CONSULTING WITH MICHELLE

Credit: Olive & Oak Photography
Ready to take your farm to the next level? We'd love to help! Roots owner and farmer, Michelle Elston, offers a limited number of consultations to experienced growers in areas such as:
​
-
Business decisions that work for family and farmer
-
Establishing a financially viable farm
-
Employee management strategies
-
Sustainability considerations for growing high-yield, high-profit crops
-
Efficiency strategies for harvest, cleaning and bouquet making
-
Crop planning for bouquet production
-
Lean farming (less steel, less inputs)
-
Best sales outlets for your market and lifestyle
-
And other trouble-spots related to your farm!
​
Invest in your farm's success! Consults start at $1,000. This includes a minimum of three, 1 hour virtual sessions with Michelle, plus our research on your farm/area as well as follow-up emails after the finish of the work sessions (exact number TBD). Travel fees or visits to Roots extra. Note that most sessions will be conducted from December through March, depending on availability.
Interested in learning more?
Submit the form below, and we'll reach out with details/scheduling info.
Check out some of our favorite resources!
Though our consults are geared toward seasoned growers with a few years of experience, here are Michelle's go-tos for flower farmers starting their journeys.
Join: Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (Attend a Growers School and get connected with online groups, tours and fellow growers in your region!)
​
Subscribe: Growing for Market
​
Read: Local Color: Growing Specialty Cut Flowers | The Flower Farmer | Specialty Cut Flowers | Field Grown Cut Flowers
​
Attend: The Gardener's Workshop | Butterbee Farm's classes | Love 'n Fresh Flowers' classes
Looking for general farming books? These are on Michelle's bookshelf:
​
The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman
Garden Insects of North America by Whitney Cranshaw
Building Soils for Better Crops by Fred Magdoff and Harold van Es
Weeds of the Northeast by Richard H. Uva et al.
Diseases of Herbaceous Perennials by Mark L. Gleason et al.

Being a good farmer takes a long, long time of learning, sweat and experience. Don't expect to be big right away - and never expect to get it all right! Put in lots of time reading. Visit farms when you can. And, absolutely, positively, you MUST join the ASCFG. Your membership is truly worth every penny."
Michelle Elston