New weekly podcast lets you learn from the best in agri

In another record-setting first for South Africa’s agricultural media, Food For Mzansi today releases the first episode of its Farmer’s Inside Track podcast series on many of the world’s leading directories, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Farmer’s Inside Track is a brand-new, exclusive platform for Mzansi’s up-and-coming farmers and agripreneurs. This includes a weekly entrepreneurship podcast featuring agriculturists who are not only breaking down barriers in agriculture, but also inspiring others to reach new levels of success in their enterprises.

Besides Apple Podcasts and Spotify, all of the weekly Farmer’s Inside Track episodes can also be downloaded or streamed on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioRepublic, TuneIn, Podchaser, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Player.FM and Podcast Addict.

It is estimated that there are now more than 700 000 active podcasts and over 29 million episodes in the world, and it is also rapidly growing in South Africa. The Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report says more than 475 million people are already actively listening to podcasts around the world.

Media entrepreneurs Ivor Price and Kobus Louwrens, who co-founded both Food For Mzansi and Farmer’s Inside Track, says they are keen to reach audiences in many new avenues, including weekly podcasts, videos, newsletters and Facebook groups.

Louwrens says in the 12 months of Food For Mzansi’s existence they have been overwhelmed by new farmers and agripreneurs who have reached out to them for advice on growing their businesses. “Farmer’s Inside Track – as a newly-formed business unit – aims to equip them with information and inspiration to help them start up and get up to sprinting speed as commercial producers and/or agri-processors.

We are excited to present this service to the very men and women who have resolved to one day getting to the place where the large-scale commercial farmers are, but not really finding useful information on how to get there.”

The very first episode of the Farmer’s Inside Track podcast and video series features Jacky Goliath, the CEO of De Fynne Nursery outside Paarl in the Western Cape. Price says, “Recently, when we saw a poster of Jacky in a local Woolies, we just knew that she had to be the first guest behind our microphone. Jacky really is next level. She’s broken down so many barriers from growing up in the rural town of Abbotsdale to eventually being called the Goliath of the fynbos industry.”

• READ: Perseverance turned an idea into a fynbos empire

In the podcast, she shares some of the many lessons learnt whilst growing the enterprise not only in size, but also diversifying its product offering. Goliath speaks candidly about the difficulties of being a successful black female farmer in a male-dominated agriculture sector. She also shares secrets on the importance of finding the right business partner, managing your cash flow for rainy days and why entrepreneurship is not possible without faith.

The Farmer’s Inside Track podcasts and videos are recorded in both Cape Town and Johannesburg. Price, Louwrens as well as Food For Mzansi editor Dawn Noemdoe will take turns as interviewers. According to Noemdoe, the podcasts as well as the video series and newsletters have an entrepreneurial focus.

She says, “We really are a tight-knit family, and the hundreds of young farmers and agripreneurs we’ve interviewed have been asking us for practical advice. Growing your own business is a difficult journey, and we believe that Farmer’s Inside Track will help them to cut through the chaos.”

Sign up for Farmer’s Inside Track in 5 easy steps

1. Be sure to register for the free weekly e-mail newsletter and WhatsApp line to hear first about opportunities for funding as well advice on growing your agri-business. To register for the newsletter, head to farmersinsidetrack.co.za and sign up. To join the WhatsApp line, either click here or send a WhatsApp with the message “Sign me up for Farmer’s Inside Track” to +27 81 889 9032, providing your name and surname, e-mail address and province.
2. Once you’ve done that, you’ll receive the exclusive Farmer’s Inside Track newsletter in your e-mail inbox every Tuesday as well as a short-and-sweet update via WhatsApp on Saturday mornings. It will contain a mix of exclusive content from agri thought leaders, business and entrepreneurship experts and leading farmers as well as a comprehensive rundown of need-to-know news from the past week.
3. Head over to Facebook to join the Farmer’s Inside Track Facebook group. Whilst Food For Mzansi’s page on Facebook is open for everyone, the Farmer’s Inside Track group is exclusively for up-and-coming farmers and agripreneurs. It’s a safe space that allows for easy interaction and where members are free to ask for advice and support.
4. Search for “Farmer’s Inside Track” on your favourite podcast directory, e.g. Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Remember to click on “subscribe” to be notified of the new weekly episode when it arrives bright and early on a Tuesday morning.
5. If you’re having a tough week and prefer to catch-up on all the exclusive Farmer’s Inside Track info in one shot, hop on over to FarmersInsideTrack.co.za.

• Farmer’s Inside Track is proudly brought to you by Food For Mzansi, Africa’s Best Digital News Start-up. Advertisers who wish to explore opportunities on any of the Farmer’s Inside Track channels can e-mail ivor@foodformzansi.co.za and kobus@foodformzansi.co.za.