Keynotes and workshops
I provide keynotes, workshops, and technical trainings.
My keynote and presentations can be tailored to your theme and specific audience.
Use the form below for inquiries. See workshop samples below. Thank you!
"I have been producing agricultural conferences, workshops and events in Nevada for over 20 years. Without a doubt, Ben Hartman has had the most positive impact on our farming community of any speaker I have encountered. I first met Ben in 2018 when I invited him to speak at a workshop, shortly after the publication of his first book The Lean Farm. Immediately after his visit, local farmers began adapting his methods and talking about his teachings. Ben has returned to Nevada twice more, each time filling our auditoriums with farmers eager to hear his newest methods and findings. Ben is knowledgeable, approachable and sincere — and he fully lives the principles he writes about. For farms of all sizes and people of all backgrounds, his books and teachings inspire us to become better stewards of our land and our resources."
Ann Louhela
Event Manager, Nevada Small Farms Conference
Expert Training Tailored to Your Audience
Most of the technical trainings and workshops below can be geared toward a general audience of any size and type of farm, or focused for vegetable producers.
LEAN FARMING HALF- OR FULL-DAY TRAINING
How to implement the Japanese lean management system on a farm. Increase productivity and profits with less work and waste. This can also be a one-hour workshop or expanded to a two-day Lean Farm Start-Up intensive training.
WORKSHOPS
NEW! Plastic-free Farming Technical Training
In this workshop, I show how to grow food without plastic. Plastics like landscaping fabric and plastic plug flats are a massive source of waste--for farmers and for the planet. Although plastics have invaded small-scale farming, they aren't necessary. I show how we used lean thinking to eliminate plastic at Clay Bottom Farm, employing biodegradable alternatives like burlap, sisal twine, and newspaper pots to seed, mulch, trellis, and sell crops without plastic--and without sacrificing profits. It is possible to grow food without polluting the planet.
OTHER WORKSHOPS
Cutting Edge Tools for Market Gardening: My favorite new tools for lean growing.
Lean Tomato-growing Masterclass: How to grow high-profit tomatoes, based on my 20 years of experience.
Customer-focuced Farming: How to use the lean Genchi Gembutsu method to attract and retain long-term customers.
Lean Composting: How to make great compost, with minimal work.
Kaizen Farming: Lean continuous improvement tools for any size and type of farm
Plus trainings on all aspects of lean micro farming, tailored to fit your audience.
I can also meet one-on-one with farmers at your conference in consulting sessions.
Recent events:
Nevada Small Farms Conference, 2026
Practical Farmers of Iowa, 2025
Newfoundland, Canada: NL Living Lab 2025
Warren Wilson College and Mars Hill University, North Carolina: Organic Growers School Spring 2025 Conference, Mar. 14-16
Lean Farm Start-up 2-day workshop: At Clay Bottom Farm, Goshen, IN, May 2018-2026
Live Webinar, Winter Gardening with the Paperpot System, with Ben Hartman, Oct. 2, 2025
Recent podcasts I've given:
Other recent events include live presentations for Organic Growers of Ireland, Oxford Real Farming Conference (UK), GE Aviation, Lean Enterprise Institute, The Oregon Small Farm Conference, LANTRA Wales (UK), The Landworkers Alliance (UK), Sierra Harvest, ACRES USA, and the National Young Farmer’s Coalition, among others.
Ben Hartman Bio
Ben Hartman is the author of The Lean Farm, a 2016 winner of the Shingo Institute’s Prestigious Research and Professional Publication Award. He and his wife, Rachel Hershberger, own Clay Bottom Farm in Goshen, Indiana, where they make their living on less than one acre growing and selling specialty produce to restaurants and at a farmers’ market. Hartman was appointed to the 2017 Grist 50, a list of emerging green leaders in the United States.
Mutual Learning
I love to learn from others. In the best classroom settings, the line between student and teacher is blurry. My presentations include space for conversation, questions, and mutual learning.
Book an event
Use the link below to contact Ben
