$200,000+ on 1 Acre (In Their 2nd Season)
2024 ж. 19 Мам.
1 023 357 Рет қаралды
Weaver Acres Farm in Durham, NC is having an outstanding second season. You will see a full tour of their farm and Brendon Cordell (owner) shares their unique sales strategies.
Weaver Acres Farm
Website - weaveracresfarm.com/
Instagram @weaveracres - / weaveracres
Facebook - / weaveracres
Ben Hartman's Books:
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Josh's Instagram @josh.sattin - / josh.sattin
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We have an honor system on our farm under the porch on the front of our barn. Nothing could be more simple to manage than keeping our table and cooler stocked with produce. The unlocked money box has been sitting on the produce table for 26 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from may through thanksgiving. People shop all hours of the day and most don't see me all summer. We keep at least $30.00 in small bills and $15.00 in coin 24 hrs. A tv monitor shows shoppers just how good the five cameras are and we very seldom have to post a photo on our wall of shame. I have been out picking for 45 minutes and come back to find $ 150 in the box several times this year. We take over $ 40,000 - $60,000 out of that old box every summer. We post several times each week on our Facebook page and that's all the advertising we do. We go to a few markets when we have extra but most is sold at the farm. I do almost everything myself except for about 15 hrs from family a week. We have 7 hoop houses and raise 4 acres of sweetcorn and acre of veg and a 1/2 acre of spuds.
thats amazing, I live in a small town but we have terrible teens that like to smash things =(
@@haywardurbangarden7153 Wow....that is awesome. Where? Not specifically....but "where abouts" is the geographic location. I would love to do this.....but wonder just where is the "right" location. .....Side note....I started separating my numerous perinneals last season. Sold them for $5 potted, honor system. Made a few bucks. Winter hit.....I had a few Iris bulbs left. Told a responder on my FB Marketplace post to stop by and get them (the bulbs ONLY no charge) ..... however .... he/she took like all the bulbs and at least a dozen pre-potted plants I had ready to sell this upcoming spring. So how do people trust? There are such dishonest people out there.
@@kimlittleton4943 Post a couple of trail cameras that will catch faces and license plates and/or bluff with one of those $5 'Smile You're On Camera' signs from Harbor Freight. If the maintenance men in my building come to work on anything in my home I post 2 - one on the back of my front door and another that faces outside, but you can see the writing on the reverse when you enter on my balcony slider. I live on a low set 2nd floor balcony.
@@haywardurbangarden7153 what color teens
@@saydeeenward9055 bruh why do you care?
If you have a tomato hornworm problem, inter plant some dill. The worms love the dill and will go for it before the tomatoes. They are much easier to see on the dill, so you can go out and pluck a lot of them off the dill and kill them before they can get your 'maters!
Great tip thank you!!
I wish I had heard this tip last year.
Be careful. Wasp lay eggs on horn worms. I relocate horn worms with wasp eggs.
And dill is fughindelicious. Dill aside from being a trap crop is also an insectary for the same reasons
@@Tsadie1 wasps are good to have around. Just don't mess around with thier nests unless you are prepared. Lemon grass oil in a sock on a pole is usefull if you need to knock them out. Generally if the nest isn't in a place children will likely to be around i leave them to thier buisness. They will take care of more problems than they cause. I do respect that you move their larvae. That shows great charachter.
You can look at this man's arms and veins and know that he does WORK in the garden. Impressive.
I thought I was the only one that noticed☺
He has what I think most growers HAVE to have to survive. Flexibility, humility & creativity in equal parts
And Popeye arms
Sterling Gafford ooo, good call! Definitely need Popeyes arms
And lots of money.... You know how you can make a million dollars raising cattle? Start with 10 million.....
