Look who's farming now

Daron Joffe's farming started during his freshman year of college. "I was literally eating a sandwich," he remembers, "and thought, 'How do we all eat three meals a day and we have no idea where our food comes from?'"

Since opening his first farm, a 175-acre plot near his alma mater of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Joffe has shifted focus to advising housing developments and others on how to develop organic farms. The suburban-Atlanta development of Serenbe is a good example: The 220-home community supports an organic garden designed by Joffe that is shared by residents. His niche in agricultural consulting has attracted clients like Richard Branson of Virgin and the posh Georgia retreat of Hampton Island.

Joffe, 33, also sells his own organic compost at 20 Whole Foods stores in the southeast. He collects food scraps from the grocery chain, which he then uses to produce the compost he sells there.

--S.C.

NEXT: The community-supported farmer