Farming Full-Time is a Million Dollar Business (J&L Green Farm)

Jordan Green has been on his farm for 15 years. He always knew he wanted to have a close to the land, regenerative farm. When he started out he thought he would mainly raise pastures chicken. When he tried to find feeder pigs, he couldn’t find any. He realized that he could do so much more than just chicken. After scaling back quite a bit over the last few years, he now has 90 sows throughout acres of woodland. He finished out feeders for his own farm store but mostly he sells the weaned pigs to people all over the country looking for real forested genetics. Our conversation then navigates the details of how a farm of his size can change and pivot to help his local community and economy while also balancing living a peaceful and fulfilling life on the farm and with his family.
J&L Green Farm
Edinburg, Virginia
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[@arsewind]

perhaps the best video for people thinking about developing a F2T business (or any business). Seeing that guy doing all those physical things, then telling you about how to manage vendors, manage sells, priceless information for anybody starting any business, Livestock or not.. great work people

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you so much!!! Jordan is a wealth of knowledge and does not shy away from the work! A true farmer for sure!!

[@tinavenn1645]

Great video. Ty for all the info. I have the perfect pig pasture but only experience has been 4H pigs.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@tinavenn1645 oh nice! Can’t pass up a good 4H pig!! ❤️

[@phillyphreak5418]

Everything he says just makes sense.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Right?!

[@sculpturegrl1]

Thank you for sharing all of these farms. It is endlessly fascinating!

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you so much!!! ❤️

[@nicholasforti9948]

Jordan is the man!!! I have learned so much from his videos. Then I even emailed him for pig castration videos. Great guy to learn from

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Yes he is! So welcoming and open too!! We really enjoyed meeting him!

[@michaelcrawford2094]

This chap talks a lot of sense, I'll certainly check out his YT. Well done guys another fantastic video and it's great to see Paul working hard!

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you so much!! Paul sure had fun!! 😅

[@KBG2010]

When you said are you gonna sell the plans for your new pen and then said, "what did you call it DSL." I was dying 😂. If you know. You know! Lol

[@brycehess6708]

Pro tip : NEVER plant the crimson blood next to the crimson krips or they will start set trippin and you'll have a full blown war on your hands 👌

[@colkur5007]

Loved his philosophy...there are things richer than money. If you love what your doing and are surrounded by friends and family doing something that is fulfilling your are blessed. Also great to see Joel Salatins internship students applying his methods and improving them as well...a great legacy to have

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Yes! So true! And I too enjoyed seeing him make improvements to things he learned as an intern! We should never stop innovating and learning!

[@dhansonranch]

As usual, well done! A very informative discussion that addresses all the "things" about doing this type of business. I like that he was able to convince the local farmers to grow his grain for him - not a small undertaking whatsoever. It is noteworthy though that this is an element of scale too - for the volume he is buying, it is certainly worth the farmer's time to do it. But still, impressive. The silvo pasture was extremely interesting from a personal perspective - it gave me some great food for thought. Good job Paul - one might think you had done that before...lol. Good job folks.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you so much!! What was it exactly about the silo pasture that is making you think more about it??

[@dhansonranch]

@@BreakingNewRoots I have a number of acres that are completely wooded with very thick understory. Coupled with that are a few areas where plow winds and small tornado's have fallen the area. Although I have thought of mechanically clearing it, the thin duff layer has made me veer away from this type of clearing. I started to look into silvo-pasture a few years back. So to see his success was very motivating.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@dhansonranch oh yeah!! I bet pig could do some really good things in there! You’ll have to keep us posted on what you decide.

[@dhansonranch]

@@BreakingNewRoots For sure. There is some demographics to work out but at least I know it works - now to not let analysis paralysis creep in!

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@dhansonranch haha I totally understand that!! But after you see what pigs do that first rotation, you won’t want to go back! I think it also depends on what pigs and trees you have too though! The video we have going out tomorrow (Friday) talks about that. He switched his pigs and cows

[@craigrobinsonsaddler]

That was a great video. The larger chicken pen is what I'm goin to use, as I'm in Queensland Australia. We can get up to 42° 100+ and that extra height will help. In winter I would make canvas curtains that I could roll up on a fully system. I'm in a crop farming area so pumpkins, sweet potato etc I'm also goin to use when it comes to pigs. Access to ol round bales as well for bedding. 🇦🇺

[@BreakingNewRoots]

That’s such a great idea!!!

[@MessyTimes]

Thanks for the detailed comments.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

❤️❤️

[@davidshepherd9555]

Thanks for this. Its a great watch. So good and very helpful.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you so much!!! I loved meeting Jordan! He is great!! I’m glad you enjoyed the video! We have so many more farms to see too! ❤️

[@ahmedbamatraf7148]

Put into this show. I am also hoping at the end of your "roadshow" that you will write about the best practices and what we should avoid. I learned a lot from your shows, but it's not easy to fo and find what I'm looking for. Thank you again. P. S. You made Paul work harder than Jordan!

