Grow Dat Youth Farm

What Grow Dat Youth Farm does

Grow Dat Youth Farm is a New Orleans-based nonprofit founded in 2011 that integrates sustainable urban agriculture with youth leadership development. It operates a seven-acre site in City Park with 2.5 acres of cultivable land, employing agro-ecological practices including intensive cover cropping, no-till farming with minimal tractor passes, local compost production from sugarcane bagasse and horse manure, and biodiverse rotation across 50+ crops. Soil organic matter has been built to 7% over twelve years, well above the 5% threshold considered high. The farm produces approximately 50,000 pounds of fresh, chemical-free produce annually, with 80% distributed through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and 20% routed to the Shared Harvest program and youth families.

The organization's revenue model is hybrid and mission-driven: a 29-week CSA Farm Share subscription priced at $870 (with a 50% SNAP discount and installment billing handled via Farmigo), fee-based educational programming including K-12 field trips at $8-$440 per group and adult learning tours at $150-$200, Farm Dinners, and tax-deductible donations supporting the youth leadership program. Customer segments span CSA member households, K-12 schools and educational groups, adult learners, and Central City residents reached through the Grow Dat on the Geaux community initiative launched in 2023.

The youth program is a five-tier leadership pipeline for ages 15-21: the Core Leadership Program (48 crew members per cohort, November through May), Advanced Leadership Program, Seed Project, Crew Leader Fellowship, and Seed Fellowship. Participants are paid $13-$26 per hour and trained in farm operations, facilitation, and the VISIONS framework for understanding oppression and systems. Alumni populate staff roles (currently one part-time and three full-time staff are program alumni) and increasingly the board. The organization also stewards the Birding Corridor — a wheelchair-accessible habitat area created in 2013 with Audubon Society of Louisiana and City Park — and recently completed a 2024 strategic planning process that formalized a 15-year vision and shifted to a Co-Executive Director leadership model.

Name

Grow Dat Youth Farm

Legal name

Grow Dat Youth Farm

Website

https://growdatyouthfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grow Dat Youth Farm is a New Orleans nonprofit that runs a seven-acre City Park farm combining sustainable urban agriculture with a five-tier youth leadership program for ages 15-21, distributing 50,000 pounds of produce annually through CSA shares, educational field trips, and community food programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Agriculture and Youth Leadership

NAICS

Vegetable and Melon Farming (1112), Crop Production (111)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Greenhouse & Protected Crop Farming (High Tunnels, Greenhouses) (AFAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens) (AFAGAHAA), Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture & Conservation Practices (EDAOAOAO)

Keywords

• Urban agriculture
• Youth leadership programs
• Community supported agriculture
• Sustainable farming
• Farm education tours

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CSA Farm Shares: Community Supported Agriculture program where members pay $870 for a 29-week Farm Share (November 4, 2026 - June 19, 2027). Members receive weekly produce boxes with salad mix, kale, leafy greens, herbs, and seasonal produce. Optional egg add-on available. Proceeds support youth leadership program.
2. Field Trip and Tour Fees: School field trips charged per student ($8-$440 depending on group size) and adult tours ($150-$200). K-12 trips include 1.5 hours with choice of activity stations; adult tours include learning tours and agricultural task experiences.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations supporting the youth leadership program and farm operations, accessible through the website donation page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grow Dat Youth Farm operates a seven-acre sustainable urban farm in New Orleans' City Park where it employs young people (ages 15-21) in paid leadership programs that combine organic farming work with social justice and systems education. It sells produce directly to community members via a 29-week CSA subscription, distributes additional harvest through a Shared Harvest program and the Grow Dat on the Geaux neighborhood initiative, and hosts fee-based educational field trips and tours for schools and adult groups.

Product overview

Grow Dat Youth Farm operates a single integrated program combining sustainable urban agriculture with youth leadership development. The core offerings include a CSA Farm Shares program (selling produce via a 29-week subscription model through Farmigo), educational Field Trips and Tours for schools and adults, and five interconnected Leadership Programs (Core, Advanced Leadership/ACL, Seed Project, Crew Leader Fellowship, and Seed Fellowship) that develop youth from ages 15+ through farming work, workshops, and community projects. Additional programs include a Birding Corridor eco-tourism initiative, the Grow Dat on the Geaux community food distribution program in Central City, and seasonal Farm Dinners. All programs are intertwined around the central mission of growing food while nurturing young leaders through meaningful agricultural work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSA Farm Shares Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program offering a 29-week Farm Share season where members receive weekly produce boxes containing a signature salad mix, kale, leafy greens, fresh herbs, and seasonal produce from the City Park farm. Proceeds support the youth leadership program. Available to individuals and families with full, two-installment, or four-installment payment options and a 50% SNAP discount.
• Field Trips and Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 pounds of produce harvested annually from 2.5 acres
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Audubon Society of LouisianacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Collaboration on the Birding Corridor project, creating a wheelchair-accessible overlook and gravel trail through bottomland hardwood and cypress trees. The corridor provides important habitat for native and migratory birds with over 50 species documented.
• City Park (New Orleans)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Host institution for the 7-acre Grow Dat site within City Park. Partnership enables the Birding Corridor and community space for nature, education, and food system reimagining.
• Local Cooling FarmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides pasture-raised chicken eggs for the optional Egg Share add-on to CSA members. Eggs available for $8.85/weekly dozen, purchased for the duration of the 29-week season.
• University of New OrleanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UNO and Kalie Ann Rhodes to access historical records of enslaved persons on the plantation land where City Park and Grow Dat now sit. Informs the History of the Land workshop curriculum.
• VISIONS Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework provider for organizational communication and understanding oppression. All youth in leadership programs and all adult staff receive annual VISIONS training; frameworks are woven into curriculum and shape workplace culture.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pie Ranch:
• The Food Project: Northeast-based nonprofit engaging youth in sustainable agriculture through farms in Massachusetts, with CSA shares and food justice programming. Strong operational parallel to Grow Dat's youth leadership focus and diversified CSA model.
• Soul Fire Farm: BIPOC-led farm in upstate New York offering youth programming and CSA shares focused on food sovereignty and racial justice. Directly comparable as a nonprofit combining sustainable agriculture with youth leadership development, food access, and community organizing.
• East New York Farms!: Brooklyn-based urban agriculture network supporting youth leadership and food justice through community gardens and farmers markets. Comparable nonprofit urban-agriculture model with strong youth engagement focus and food access mission.
• Jones Valley Teaching Farm: Urban farm in Birmingham, Alabama operating Good Food Learning Centers that combine K-12 education, workforce development, and fresh food production. Closely mirrors Grow Dat's integration of sustainable farming and youth education in a single nonprofit model.
• Real Food Farm: Civic Works program in Baltimore operating an urban farm with CSA, youth employment, and food access programs. Combines agricultural production and youth workforce development in a city-park-adjacent nonprofit model similar to Grow Dat.
• Massachusetts Avenue Project: Buffalo-based urban farm offering youth development programs, mobile market, and food justice initiatives. Comparable urban agriculture nonprofit combining youth employment with food access and CSA-style distribution.
• Acta Non Verba: Oakland, California nonprofit operating an urban farm with year-round youth leadership development and CSA programs. Highly comparable operating model integrating youth employment with sustainable urban agriculture and food justice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrowDatNOLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/193229134029719
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grow-dat-youth-farm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grow Dat Youth Farm