Pick Your Own: Profit, Pressure & People on Small Farms
From Big Shift For Small Farms - Australian Agriculture and Regenerative Farming by NSW Local Land Services
April 5, 2026 · 44 min
About this episode
This episode explores pick-your-own farming as a diversification strategy for small farms, discussing profitability, customer dynamics, and marketing.
What if you could add value to your farm without scaling production? In this episode, we explore pick-your-own as a diversification strategy—covering the realities, the opportunities, and what farmers need to know before opening the gate. Key episode moments (00:00) Is pick-your-own actually more profitable than wholesale? (01:30) From city life to farming: buying a rundown blueberry farm with no experience (04:30) COVID pivot: opening the gates and inviting the public in (08:30) Why customers—not strategy—often drive the shift to PYO (14:00) Burnout from farmers markets → “people are paying me to pick my fruit” (15:30) Location matters—but people will travel for the experience (17:30) The reality of customers: education, behaviour & managing expectations (20:00) Does it stack up? Labour savings vs crop loss and margins (29:30) Marketing that works: social media timing + a strong website (41:30) Final advice: start small, ask for help, and know if it suits your personality Read the full transcript https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vvs2_PqBmqMlhXEjoZjc3Ul332DDtBl2/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103831811474414598304&rtpof=true&sd=true Explore more from our guests below…
People in this episode
Host: NSW Local Land Services
Topics covered
- pick-your-own farming
- diversification strategy
- small farms
- customer experience
- marketing strategies
Keywords
- pick-your-own
- small farms
- diversification
- profitability
- customer experience
- marketing
- COVID pivot
Mentioned in this episode
Products: blueberry farm
Places: Australia
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