on a farm from 8 o'clock in the morning till noon, it can sometimes change.
And so just imagine from 20 years ago to now, how different our farming systems have changed, the products available to us have changed so much, and the seed genetics have changed.
It goes down in the evening, but even weather patterns have changed dramatically in the past 20 years, but that's what makes it fun.
seed genetics, more access to tools, more access to content, which you've pushed a lot of yourself.
And I remember I started working for a specialty crop farm in Southern Michigan.
And at that time, greens were selling for in the neighborhood of about $10 an hour.
At this point, you know, we like to pay around $20 an hour to give living wage to our workers.
So the price for labor keeps going up and up and the price, food costs are going up too, but they're not going up to match.
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