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Hahah Paul did work hard that day 😅 been too long!! But yes! That’s a great idea!! We have also thought about doing a few videos summarizing some things we highlight. Maybe one day!!

[@KPVFarmer]

Great interview, information, and tour of their operation. Like mentioned above, it makes perfect sense. 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Thank you!! He was so great to visit with!!

[@Mr44magnum0706]

26:00 I think a lot of people over look local for feed for animals or the family and not just feed. Local has an opportunity to buy higher than what they could get and pay lower than big box stores. Even if it’s 5-10% difference than more than worth.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Yes!!! I completely agree!! I love the way Jordan talked about it!

[@kimmi4343]

Love this video! He is totally correct. Now that we are slowly scaling it up and we are growing with the demand as I acquire it. It has all become about the marketing more then labor itself. I have freezers full of meat but it is pointless if I can not sell it. It's funny because I want to farm to get away from my computer job.. but now I am finding I would spend almost as much time. The only benefit is its my passion and it would be on my time and not another companies.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

That is so true!! I felt the exact same way working at a bank and spending just as much time on the computer. But it is more fun and easier when you’re your own boss! ❤️

[@shanebeaver2618]

Power play keeping his drink in her cup holder lol 34:30

[@shanebeaver2618]

Shewww 39:05 this guy is the man

[@shanebeaver2618]

Great video, informative and the guy was coolin. Ty.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

😅 I didn’t even think of it haha. But yes, he is great!! We loved visiting with him! I’m glad you enjoyed it too! 😊

[@FarmBuilder]

😅😅

[@BigggRoss]

He needs to find an old carwash brush or truck wheel flap/brush like rock guard, to put along the tractor to sweep the chickens along

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Ohh!! That is a really good idea!!

[@ilene9349]

Please visit the Hollar Homestead, they are friends of Jason of Sow the land, their story is really amazing ❣️

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Oh yes! We would love to visit them one day! We love their story too!!

[@tommartin8155]

I think the future of pasture poultry houses just a low flat roof like the salitan style with no sides and the electro net. Check out Cove Chase farm in Oklahoma . He's got the right idea.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Oh yes. Those are quite popular but they do tend to get very hot and collecting chickens can be quite the chore.

[@fromthegroundup841]

I don't think the jump in gross is true in all cases. I think this implies that one is carrying debt. If you grow to scale slowly, rather than jump to scale like Jordan seems to imply he did by design, then you would need to plan for a 10x situation to deal with the cash in/out. I plan on farming chickens for eggs. I plan on growing slowly, from the 15 birds that I have now to evidentially managing 800-1000 in a land schooner on about an acre (per schooner). I'm not going to go from 15 to 800 overnight and when I do get to even the 300 mark, I won't be carrying any debt - by design.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Having no debt is huge! Jordan’s reasoning comes from paying yourself a comfortable living wage and thinking about a farm like one would any other business or start up.

[@LtColDaddy71]

Be careful what you wish for, because the point where you’re both feet on the brakes, and you’re trying with all your might to stay where you are, vs exploding in to something huge, is a choice you might face one day.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

That’s a good point!

[@mountaindreamer7883]

I never understood the draw of the joel chicken tractors. Idk they just seem cumbersome and small. Just go with a hoop or peaked style that you can enter and has more height for the birds as well.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

I understand your thinking. I think it just depends on the climate and topography.

[@masonbaylorbears]

My question is what water hose is that white hose?

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Jordan uses air hose as his water hoses. They don’t kink as bad and very light.

[@unocr3d]

Brother has 10 acres makes ~150,000 profit off of CSA(covers 90% of all expenses), spices, maple syrup and worms. All beyond organic and sustainable. Just have to find your niche and market it correctly.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

That is incredible!

[@unocr3d]

@@BreakingNewRoots I said the same thing! Marketing for farmers currently so I can get to his shoes. Keep killing it with the videos!

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@unocr3d thank you so much!! I hope your brothers farm keeps rocking it! ❤️

[@victorygarden556]

I’d love to see how that works

[@unocr3d]

@@victorygarden556 I’ll use a lot of his methods on my own farm, which I plant to document in great lengths on KZbin. He’s more of the hermit/prepper type or I would’ve had him on here already.

[@davidshepherd9555]

A question I haven't found an answer to. Joel and now Jordan only have one (fairly small) feeder. Jordan also has a second back up. I have found i need three times that amount for my 75 hens in a salatin tractor to all have a place at the table. How do Jordan and Joel get away with one. I feed twice a day.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Are you moving them daily? Hens generally need more food energy than broilers because they are making eggs and sustaining their body condition. Also, chickens will eat as much as you give them. If they know more feed is coming they will eat it.

[@davidshepherd9555]

@@BreakingNewRoots Yes we move daily. they are broilers

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@davidshepherd9555 I would say it depends on many factors. How is the pasture you are putting them on? Are they insects that they can eat? Joel and Jordan follow their cows with chickens so there are flys and larvae for the chickens to eat. Also, what kind of feed are you feeding? Are they missing a nutrient or mineral? But my last question would be how they look and how they cut out. Do you like the way they are cutting out? Do they look healthy? All things you can ask yourself and tweak your systems from there. I hope this helps! ❤️

[@flybyav8tor]

So many people are still using corn, soy, and seed oils in their feed. Is it due to cost?

