Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Farrow.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started working at Holly Hill Farms around age 12, where I weeded and fertilized plants, and later learned about plant propagation. As an adult, I attended college for a period of time and returned back to the nursery, where I began to propagate material and make deliveries to customers. After some time, I worked on small container production and propagation at Holly Hill Farms for their Perennial Program. In 2015, I decided to venture out and created my own propagation business called Farrow Propagation, which allows me to focus on propagation and my plant patents. Developing patents has been one of my most important contributions, allowing me to demonstrate my skill set. I have over thirty patents to date.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have been able to add to the business yearly and growth has been at a steady pace. Like most businesses starting out, I have had my ups and downs. Prior to starting my own business, while I was working at Holly Hill Farms, I had an accident falling from a deer stand. This accident has caused long-term health problems and joint pain. This accident, along with aging, has made my work difficult due to its physical nature and how present one has to be. With yearly expansion comes determining what supplies, like greenhouses I need to build, equipment I need to buy, and whether I can manage a greater number of staff.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Farrow Propagation is a small propagation business that is B2B and sells to larger wholesale growers to finish the material. Our product line is diverse, as more native plants are being added. My specialty is my plant patents. I have patents with larger corporations such as Proven Winners, Star Roses and Plants, and Monrovia. My patent line of the Bellini Crape Myrtles was distributed through Star Roses and Plants, coming in different variations such as Raspberry, Grape, Guava, etc. What I am most proud of is the help of my daughter Alexandra with her efforts in social media, website creation, finance, etc. She has helped me develop customer communication, understand their needs, and create an overall brand presence. I offer personalized service to my customers and share with them my time and expertise with them in the field of propagation and my work. I am always eager to talk to new customers and learn about their needs for their nursery.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is producing a quality product for my customers and ensuring their satisfaction. Being able to provide a quality product to wholesale nurseries ensures not only my success in creation but their success as well. Knowing that they can sell the product directly to customers makes me feel as if I did my part in the lifecycle of the product.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.farrowpropagation.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farrowpropagation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farrowpropagation/
