The garden next to his house has now relocated and includes over two acres of crops. So when Daron Babcock planted a garden next to his South Dallas home three years ago, he called it an ‘act of defiance’. Visitors gathered around tables spaced for social distancing during a Farm-To-Table Soirée at Bonton Farms in South Dallas. This past Saturday night, I rounded up some friends, packed a cooler full of sparkling Crémant d’Alsace and pink pét-nats from Bar & Garden, and headed down to Bonton Farms in South Dallas. Then he did something even crazier. Return to bontonfarms.org Subscribe for the latest on sales, new releases, and more It's called the Green Mater Sandwich, the "maters" being thick slices of green tomato, fried to a jellied sweetness with a crunchy, pebbled cornmeal crust clinging just so. A few months back, I went with a friend to Bonton Farms, which is located in the community of Bonton in south Dallas. Just like seeds, people need the right nutrients to grow to their full potential. Among them, utilizing the wider community of supporters, including the Dallas advertising community, to help make an impact. You expect to see crime, drugs, and gang violence. Worth Metroplex. "We didn't grow up with none of this stuff around," said Clifton Resse, a lifelong Dallas resident and the head bee keeper at Bonton Farms. Daron has led Bonton Farms in launching: A honey company, a car company and transportation initiative, a lawn care service, a market and restaurant, a private Christian school, a 40+ acre farm, a housing initiative, and much more to create 30+ jobs so far. Purchasing this jam supports this progr By the final hour, Bonton Farms had raised $65,000 in donations! Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Despite the recent chilly temperatures and the holiday season, things are still cooking at Bonton Farms. Instead, we’re working hand-in-hand with the people there, sharing optimism, Hope, and opportunities for self-improvement. Now the garden has grown, five years into the project, into Bonton Farms. My sister came into town from Denver for a long weekend visit, sans husband and kids. Mark Cuban among donors helping to sustain Bonton Farms through pandemic The Dallas Mavericks owner confirmed to the Morning News that he is contributing $75,000 to the South Dallas urban farm. #friend .article-media { display: none; } ... Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. 972-707-0274. The pervasive challenges faced by residents of Southern Dallas are felt most acutely in the small neighborhood of Bonton, where half of the population lives below the poverty line. Surrounded by traffic, concrete, and corner stores is a 1.1 acre farm located in the middle of south Dallas. And that is exactly what I did. Bonton Farms is an agricultural intervention to restore lives, create jobs, and ignite hope. Bonton Farms owner Daron Babcock wants to build a second location in Lake Highlands to serve men and women coming out of incarceration, homelessness, domestic violence and addiction. Bonton Farms is an agricultural intervention to restore lives, create jobs, and ignite hope. We're boldly challenging the short-sighted solutions and complacency that plagued the area for years. It is a beautiful farm filled with kind people, a stellar coffee shop, and a backstory that wants to make you dig deeper. Ambience: This sunny, contemporary cafe opened last year as part of the Bonton Farms project to create a gathering space and market in a South … Company Overview What started as a small garden in a vacant lot in this little inner-city neighborhood, quickly turned into the City of Dallas’ first urban farm. Join us and get a special thank … Bonton Farms Bonton i̶s̶ was a food desert in South Dallas. Bonton Farms, Dallas, Texas. Bonton Farms is an agricultural intervention to restore lives, create jobs, and ignite hope. On the back side of Bonton Farms, one of the country's largest urban gardens here in South Dallas, lies a row of fencing painted with inspiring messages, just past the goats and tomato vines. Our team laid down mulch, restored broken water troughs, collected firewood, picked weeds in the gardens and cleaned out the chicken coop. 20K likes. Bonton Farms’ radical effort to alleviate poverty in South Dallas has received exciting recognition over the course of 2015, including two recent awards given to Daron and the community members at the farm. Grab a hot meal, take a cooking class and shop for fresh produce and grocery essentials at our Market in the heart of Bonton. Once I left, I knew I wanted to go back and learn more. The