@@ronmaxim8009 you know what the farmer said that won a million in the lottery when asked what he was planning to do now? "Keep farming till its gone" haha...many good'ol anecdotes about farming and the capital costs associated. I cam assure you while we may be well resourced I don't run any business to lose my investment - even if its not necessarily there to provide me with my primary income. The assets accrued, equipment, land improvements, buildings, kitchen and retail/mercantile equipment and fixtures. The long term value of owning the land unencumbered, etc. I have already been repaid almost my entire initial iinvestment and it currently operates on its own positive cash flow...and I'm entirely self-made having started my first blue collar business 22, almost 23 years ago with $1000.00. I think after 23 years of 60+ hour weeks performing blue collar work building my own businesses. And after 22 years as an employer in those same enterprises I've earned the right to start a farm or any other business with ample capital. And as a for-profit farm and retail Farm Store it will turn profit and provide free cash flow or it won't make sense to operate it. Sustainable agriculture and sustainable farms must first be sustainable businesses - if it loses money I'd be better off buying the property to ride dirt bikes with my kids
Weaver Acres Farm I grow cannabis as well great money earner
Damn. This guy is really organized and well spoken. Makes my garden look like a rubbish pile.
I know right! I watched a few videos and I went out back and started pulling stuff up and throwing them away. I'm starting all over!
i'm from Raleigh and never knew people were farming like this so close to the city. ive realized recently that i want to live a life like this and seeing this video helps me to understand that it's not only possible, but i can do it without having to move too far away from my family and it can thrive! gives me hope.
There are a bunch of farms in Cary!
im in RDU to looking for land for farm
It's a LOT of work
FYI: A great idea for customers waiting is having a canopy, cover or umbrella to stand under so not to melt under the sun. Customers appreciate it.
And how I wish I were there to build it. Huge túnel with grape vines above for shade and some nice concrete benches throughout that were appealing aesthetically and artistic.
@@davincimen4495 Its really will be great job and the best step by far!!
Maybe some large potted trees every 6-10 feet and customers can stroll from one naturally shady spot to the next. Once covid is in the past and the store is going, these can be moved anywhere. Dwarf fruit trees would be nice.
@@chrisholley3410 we never participated in covid. It’s mostly optional and for the parts that aren’t optional it’s our duty to resist tyranny
Local to this area and it’s been super nice to see that farm take over that old unused farmland. There are a ton of generational farms in the Triangle that have been parceled up for developments over the years, so it’s very encouraging to see people come in committed to preserving the land.
Amen, I can't agree with you more on this! I think it's INCREDIBLE to continue on and providing local food💕
Dude, his forearms are that of a blacksmith! Guy is ironstrong! His setup is amazing as well! Nicely done sir.
You fell in love with a guy, so sweet
@@rickydicky5889 I mean did you see the dude's forearms!?!?!
@@MiroBG359 They look pretty normal to me for a guy that does work with his hands.
I think I would love to work alongside him on his farm. 🤔 Farming is hard work.
@@MiroBG359 честно, тоя пич изпитва "оргазъм" докато работи в градината ;)
Very smart guy. Managing this complex lot looks like a really daunting task.
Impressive achievement in around one year. Incredible that on a dime was able to increase CSA sales as restaurant sales got cancelled. This takes incredible amount business knowledge and marketing skills.
Shyam Kadari Not really...demand skyrocketed
This was so encouraging and helpful to watch. I’m in zone 8a in Georgia and I’ve had a horrible growing season... being somewhat still a novice gardener I’ve put a lot of the failure on myself ... seeing this video though and seeing that others have experienced the same problems with pest and weather and especially coming from seasoned professionals gives perspective and the advice and tips he provided into his insight and thought process was so helpful. It’s given me some things to put into process to hopefully have a more productive fall / winter season
So good to see a great tour of his farm!! He's been a valued member of our community for the last year plus!!
I ran a free choice CSA also. My model was similar, at the beginning of the season, they bought a share, and then I added 30 percent to their value, and then divided it by 10 weeks. So if they bought a share for $200, they would receive $26 for 10 weeks. They could also buy over the $26. I was a little worried about production levels the first year, so I also added a 'rule' that if they didn't spend the whole $26, the balance would be added to the next week. It is a much better model than just giving people a box of vegetables filled with things they maybe don't like. Really the trick is to get people away from lettuce/tomato/peppers by selling other things cheap enough, and with recipes that they are tempted to try it. But honestly, I would feel bad filling a box with radishes, parsnips and eggplants that just went to waste because the customers didn't want them.
