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Green Thumb in a Green City

A hardworking, everyday hero with a big dream and a little luck turns a backyard garden into a million-dollar farm. It sounds like a fairy tale or a movie script, except this story is true.

Five years ago, Brenton Johnson planted a 30-foot by 50-foot garden in his backyard. Today, he operates a 70-acre organic vegetable farm, the largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in the southern United States. Johnson’s Backyard Garden has 20 employees, more than 1,000 members and gross sales exceeding $1 million annually.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. To really appreciate the story, you have to understand the drama, humor and character development that took place along the way. More >

hammerProperty Improvements: Factors to Consider

“If someone has never bought land before, when they see a raw tract of land, that is all they see. When we see a piece of property, we can envision it for what it can become. That’s part of the value we add for our customers,” says Matthew Raff — who shows prospective rural land buyers before-and-after pictures to illustrate how improvements can change a landscape. More >

financial checkupTime for a Financial Checkup

When you have a medical checkup, your doctor usually checks your blood pressure, weight and pulse and possibly a host of other health indicators. With today’s economic challenges, it’s important to take your financial pulse regularly too — and you can do it yourself. More >

Young familyA Family Affair

Central Texas’ Young family reinvests its earnings in land. Today, they farm and ranch in five counties.

Justin Young recalls the day four years ago that he suggested to his grandfather, Maurice Young, a lifelong rancher and farmer from Jonesboro, Texas, that the family should get into the poultry business. More >