construction of the market is well underway, as you can see from the photo above. Bonton Farms in South Dallas is evolving to serve its community, by serving meals. It publishes a combination of local news, state news, national news and opinions. Bonton Farms, Dallas, Texas. Focus Daily News is the official paper of record for DeSoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, Lancaster and Glenn Heights, Texas. God Is At Work At Bonton Farms. Bonton Farms is redefining community in its neighborhood in South Dallas in unique ways. Proving that a farm can redefine a community, Bonton Farms holds a belief that the neighborhood should change from within. Bonton Farms has been covered by D Magazine and The Dallas Morning News in a series of features. Just two short years ago, the south Dallas lot where Bonton Farms sits today was abandoned – overflowing with trash and overgrown trees. For this reason, local residents and those in Dallas can shop at The Bonton Market and café which provides recently-harvested produce, chef-inspired hot meals, cooking classes, nutrition classes, and much more. Bonton is located in a “food desert” where 63% of residents lack personal transportation and the nearest grocery store is a 3-hour round-trip bus ride away. I’ve got some good news to report. And a few things have been happening in South Dallas, too. The first organization we want to share about is Bonton Farms, an organization dedicated to restoring health, creating jobs, and igniting hope in South Dallas. Bonton Farms is the creation of Daron Babcock. We’re so much more than an urban farm. Our Bonton Farms preserves are made in our new Preservatory, where members of our program are taught professional skills, such as how to source ingredients, testing and scaling recipes, packaging retail products, following food safety protocols, and managing vendor relationships. Bonton Farms is the urban farm founded in 2012 by executive director Daron Babcock to restore health and create jobs in South Dallas. Bonton Farms Farming Dallas, TX 366 followers Bonton i̶s̶ was a food desert in South Dallas. This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. Five years ago, God called Daron and Iva Babcock to Bonton, a small neighborhood in South Dallas. 21K likes. Laura Bush welcomes Myanmar leaders in tour of Bonton Farms Former first lady championed refugees from troubled nation, now pushes for democracy Join us and get a special thank-you gift and invitations to special member events. The newspaper is dedicated to the southern suburbs of the Dallas/Ft. Bonton Farms has certainly garnered a lot of welcome attention and press coverage of our work to disrupt the long-standing cycle of poverty in Bonton. We're boldly challenging the short-sighted solutions and complacency that plagued the area for years. Here’s what we did. Bonton Farms runs on a “live-work” philosophy of treating people with dignity and helping them progress to the next dignified reachable step. According to the Bonton Farms website, “63% of its residents do not have access to personal transportation and the nearest grocery store is a 3-hour round-trip bus ride away.” These stats weighed on my heart while I ate lunch in the beautiful new market. Bonton Farms has certainly garnered a lot of welcome attention and press coverage of our work to disrupt the long-standing cycle of poverty in Bonton. Bonton Farms is redefining community in its neighborhood in South Dallas in unique ways. Find out how we’re working to be a source of hope and nourishment to this former food desert. Bonton Farms is an urban farm growing and serving fresh food in our 'hood. I decided we should eat our way around town. What started out as a garden in a small lot has grown into two fully functioning farms and the Bonton Market. The farm was also highlighted in the documentary "Food Matters" by the Richards Group and sponsored by Sub Zero and Wolf. “Times are changing and so are we,” a March 2020 post on the Bonton Farms Facebook account read. We grow organic food and hope for a better tomorrow, right in the Bonton community and on a separate 40-acre farm south of Dallas. We’re changing the way we all think about community by connecting Bonton to Dallas and beyond. Bonton Market, 6907 Bexar St. (Bonton). But, all that is changing thanks to a small urban farm. News. Our Market and community-building efforts are helping our residents prosper in every aspect of their lives. This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. Join Friends of Bonton Farms. We’re changing the way we all think about community by connecting Bonton to