You say you ran a farm so I take it you do not anymore .. any reason why if so ??? Is it a tough way to make a buck or overhead too much or ...???
@@derekfreeman1505 I was in another country and had immigration issues haha p
I swear that the people who didn't buy parsnips either hadn't tried one or needed a recipe. I'd have spent the $26 just on parsnips.
Awesome video. I’m blown away at how well they are doing and the business model Weaver Farms provide in only their 2nd season! I wish them great success. Thank you for sharing this video.
All the honor! It gives me joy to see what you're creating.
Farm looks great and the free choice CSA bag is genius.
What a beautiful way of preserving a historic farm and providing the community with a valuable service. Well organized set-up. I love the idea of using the point system to allow the customers to fill their veg boxes.
Mind blowing operation! Love the set up of the CSA model. So grateful that property found him. 😎
Amazing, Amazing, Amazing! His model for being such a new farm even with his experience prior is fresh and insuring to me about myself starting our farm this fall full time! Wow im definitely pulling some keys to use in our future!!!! THANKS Josh for the videos again!
How beautiful. And what hard work. God bless them and give them strength and good weather. Thank you for the video. So uplifting.
So many plants! What a beautiful farm! Thank you for sharing!
How cool to have contact with the longtime owners and to be able to build off their history and make it come back alive again
Absolutely beautiful layout. Seems like he's got a great foundation for future development. Looking forward to watching this evolve
What an inspiration! Thank you for sharing his story and creativity
Great show Josh and a big high five to you and the gentleman spokesperson and grower featured in the film ! I loved it !
I like the roll of twine for the drop & lean and I too have some of the trelis and plan to put up more. Love all the info too. Thanks
Truly a very insightful and helpful highlight piece. A lot of stories on KZhead of farmers/homesteaders/gardeners who don't make much money and love seeing an example of this working model. Thanks @josh sattin farming for posting this/sharing this !!! Am slightly confused why they wouldn't leave strawberries in place for a few seasons - given they are perennials, and if you have a good variety for the area/zone (holds up well to pests/diseases/is prolific producer). We keep ours in the beds, and cull/transplant runners to keep new ones going. Hardest part is finding the right variety for your land/climate
Smart smart dude. Hard work can get you far in life but obviously you throw in some intelligence and things really go to the next level. Impressive.
That CSA distro method sounds so simple and easy. Great video and beautiful farm!
Wow! This Man can talk. Thankfully he knows what he’s saying. Very knowledgable. We appreciate you sharing all those tidbits of know how with us who aspire to start up a small family farm like yours.
I really enjoy farm stories like this the idea that you have to farm thousands of acres to be a successful farmer is absolutely absurd, the consumer markets want what these "smaller" farms are offering, local farm to table. Thanks for the video and good luck
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
It's not "absurd". Having alot of acres is normal to gain profits. Farmers have to break even because they are paying off the mortgage and other expenses.
Wow, Josh, great interview. Brendon is sharp as a tack- spot on explanations about a wide range of CSA how-to's. Thanks a lot and since I live in Greensboro area I hope to visit Weaver Farm one day.
This video is great and it helps sheds light on growing options, bc we have 3+ acres that is shaped like a rectangle that we’re trying to best plan out.
probably the most informative and helpful start up farm video i have seen. THANK YOU!
This was amazing! I can't tell you how helpful this was for us. We have a 3 acre plot of land and started a csa for the first time this year. Great feedback but I know we can improve. He had great ideas and was very inspirational. We are looking forward to more of these videos. As always, I am super thankful for you Josh!
You're welcome. It's always awesome for me to share these farms and farmers. Thanks for watching!
There is a book called 3 acres, it was about this being the ideal amount of land needed to be self sustaining.
CSa?