[@BreakingNewRoots]

More than likely yes. But also, some people don’t believe they need to use something different

[@ALSET-_-MUSIC]

It’s hard to beat the value of corn and soybeans. They store very well long term once they are dried. They also are extremely dense in energy and protein which means they are cheaper to ship around the country and the world. The density leads to less manure as well. That’s why they are the main crops in the world. Food security.

[@heirloomn.heritage7004]

In my experience, corn & soy free feed is substituted with black sesame or sunflower meal. And this makes for the worst, stickiest, tariest poop. It's literally crap to work with & smelly. And to clean equipment, yuk! & time consuming. Not worth the extra cost, unless there is an actual allergy.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@heirloomn.heritage7004 oh interesting.

[@NoName-NNISOTBS]

How about lambs to market?

[@JesseAaronMoskel]

8:25 kicks chicken 😂

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Not a kick, a little love tap. 😅 those silly chickens would stay in that spot all day thinking they were stuck if someone didn’t tell them otherwise lol

[@haydensievers5099]

Did he throw the dead chicken back in the tractor with the other chickens??

[@BreakingNewRoots]

No, haha. He put a chicken that got out in the tractor, we collected the dead one at the end off camera. 😊

[@heirloomn.heritage7004]

Deep tissue massage 😮 Pre-tenderized?

[@weathington803]

How many times does she say “ for sure or fur sure”,,,, just saying it seems like a lot.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Hi! 👋 it’s just one of those things I say to make sure the speaker knows I’m listening and keep the conversation alive. A lot of people have their own thing they say, what’s yours?? 😊

[@weathington803]

Gothcha,,,,,it was an interesting interview. I think the thing that got me was the scale it takes to make any sort of profit. I have had tried to do this on my own farm but I have not been able make a profit with my cattle.The biggest challenge for me is getting any product to the market. Many road blocks. I did an ag tour at white oak pastures here in ga and there one a few places I have seen success. There are solid reasons why small farms have died and corporate farms have taken over with pigs and chickens. I think cattle will be next to fall with the inability to reach customers and scale of the operations.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@weathington803 thank you! I agree! It’s so hard to get a farm to a scale that can actually sustain and individuals income. I recently saw that 48% of farmers have off farm jobs. Talk about tight margins, not just in cash but in physical and mental load. I think it’s doable, but there can be a lot of factors restricting it.

[@jhost0311]

The 10x revenue to profit seems a bit off. If you make $100k revenue selling pastured cattle, I don’t see how you have $90k of expenses and only $10k profit.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

It depends on how you are using those cattle. If you are direct selling those cattle you have feed costs (hay if grass fed), transportation costs, processing costs, inventory costs, marketing costs, and then what Jordan is really trying to point out, you have to pay yourself and/or workers.

[@jhost0311]

@@BreakingNewRoots would be nice to hear an actual breakdown because 10% profit seems very low for a pasture raised livestock operation. Especially something like cattle or sheep where 90% of their food is grown for free. Thats assuming you sell cow in retail cuts for $5000 which would be 500lbs at $10/lb. And your total expenses for that cow are $4500 so you only profit 10% or $500. Seems way off.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

@@jhost0311 sure. I get it. Maybe we can have a follow up conversation with Jordan one day and get a little more specific. I know it can be hard to get specific because there are so many variables that can differ among different locations. I think his main point was to say that a farm should account for more than just feed and processing expenses to be comfortably profitable.

[@FarmBuilder]

I didn't say profit I said personal income. If all your profit is rolled into your personal income you have zero money to invest in growth of the operation.

[@jhost0311]

@@FarmBuilder so what about steady state operation if you are at full capacity? It’s hard to say you only make 10% profit, if you are investing 40% into expanding the business. Just very unclear financially.

[@feolender2938]

Yeah million dollar turnover, 970k expenses

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Right. That’s his point. To have a farm of his size and pay yourself and any workers you may have a decent living wage, then it has to be at a large scale.

[@JenesaisQuoiLLC-dk8hr]

😂it all sounds good until agi (adjust gross income) activates and he pay Uncle Sam 37% or more in taxes… wake up people and stop falling for dream numbers people be throwing around loosely.

[@BreakingNewRoots]

I’m not sure I understand what you mean by dream numbers. Jordan is saying that to have a profitable farm at scale that can pay employees and the farmer a decent wage, the gross income needs to be higher than most people think. A lot of farmers don’t pay themselves an actual wage, they just get what’s left over, which isn’t a whole lot. Accounting for taxes, like any business does, is included in expenses. 😊

[@JaelSharp-McCumbers-ud5po]

Farmers get huge tax saving

[@fatgirlslimjourneybegins8093]

For the larger chicken tractor that he has designed and built himself there is a similar design by hereford farms on yt and they give the designs out for free

[@BreakingNewRoots]

Oh interesting! Thanks for sharing!