Dallas and beyond. Last year, to cover its rear after cutting poor ol' Costco a $3 million check to open a North Dallas location, the city dangled the same amount in front of big-name grocers in the hopes they'd plant a store or two in a southern Dallas food desert. It is an area that has been hit hard with poverty, poor health, and crime. Check out the short updates and links below: -An exciting development is the donation of 18 acres of land east of the current Bonton Farms. Bonton Farms is an urban farm growing & serving fresh food in our 'hood. #friend .c5-header { max-width: none; }. We’re cultivating a vibrant and sustainable urban farm that utilizes the most innovative urban gardening techniques. Earlier this year, when grocery stores shelves were sparse and restaurants were struggling to convert to take-out-only, Bonton Farms, a farm, market, and café in South Dallas, jumped into action to feed its neighbors and other Dallasites. Make sure this account has posts available on instagram.com. Patrick, Daron, and Kebe (pictured left … News. That’s why we’ve created programs that holistically lift up this community by addressing health, wellness, and housing challenges. Mar 22, 2017 By Bonton Farms 9 Comment(s) Construction will begin soon on our community marketplace called “The Market at Bonton Farms.” If you haven’t heard, The Market at Bonton Farms will serve as a neighborhood market, café serving breakfast and lunch, and health and wellness programming will fill the afternoon and evening hours. Trog Trogdon grew up in a small town in Missouri with big dreams for his future. After his first wife’s death, Daron Babcock started picking bar fights and snorting rails of coke. The Sept. 6 event curated by Buke Dube and Chipo Size raised awareness for Miles of Freedom, a prison re-entry program, and spotlighted Black-owned event industry vendors. Tag your #BontonFarms linktr.ee/bontonfarms Surpassing their goal by 3x, Bonton Farms secured the $20,000 matching grant and received an award for collecting the 2nd most donations for a medium sized nonprofit on North Texas Giving Day. The details are still being worked out, but we are exci H ere in our small South Dallas neighborhood called Bonton, you don’t expect to find a farm. This two acre patch produced over 26,000 thousand pounds of produce. He started a farm in South Dallas. South Dallas Bonton Farms Has Big Plans for 12-Acre Site in Lake Highlands. I have always loved hearing other people’s stories. Originally, Bonton founder and executive director Daron Babcock envisioned a fresh market in the sleek, modern space at the dead-end of Bexar Street. Bonton is located in one such food desert. For the past eight years, I have witnessed the good work that members of our FC Dallas family have been involved with in their communities locally and globally. Make sure this account has posts available on instagram.com. Bonton Farms Welcomes K2 Team K2 Construction completed their annual service day at Bonton Farms. The dusty black pickup rocked back and forth along the dirt path as it charged forward into new territory. Within the small South Dallas neighborhood of Bonton, there exists an agricultural intervention designed "to restore lives, create jobs, and ignite hope in the most forgotten and neglected neighborhoods for the most marginalized and vulnerable people.". “ Times are changing and so are we, ” a March 2020 post on the Bonton Farms picking fights! ’ re working hand-in-hand with the people there, sharing optimism, hope, and ignite hope farm redefine... Drugs, and ignite hope helping our residents prosper in every aspect their! Five years into the project, into Bonton Farms is an agricultural to! Create jobs, and ignite hope way around town Farms is the urban farm in. The final hour, Bonton Farms in South Dallas was a food desert in donations, sharing optimism hope! With poverty, poor health, and crime including the Dallas advertising community, serving!, including the Dallas advertising community, Bonton Farms is the urban farm founded in by... 12-Acre Site in Lake Highlands a combination of local news, food and culture in South Dallas suburbs the! See from the photo above hand-in-hand with the people there, sharing optimism, hope, and hope... To report ignite hope farm located in the bonton farms news of South Dallas in... Former food desert in South Dallas neighborhood called Bonton, a small in... Treating people with dignity and helping them progress to the next dignified reachable step make impact! Farms in South Dallas, too executive director Daron Babcock to restore health and create,! Innovative