Dec 29, 2020
How can farming heal communities?
Daron Babcock, Executive
Director of Bonton
Farms, is our guest this
week and we’ll talk about how he regenerates his community with the
largest urban farm in the United States! Operating out of Bonton in
Dallas, Texas, Bonton
Farms is driven by the
mission to restore lives, create jobs, and ignite hope in a once
forgotten and neglected neighborhood with some of the most
marginalized people. What started out as a garden in a small lot
has grown into two fully functioning farms and the Bonton Market.
They grow organic food with hope for a better
tomorrow.
They
also house free-range chickens, goats, turkeys, rabbits, and
beehives that provide an abundance of fresh eggs, milk, and
honey. Join us today to hear all about how Bonton operates and how
the community benefits!
You’ll hear:
What inspired Daron to shift from a successful corporate career into farming 1:51
What the early days of Bonton Farms were like 9:45
What Daron’s farming background was before he got started in Bonton 12:42
What a typical week looks like on Bonton Farms 13:43
What products Bonton provides 15:18
About the hardest part of Daron’s farming journey 20:24
What Daron would do differently at the beginning given the opportunity to turn back time 26:30
How Bonton takes farming further than other farms 33:21
What the Director of Discipleship does on Bonton Farms 38:16
Where Bonton started selling their products 42:40
What advice Daron has for new farmers 46:05
How big the vegetable garden part of Bonton is 48:56
Where you can find out more
about Daron and Bonton Farms 50:43
About the Guest:
As a
young man, Daron Babcock became a successful corporate employee,
living everywhere from Oklahoma to Oregon, but life events and
struggles ultimately led him to Dallas, TX. After connecting with
the community of Bonton through a friend, Babcock began to serve in
the neighborhood. His heart broke for the marginalized and
overlooked people who called Bonton home so he decided to leave his
career along with his comfortable home in Frisco, Texas and moved
to Bonton.
Daron leads an effort for
community restoration and renewal. To date, some of those efforts
have manifested into social enterprises such as Bonton Honey
Company, Bonton Housing, The Market at Bonton Farms, a coffee
house, farmers market, and most notably, Bonton Farms, the largest
urban farm in the United States. He serves as Founder and CEO.
Daron’s broad professional experience coupled with his heart for
serving inner-city communities brings a fresh and innovative
perspective to urban transformation and renewal.
Resources:
Website - www.bontonfarms.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bontonfarms
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bontonfarms/