Jameson Hubbard started his urban farm in the Ivanhoe neighborhood in 2018. His passion for working outdoors and on community projects motivated him to purchase a home and a few nearby vacant lots to begin building Dirt Beast Farm.
Jameson feels lucky about the timing of his KCMO Land Bank property purchases. Since then, finding ways to expand the farm has become difficult. “They [Land Bank] have been hard to convince to sell more land for the purposes of small-scale agriculture- or even homes to individuals to fix up themselves. Also, land prices here have gone up significantly,” he said.
“I knew farming was not going to be easy, but finding solutions to problems, and dialing in systems, while getting to do it outdoors has been very rewarding. I don’t think there is another industry where you are problem-solving as much as farming,” Jameson said.
Despite facing obstacles, Dirt Beast Farm has become a force of good in the community. To make their produce more affordable, they started a sliding pay scale produce subscription and were awarded a Get Farming Mini Grant to improve its market access and distribution. They host pizza nights and community events. Cultivate KC is proud to be a small part of their growth.
Urban growers throughout the metro struggle to find sufficient farmland and funding for improvements. Cultivate KC works to assist farmers through policy advocacy, technical assistance, bulk supply orders, and increasing access to land and capital. Visit Cultivate KC’s website to read more stories and learn how you can support local and urban farmers.
