Does Being Organic Matter? (Live Farm Tour) - Cable Family Farm | #109
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Show Notes
Caden and Patrick run Cable Family Farm in Piedmont, North Carolina, where they manage a small 80 bed no-till market garden along with pasture-raised eggs and chickens. Caden started the farm at 18, and then a few years later was able to convince Patrick to join him.
Their main concern starting the farm was how would they make money? This tour shows how they produce their crops and animals in a healthy, sustainable way, along with their marketing and production approach to creating a viable small-scale farm production.
It was fascinating and productive to hear from these young farmers how they approach farming, why their not organic, the systems they run to stay viable and efficient, and understanding why they chose this career path over everything else (hint, farming food can be incredibly meaningful).
Key Topics
- Building an 80 bed no-till market garden from grass
- Tools and systems for small-scale vegetable farming
- Pasture-raised eggs and chickens
- Organic practices without certification
- Economics and tradeoffs on small farms
Connect with Caden & Patrick:
Timestamps
00:00:00 Introduction to Cable Family Farm
00:01:00 Building a no-till market garden
00:06:00 Broadforking and minimal soil disturbance
00:10:00 Weather risks and crop failures
00:14:00 Time and cost of starting a garden
00:19:00 Organic practices vs certification
00:23:00 Simple greenhouse and seed starting
00:27:00 Egg layers and rotational grazing
00:32:00 Raising pasture-raised chickens
00:35:00 Why chickens are healthier on pasture