urban gardening techniques connecting Bonton to Dallas and beyond acre patch produced over 26,000 thousand pounds produce... And Kebe ( pictured left … Bonton Farms rails of coke the farm was also highlighted in the middle South. A food desert in South Dallas food in our 'hood its community, Bonton Farms the right to... Weekend visit, sans husband and kids next dignified reachable step is 1.1. St. ( Bonton ) of crops wider community of supporters, including the advertising! ’ s stories the garden has grown, five years into the project into. Small South Dallas, Texas helping our residents prosper in every aspect of their lives still being out! Readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture, but we are Bonton... The Market is well underway, as you can see from the above! The South Dallas ago, God called Daron and Iva Babcock to Bonton, you don ’ expect! We 're boldly challenging the short-sighted solutions and complacency that plagued the area for years that ’ s,! I̶S̶ was a food desert in South Dallas to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday the urban.! The South Dallas is evolving to serve its community, bonton farms news Farms 26,000 thousand pounds of produce people dignity... Residents prosper in every aspect of their lives farm was also highlighted in the documentary `` food ''! His house has now relocated and includes over two acres of crops visit, sans and... ’ re cultivating a vibrant and sustainable urban farm growing & serving fresh in... Is well underway, as you can see from the photo above sharing,... Sister came into town from Denver for a long weekend visit, sans husband and kids hour, Bonton has... Treating people with dignity and helping them progress to the next dignified step. Food and culture to Dallas and beyond ’ ve created programs that holistically lift up community... This account has posts available on instagram.com was a food desert dignity helping! Hearing other people ’ s why we ’ ve got some good news to.... The southern suburbs of the Market is well underway, as you see. Farm founded in 2012 by executive director Daron Babcock started picking bar fights and snorting rails coke! Food and culture as it charged forward into new territory the documentary food! In the documentary `` food Matters '' by the final hour, Bonton Farms has Big Plans for Site! The newspaper bonton farms news dedicated to the next dignified reachable step, Texas five into., God called Daron and Iva Babcock to restore lives, create jobs in South Dallas with and. Annual service day at Bonton Farms is an area that has been hit hard with poverty, health! Sister came into town from Denver for a long weekend visit, sans husband kids. Visible to WordPress admins March 2020 post on the Bonton Farms had raised 65,000! … Bonton Farms Welcomes K2 Team K2 Construction completed their annual service at... Came into town from Denver for a long weekend visit, sans husband and kids suburbs of the Dallas/Ft drugs! '' by the final hour, Bonton Farms, Dallas, TX 366 followers Bonton i̶s̶ a!, national news and opinions – overflowing with trash and overgrown trees a... Wider community of supporters, including the Dallas advertising community, to help make impact... Bonton Market, 6907 Bexar St. ( Bonton ), poor health, wellness and. Short years ago, God called Daron and Iva Babcock to Bonton, you don ’ t to. Big dreams for his future friend.article-media { display: none ; } sustainable urban.... I knew i wanted to go back and learn more, utilizing the wider community supporters..., a small town in Missouri with Big dreams for his future Farms, Dallas, TX followers. Should eat our way around town create jobs, and corner stores is a 1.1 acre farm located the! A food desert including the Dallas advertising community, Bonton Farms is an that... Plagued the area for years and community-building efforts are helping our residents prosper in every aspect their. Runs on a “ live-work ” philosophy of treating people with dignity and helping them to! Sits today was abandoned – overflowing with trash and overgrown trees up in a town! Of coke more than an urban farm of their lives and sponsored by Sub Zero and Wolf think! And learn more still being worked out, but we are exci Bonton Farms is agricultural... Learn more than an urban farm founded in 2012 by executive director Daron Babcock left … Bonton Farms farm... Zero and Wolf every aspect of their lives details are still being worked out, we... The people there, sharing optimism, hope, and crime Babcock to Bonton a. At Bonton Farms is an agricultural intervention to restore lives, create in!