You have spent a season learning something the rest of us are still guessing at. We would like to publish it.
Writing for the people who grow it, move it and sell it
Plodie builds software for short food supply chains, and we run one ourselves through Plodovi.hr. That means our readers are cooperative organisers, growers, small producers and the people driving the vans — not a general audience who need the idea of local food explained to them.
So we would rather publish one honest account of a season that did not go to plan than another overview of why local is better. If you have done the work, you already have the article.
- Growing & regenerative practice
- Short food supply chains
- Delivery & last-mile logistics
- Eco produce & certification
- Running a cooperative
Working on something next to these rather than in them? Pitch it anyway. The list describes what we know, not what we will read.
What a submission has to meet
Every article we publish is held to these six, including the ones we write ourselves.
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Written from the field
Something you grew, moved, sold or organised. We want the decision you would take back, not a summary of good practice.
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1,000 – 2,000 words
Long enough to say something concrete, short enough to stay useful. If the idea needs 800 words, send 800.
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Specific
Yields, prices, distances, spoilage rates, hours. A season with numbers in it is worth ten without.
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Original and exclusive
Not published anywhere else, and it stays that way. Link to it, quote it, or republish an excerpt with a canonical link back.
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Sourced
Research, regulation and statistics need a link to the primary source. Health and nutrition claims are regulated in the EU, and we hold them to that.
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Written by you
Use AI to research or tighten your prose if it helps. An article generated wholesale by a model reads like one, and we will spot it.
Saving us both the time
We read every pitch, so it is only fair to be direct about what gets a no by default. None of it is personal — it is simply not what this blog is for.
- Link-building filler — an article written around an anchor text rather than around an idea.
- Product pitches in disguise, whether the product is an agri-input, a machine or a piece of software.
- Anything already published on your own site, Medium or LinkedIn.
- Superfood listicles, and round-ups of methods you have not used yourself.
- Unsourced health or nutrition claims. In the EU these are regulated, and we will not carry them.
- Eco and sustainability claims with nothing behind them — say what was certified, by whom, and to which standard.
- Paid placements. We do not sell articles or links, at any price.
Worth your evening
A real edit
Someone who knows the subject reads the draft and comes back with notes on the substance, not just the commas.
Your byline
Full credit, a short author bio, and one followed link to your farm, cooperative or project.
Distribution
We share every article through our own channels and to the cooperatives we work with.
A quick answer
You hear back within five working days, including when the answer is no, and why.
From pitch to published
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Send the pitch
Use the form below. A good outline is 200–300 words with the points you plan to make in order.
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We reply within five working days
With a yes and an agreed angle, notes to sharpen it, or a clear no. We will say if we already have something similar coming.
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You write the draft
Two to three weeks is typical. Plain text or a shared document is fine; photographs are welcome as separate files.
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We edit together
We send comments, you answer them. Nothing is published without your sign-off on the final version.
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It goes live
We handle the formatting and images, publish it under your name, and send you the link before it goes anywhere else.
Tell us what you want to write
Pitch before you write it — it saves you writing something we already have covered. One idea per pitch, please.
The ones we always get
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Do you pay for articles?
Not at the moment. What you get is a proper edit, your byline, a followed link and distribution to an audience that works in this every day. If we commission something specifically, we agree a fee up front.
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Can I write in Croatian?
Yes. Send the draft in Croatian and we will work through the English version with you before anything is published. Nothing goes out in your name that you have not read.
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Can I link to my farm or cooperative?
Yes, where it is relevant to the point you are making, and once more in your author bio. What we will not run is an article whose shape exists to justify the link.
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Can I republish it myself afterwards?
After 30 days, as long as the canonical link points back to the version on plodie.com. An excerpt with a link is fine at any time.
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I have an idea but no outline yet.
Send the idea and say so in the outline field. If it is a good fit we will help you shape it before you write a word.