@@cindysmith1700 Community Supported Agriculture
My favorite is Ten Acres Enough. A very detailed account by a man in 1830sh who moves from the city and starts his own homestead. It’s free on line. Guy is a great note taker on what worked and what he spent and earned. Pretty decent narrative read. And not super long. Was a major bestseller of the day.
I've been a commercial grower for 26 years and I've never seen or heard of bacterial wilt being soil-born. The bacteria dies with the plant and does not over winter but is kept alive in the gut of cucumber beetles. Then in the spring the beetles feed and defecate the bacteria in the feeding wounds. Ben Hartman is in northern Indiana. Water infiltration into hoop houses is a well known problem. NRCS equip high tunnels must have perimeter drains to meet their requirements. We've had a honor system for 26 years on the farm and people really love it this year with covid 19. I've never liked CSA as customers don't have a choice, but your system gives people a choice, great job.
Check out the Vegetable Pathology Factsheet on Southern Bacterial Wilt of Tomato published by NC State - if you Google that it should pop right up. They've done pretty extensive work on the soil-borne bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum - spread by the damage cause by the insect and transmitted by the insects themselves once crops are infected - and it can certainly overwinter in a variety of conditions by a number of vectors. We will switch to a bag-culture as a side-by-side comparison next season and grow a full crop beside the native soil grown crop and will see for sure. Definitely will be adding perimeter drains - no NRCS monies have been applied for here so I'm not familiar with their requirements
@@weaveracresfarm6584 I think we kill most pathogens during our cold winters up here in Indiana but not down south where you-all are growing.
Ah, not enough winter! I'm in cool, upland hawai'i, 40-60 degrees Alohas
This is plain awesome. Great job Josh
Beautiful business model. Thank you for taking the time to share. Cheers from Quebec, Canada
Thanks for sharing! Great education for the CSA program & community at large.
Hi Josh, Thank you for another great video! Your channel is a joy and an inspiration! Take care, be well and all the best from California 💛
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
lol I love that Stalag 13 deer fence. we had the same fence over in Davie County NC.
WOW Nice layout and great success. Congratulations on all your hard work.
Great job on making something so beautiful and well organized and super profitable as well.
It’s great to see this farm on here. Went there many times before I moved away.
Nice! They are doing an outstanding job.
I was super blown away as well. This was amazing. Lots..... LOTS..... of information crammed into 30 min. I do not even know how to thank you enough. I am so very impressed with the brilliant minds, creativity, organization, and making such dreams into reality.....integrating such things into reality. In all sense.....quickly. What used to take years for farmers......this guy (and his team) just BAM......they have one it.. And....AND....to turn 360 on a dime in COVID......and still kill it. Amazing job. Blown away. Keeping all the standards.........keeping the dream alive.........great job.
100% agree with all your feedback. Love hearing stories like this in farming/homesteading/grow your own food - and don't hear enough of them. Thanks Josh Sattin!
What a fantastic video. Thank you so much for posting this.
I drive past your farm every day going to work at UNC. I live in Durham and would love to connect.Thank you so much for what you do!!!
Shout out to Josh indeed. I use your trellis system as well.
This guy is good very detailed with time and experience for all his crops the good and bad and the knowledge to thrive in the farming business very helpful for future farmers or agriculture investors like myself
Josh your vids are epic
Thanks Kevin!
You both have inspired me beyond words. Thanks is not enough!
Josh is a lier ,weaver acres it’s called,it’s an easy 2 acres being cultivated.why not just be honest.
@@meganmclaughlin9056 It's also not a farm. It's a store which sells everybody elses produce with gardens as decoration. It's also an unsustainable business which is still under construction with no profits.
@@christopherkozura9389 how do you know all that
I like this dude talking (Brendon Cordell). Really on point answers and useful info!
Love what you are doing here. If you continue to have problems with your cucumbers, you may try planting radishes around them. It'll help deter beetles and aphids.
Excellent presentation and interview with a very knowledgeable Farm Owner who is running a successful business. Love it and am going to "borrow" some of his ideas. Thanks a bunch.
So much good information, extremely impressive!
