$200K Revenue On Just 1 Acre! The No-Till Success of Breadseed Farm
with Doug Wolcik & Kayleigh Boyle
- Welcome to The Market Gardener Podcast, your gateway to the vibrant world of organic small-scale farming. JM Fortier and Chris Moran explore the big ideas, challenges, and solutions that shape our food system. Join us and the leading voices in sustainable agriculture as we dive into insightful conversations that empower, educate, and inspire action.
About this episode
In this episode, we sit down with Doug and Kayleigh from Breadseed Farm, who share their inspiring journey of leaving salaried farm management positions to start their own one-acre, no-till, human-powered farm in Vermont. They open up about the challenges and rewards of making the leap to farm ownership, including the fear of financial instability and the excitement of building something from the ground up.
We discuss the realities of making a living as small-scale farmers, how they grew their farm to nearly $200K in revenue in just a few years, and the importance of creating efficient systems to maximize productivity. Doug and Kayleigh also highlight the value of fostering strong community connections, their approach to hiring and managing a farm crew, and their insights on market gardening versus wholesale.
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[10:47] Leaving salaried farm management to start their own farm
[15:17] Acquiring land and starting Breadseed Farm during COVID
[20:51] How The Market Gardener book inspired their no-till transition
[26:25] Managing a farm crew: Lessons in communication and efficiency
[30:40] The importance of community engagement and on-farm experiences
[38:06] Breaking into farmers markets and building strong sales channels
[44:12] Why community-driven markets drive farm success
[50:15] Balancing work-life and avoiding burnout as farmers
[58:39] Expanding revenue streams: Flowers, CSA, and microgreens
[1:06:04] Greenhouse production and extending the growing season
[1:14:13] The financial impact of selling flowers and value-added products
[1:21:21] Kayleigh’s wreath-making and value-added farm products
[1:36:24] Rapid Fire Q&A – East Of Eden by John Steinbeck & The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson
[1:49:56] How Breadseed Farm nearly reached $200K in revenue