191. Chris Sermons on Being a Real Organic Certified Farm

Have you considered applying for organic certification? On today’s episode of the Thriving Farmer Podcast, we’re hosting Chris Sermons, Founder of Bio-Way Farm, located in Ware Shoals, South Carolina. Bio-Way Farm is a Certified Organic farm with a focus on sustainable agriculture and permaculture design principles. Their 120 acres offers a mix of cultivated fields with row crops, hardwood forests and an edible forest garden featuring many native plants. They are located 30 miles south of Greenville, SC and serve the greater Greenville area. Chris is the winner of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's 2016 Farmer of the Year award.  Tune in to this info-packed episode all about how Chris and his team run a thriving Organic farming venture!   You’ll hear: How Chris got started in farming 1:54 What the first years on Bio-Way Farm property were like 3:35 What the cropping and permaculture currently looks like on the farm 8:02 Why Chris decided to make the farm Certified Organic 16:07 What goes into the Real Organic certification 20:24 How Chris runs an Airbnb on the farm 31:53 What Hipcamp is 34:39 What the future holds for Bio-Way Farm 37:58 Chris’s advice for beginning farmers 48:01 Chris’s favorite farming tools 49:07   About the Guest: Chris Sermons is a naturalist and biological farmer. In 2004, he started Bio-Way Farm in Upstate South Carolina where they grow organic produce and foster biodiversity. He’s held leadership roles with the Sierra Club, Wild South and Slow Food. The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association recognized Chris as the Farmer of the Year in 2016. His approach to managing the farm is guided by a land ethic and his background in permaculture. Resources: Website: https://www.biowayfarm.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biowayfarm  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biowayfarm/    The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor! At AgriGro, we know that, in today’s modern agriculture, our efforts can deplete life or add life. When you look for ways to add life, it is sustainable and makes everything work better. As a result, you will experience enhanced plant and soil health for crops, gardens, and turf, as well as improved animal health and environment for livestock and wildlife. Our products are all-natural, easy to use, and friendly to the soil and the plant, as well as the grower. AgriGro’s® formulations deliver essential plant nutrition along with an advanced prebiotic concentrate, which significantly increases the multitude of beneficial native microbial species already residing in the production environment. Through these environmentally sound technologies, we’re adding life to crop production, livestock, home, turf, and wildlife markets. You don’t have to be dependent on crop production efforts that deplete life… Just Add Life with AgriGro®.