I really like this gentleman...he's smart, educated and very personable...plus just look at those strong forearms
awesome farm and mr. Brendon Cordell sounds and looks like a great and funny guy . if I was gonna have planning on a 1 acre farm he would be my go to guy for business plan layout .thank you Josh for another great farm interview ..........your doing a fantastic job
Yeah because he wants more competition...
Such a brilliant strategy for CSA pickup.
Very encouraging! I want to jump into profitable farming, but it's daunting to look at needing 150 acres. Good reminder that with hard work and ingenuity you can make good gross money on even small plots.
This video was awesome this farm is amazing a trellis to make you jealous was the 1st video that got me into Josh's channel
Beautiful lot! I love how you used the funky shape of the land. (Also lol at these comments, everyone's an expert in the comment section)
Great tour! Looks like an ideal nice set up at Weaver Acres.🤠😎🌻
Love how fast they adapted to the Cov19d hardship w their business model
Great video. Love his setup. Glad we are more rural but it would be nice to have so much traffic!
One of the best market gardening videos I’ve ever watched!!
Once again - excellent!
Oh yes ! We plan on using the Satin Trellis as well.
As a farmer, all that equipment he has is not cheap. I would love to know how much he spent getting his farm operational.
What do you farm?
Agreed. I'm getting my feet wet in my area and between the irrigation, netting, fabric, houses and everything else you can't help but wonder what kind of funding they had to get it all installed up front
Exactly what I was wondering...what’s his overall overhead costs??? Highly doubt he’s anywhere near being in the black.
He managed to maintain An 1acre of land successfully, don't ask that question, period!
Obviously he spent money to get started, but hes set now, and doing an outstanding job. You can do it cheaper sure! There are programs the government will help you pay for a high tunnel. Look into it if you're interested. I saw a video a while back where a couple paid $1700 for a $13k high tunnel through the program. There are regulations you have to follow though.
This was amazing i wish i could go and buy from them this was such a cool farm
Awesome video & awesome farm. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the historical geopolitical and economic snapshots. That thickens the soup.
to solve the water logging, have you considered swapping plastic with living mulch, like oats, rye, buckwheat, chickweed, borage, comfrey, lentils, as well as adding living paths with sweet potatoes in woodchips you can walk on, and drainage rows with taro root, cup plant, watercress and echinacea that drain into the ponds that host amphibians and dragonflies for pest control. Instead of shade cloth over eggplants in mid summer have you thought of spanning the trellises across with bitter gourds, ridge gourds, bottle gourds, snake gourds, malabar spinach, and red noodle beans to do the shading while harvesting sunlight and feeding the soil micro organisms with exudates and making your Indian CSA members happy ;-P
wow cool ideas!
his farm does look good that very last outtake where he says its just the distance, "good from far, far from good" it looks awesome
He knows within he feels he can always do better evennif its great thats a gardner grower
I looovee this CSA model, it makes it sooo much easier on the farmer and allows the customer to get what THEY want and not just whats offered in a box. The point system was great we did something similar with a voucher program. I definitely intend to implement this next year's spring season. I also used the "Trellis to make you jealous" system and find it some much easier and manageable with tomatoes and peas. Thanks, Josh again for another great interview and tour, I learn something new every time. I can't wait until I can get to the level or you guys and have something worth sharing!!
Josh love the videos, maybe when interviewing the owners could you talk to them about how they determine pricing on their good they sell.
Great sharing, thanks dudes!
Cool video. Nice to see what can be done on a small piece of land. Awesome shout out to honeybees too!
Living in Northern Michigan, I'm jealous of the North Carolina climate. Recently, I discovered a place that sells one-piece fiberglass greenhouses that measure 7' 3" tall, 6' 8" wide and 7' 9" long. They also sell larger models. I've considered building a hoop house greenhouse, yet, I don't like the temporary nature and durability of using a heavy plastic film to enclose it. The fiberglass greenhouse seems to be more durable from heavy snow loads in winter. I know of a young couple in Southeast Michigan, who use two 30' by 90' foot greenhouses to provide all the vegetables they need, plus they are able to sell extra at farmer's markets. That's my dream. I like your farm. Well done.
