{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2Fc1fbe025-15fe-460a-8a98-389adb30e1e1","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"S1E6: 006 Dave Ridill - From Paramedic Firefighter to Vertical Farmer","description":"Dave Ridill is a hydroponic farmer as well as the owner and head of operations at Clawson Greens, an organization that supplies Teton Valley and surrounding areas with fresh clean greens, locally grown year-round. Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he and Dave discuss the learning curve of vertical farming, the impact that Covid-19 has had on the industry and the importance of being nimble as an entrepreneur. Dave tells the story of how he chose a career as a vertical farmer over that of a paramedic firefighter and the impact he wishes to make with his AgTech organization.\r\n\r\nSpecial thanks to our Season 1 Sponsor\r\n\r\nIGS \u2013 https://intelligentgrowthsolutions.com/ \r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n00:01 \u2013 Dave shares his background as a ski patrolman, his origin story as a vertical farmer and the work he\u2019s doing at Clawson Greens\r\n09:55 \u2013 Dave speaks to the learning curve of vertical farming, the breakdown of his clientele and how he is assisting his local community\r\n16:35 \u2013 Dave expounds on the importance of remaining nimble as an entrepreneur in the AgTech space\r\n20:09 \u2013 Dave breaks down a typical day in the life as a vertical farmer and the challenges that emerged due to Covid-19\r\n27:32 \u2013 Best practices and insights Dave has learned from other hydroponic farms\r\n30:56 \u2013 Dave talks about his marketing plans for Clawson Greens\r\n35:49 \u2013 What Dave has learned about himself throughout his entrepreneurial journey\r\n38:27 \u2013 What is something that Dave has changed his mind about recently\r\n40:22 \u2013 Dave speaks to the trends that excite him about the future of vertical farming and where listeners can follow and connect with Dave\r\n\r\nTweetables:\r\n\r\n\u201cYou have to understand that it [vertical farming] is a business in that if you want to actually do this you have there has to be this idea that you want to be successful. And, failure was not an option.\u201d(08:17)\r\n\r\n\u201cI think that there\u2019s a benefit for small farms like myself and all over the country \u2013 whether that\u2019s indoor farming or just small scale farming in a community \u2013 is we have the ability to transition in a day or two from restaurants to a direct-to-consumer, to a drive-up.\u201d (17:32)\r\n\r\n\u201cOur competition was more of what\u2019s going on in California \u2013 the transportation and water shortages and climate change. That\u2019s our competition.\u201d (28:45)\r\n\r\n\u201cA lot of people still think their food just comes from the grocery store and they don\u2019t have that connection that there\u2019s actually farmers, there\u2019s actually people who grow this food.\u201d(37:02)\r\n\r\nLinks Mentioned:\r\n\r\nDave\u2019s LinkedIn\r\n\r\nDave\u2019s Website\r\n\r\nDave\u2019s Facebook\r\n\r\nClawson Green\u2019s Instagram \u2013 @clawsongreens\r\n\r\nIntelligent Growth Solutions\r\n\r\nWebsite | Twitter | YouTube\r\n\r\nSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/c00a7a40-f5ea-4056-836e-a017ccb27f1b/image.jpg"}