In this episode, Jordan and I discuss the importance of economics, marketing, and storytelling in agriculture.

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Jordan Green is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served multiple deployments before completing a five-year tour of duty in 2009 and transitioning into full-time farming with his wife, Laura.

Together, Jordan and Laura founded J&L Green Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where they raise pasture-based pork and poultry and 100% grass-fed beef on 500 acres, marketing their food directly to consumers.

Key Topics

• Escaping the industrial poultry system and its impact on animals and farmers
• Apprenticeship at Polyface Farm and lessons from Joel Salatin
• Military service and how it shaped the decision to start J&L Green Farm
• The struggles of starting a farm business during the 2008 financial crisis
• Why marketing and storytelling matter as much as production in regenerative farming

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Why cheap food threatens the survival of American farms

00:03:00 Inside poultry houses: dust, ammonia, and farmer servitude

00:08:00 Contracts, mortgages, and the trap of industrial poultry farming

00:17:00 Apprenticeship at Polyface and scaling pasture-based livestock

00:24:00 The reality of death and livestock farming behind the scenes

00:29:00 Joining the Marines and balancing military life with farm dreams

00:36:00 Starting J&L Green Farm with land, capital, and a Polyface contract

00:40:00 Surviving the 2008 housing crash while building a farm business

00:42:00 Why marketing is the hardest but most crucial part of farming

00:49:00 The clash between fast tech and slow ecology in food production

00:55:00 Building customer relationships, not flash sales

01:00:00 Why most farms aren’t welcoming to the public and how J&L differs

Connect with Jordan, J&L Farm:

Website
Instagram

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