Thanks! Check out Bear Creek Organic. They are in MI and put what I do to shame. They're at the top of the market garden game in the US - they might very well be #1 in revenue for the acreage in the country if you exclude hydroponic operations. In a very cold climate you want a larger air volume in greenhouses for easier climate management
Brendon cordell I love what your doing...being close to nature is my passion dealing with animals birds and crops mainly..... I wanna start up a farm because being an employee is the most difficult thing ever..... but will get on ground and be part of food for people's on daily consumption ....
That is impressive and unbelievable that is only one acre, I have an acre that I rent out but plan on moving there when I retire in 8 years. I was thinking about doing a peony farm but this looks more my speed. Also, if you want something that makes good money, look at peony farming. They sell for 4 a stem. Not many pest like them and once you plant them a plant can grow for 100 years as long as the soil is healthy.
I'm from SC good to see something close I could do
Thank you! Awesome video
Ugh! The wilt! Last year was horrible! At least I see it wasn’t just my tomatoes 😩 This is amazing! Well done👍
this guy didnt skip forearm day
Popeye the Farmer
*didn't skip a work day.
Noticed that myself
large hands too. kind of reminded me of a rock climber. Killer farm
Lil dude is ripped I gar-on-tee. Great vid. I'm just getting into farming myself..on a much smaller scale, of course
Where are all the promised links? I really enjoyed the video and seeing how Weaver's Acres put together their farm and especially the, in my view, unique and superior CSA program. Thank you!
Encouraged to witness an able bodied generation fulfilling my former dreams as a sustainable agriculturalists. We must address the plastic use and gases released in a greenhouse.
yes! soil blocking is one way i know to use
My tunnels are two beds apart and the shade between them effects the crops between in the shoulder seasons. East Tennessee, just extra knowledge for you.
Love these tour Videos Josh, keep doing them! Thank you.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
I'm amazed that Brendon is so knowledgable and skilled for the manager of such a new farm! I noticed that he mentioned having his farm layout be a "hub and spoke model", I'd love to know more.
Just refers to the main building being centered to as much as possible so all the tools, wash-pack, refrigeration and ultimately the store is equidistant to either end of the production areas. I have 20+ years in the horticultural fields including agriculture, ornamental horticulture, pest management, and production management so this isnt something one would normally expect to learn in their first couple years- this is also one of several businesses I own
@@weaveracresfarm6584 wow! That’s amazing. What a privilege it would be to work alongside someone of your experience and knowledge.
"Hub and spoke model" means he's not really running a farm. It means he's running a retail farmstand selling other people's stuff and using a vegetable garden as landscaping. If you think you can make any money gardening on small acreage, run the numbers on how much lettuce it takes to achieve $100,000.
@@christopherkozura9389 how many farms have you had? Or managed? Or been a farm hand on? What kind of educational background do you have in that area? I need to know why anyone should listen to your or think you're credible at all? You just sound like a hater with a personal vendetta against this guy.
This guy is subltly ripped. I love it, got his act together, but humble.
the key to any small farm starts and ends with sales or finding an outlet for your produce .. it's that simple.
If I lived in Raleigh-Durham I'd shop there just for the comedy!! Great free choice CSA model!!
The real way to a farmers heart is to compliment their comedy 🤣🤣🤣
Long live google maps and street view, being able to watch these visits on youtube and check the area on google maps is such a joy. While the farmer tells his story I can see how it was in 2019 and how much they have achieved in just a year!
Ha! Thanks, the Google Street view car came by at an awful time for the whole property, farm and landscaping - I know the image of which you speak 😬
Great video! Tons of good info.
Wow that was a LOT of pest pressure in that second tunnel! Haha
Very cool video to see since I live in Durham as well
Fabulous!
Theres spinach in that thermos
😂
He must be a drummer... Or single.. Lol
Sounds like '2nd season' at that specific property. Dude knows his plants.
Wow... !!! My best friend, Great Good... !!! I wish you every day of your development.