E4: Returning to former city career roots to build a viable farm-based business | Bailey Hale & Thomas McCurdy of Ardelia Farm in Irasburg, VT

Join me in my conversation with Thomas McCurdy and Bailey Hale of Ardelia farms. For them, the journey from urban to farm life began the day the city of Philadelphia came to confiscate their chickens from the mini-farm they had built in a small green space next to their house. While living in the city, like many of us, they had grown alarmed at the state of our food system, and decided to take initiative for their part. At first this meant establishing a small urban homestead.Without much in savings, they left the city and rented two farms in Upstate NY and worked off-farm jobs to pay the bills. Bailey's grandmother, Ardelia, left a small inheritance when she passed and that gave them the option to plant permanent roots. The only farms in New England that had what they were looking for in their price range were located way up north in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Without the means to continue farming without building a viable business, they have worked incredibly hard to figure out a way to make a living. Eventually they realized that they should return to their former career roots. Bailey, a former event florist, built a cut flower farm, and Thomas, a former pastry chef, build a baked goods business made with ingredients sourced locally and from their farm. In our conversation, Bailey and Thomas share advice for those dreaming of building a farm-based business, the difficulties they faced as a result of starting out with little capital, and their concerns for the future of farming as a whole in our changing climate. urbanexodus.cominstagram.com/theurbanexodusfacebook.com/theurbanexodusSupport the showSign up for  Apple Podcasts premium or our Patreon Membership for ad-free listening, rapid-fire guest interviews & our new mini-pod Ditch the City. urbanexodus.com | @theurbanexodus | buy the book