Listing: http://www.ic.org/directory/root-of-david-kibbutz/
Website:
City: Crab Orchard
State: Kentucky
Zip:
Contact Email: blake@rootofdavidnursery.com
Contact Phone: (606) 355-7242
Contact Name: Blake Cothron
Does living within a rural, hard-working farm community of dedicated, Hebraic, Judeo/Christian people appeal to you? Do true simplicity, honesty, integrity, detachment from the world and its values, fads, idols and systems resonate within you? Are you willing and able to follow the Messiah with all heart and soul while also keeping the Commandments? My name is Blake Cothron, and my wife, Rachel, and I operate an integrated organic farm in a place called Crab Orchard, KY, near Berea, KY. We are in our early 30s. We have built from scratch a very successful permaculture-influenced organic farm in a very short time (18 months). We produce thousands of pounds of organic produce, year-round (right now in December we are producing and selling about 15 different types of vegetables and herbs). We also successfully operate a fruit-tree/ edibles nursery. We have substantial backgrounds in intentional community. Blake lived within intentional communities for over 7 years (2005-2012) and Rachel lived overseas over the course of 7 years working with orphans in Christian community. Blake is trained in herbalism, organic agriculture, NVC and permaculture. Rachel has many homesteading, cooking, crafting, and other skills. They both are musicians, artists and writers. Like many out there, we strongly believe people are meant to live and flourish in a very personal village or town setting, and did for ages (and still do). We believe a shared life lived with other disciples of Yahshua, living a mostly agricultural lifestyle would be a powerful, meaningful and radical life shift that many believers out there strongly desire. Many sincere disciples feel lost, bewildered, inundated and burned by living isolated lives within mainstream society and want and need to be set-apart and to be living a more holistic life with others. However, the bridge between the dream and the reality can be a hopelessly daunting one, especially for those with zero farm or community experience and little resources. This is where the Root of David Kibbutz comes in. Where we are right now is this: we have a real, working, profitable organic produce farm and nursery and 11.5 acres of land outside town. Not amazing, secluded, epic or gorgeous land, but land. We have two, giant, unheated poly-tunnels full of produce, an equipped workshop, a nice little retrofitted mobile home, and a young orchard with about 30 fruit species growing. We produce enough vegetables for 50+ people right now, on about an acre of extremely intensively farmed land. We have active markets and a positive, growing reputation already in place. Launching an IC from this situation would be ideal. Trust me, it's a whole lot faster and incredibly easier to do it this way than to start from scratch on a raw piece of land with no source of income in a new place as strangers, and with strangers. The farm and business setup here would support and nurture a new farm IC getting up and going nearby. In addition to this we have created the basic framework for this community and community agreements to get this community started. All that's needed is for sincere and humble people to join us in this vision. Important to note is that we are not trying to introduce people onto our personal farm to satisfy our desires for people, but rather to create a new farm which would become the eco-village/kibbutz. This area of Kentucky has some major advantages. Lower-priced land. Very clean environment, high rainfall, moderate winters, not overly factory-farmed and NO industry or industrial plants for many, many, many miles. Locals are pretty friendly, practical people including LOTS of amish and mennonites. We are in a non-frackable area (30 miles on either side of 1-75, supposedly). We are nestled in-between 6 product outlets within a 35-minute drive: Berea, Danville, Somerset, Stanford, Crab Orchard and Mount Vernon. Nearby Berea is a VERY permaculture-interested large town with a lot of interesting people and possibilities. This area has an enthusiastic, very active market for organic produce, crafts, value-added goods and the like. A few points to consider: 1) We do not have housing available right now. But, we do have plenty of space for campers, RVs, vans and there are very cheap rental properties/apartments very close nearby. We'd be happy to share bathroom and kitchen space. 2) We are hard-working organic farmers, year-round and work 6 days a week. We would potentially have a small amount of paid work available for a very serious person/family. There are some jobs available nearby. 3) We are of the Hebrew-Roots/Messianic Jewish "camp," however we are not super-fanatical, extreme or dogmatic with other people and we are not interested in living with super-fanatical or extreme people. The Hebrew aspect of our faith expresses itself in our lives through a kinship with Judaism, Torah observance, keeping Shabbat and feasts and clean living. We are not polygamists, church-bashers, conspiracy-theorists, dogmatic about moon cycles or other minor matters or otherwise strange or unpleasant. We keep Yahshua, Bible, holistic living, hard work, and loving-kindness first and foremost. 4) We are not perfect or flawless, but make good communication, forgiveness, honesty and integrity major priorities. We live an organized, disciplined, though not rigid, lifestyle. 5) To be upfront: television, internet/phone addictions, worldly movies, intoxication, feminism, machoism, politics, conspiracy theorists, lots of guns, aggressive prepper-ism, worldly ways, pro-war/violence, patriotism, materialism and idolatry have no place here. This community shares many Amish values (simplicity, modesty, hard work, humility, quiet living, low-tech) but will use minimal electricity, minimal computers, vehicles and sometimes small machines. 6) We are not trying to save the world, solve all of this area's problems, create the perfect community or fix everything. We hope to be of service, though, through being good examples, through the organic production of local food, useful nursery plants, medicine, goods and leading classes and workshops. There are a few requirements which we ask of any potentially interested parties: 1) Respect for and adherence to (or very sincere willingness to take on) our spiritual/religious lifestyle and practices including Torah, Shabbat, festivals, clean living, and simplicity. This is simply about creating sustainable, synergistic cultural values and common, shared lifestyle. There are many alternatives elsewhere. 2) Ability to do some physical work or contribute physically in a substantial way. Not everyone would have to be a full-time farmer but we do operate pretty labor-intensive businesses. We are open to new business ventures. 3) Willingness to patiently and lovingly create this community, together. That takes honesty, humility, patience, cooperation and good communication. 4) Some amount of financial resources to eventually invest in a land base and a home for yourself on the future site. 5) A flexible, openness and cooperative heart when it comes to decisions, faith matters and lifestyle. This is not a cult and we do not have a charismatic leader, nor the correct and final answers or solutions to everything. If this sounds appealing to you, lets start a personal dialogue and tell us about yourself, your current circumstances and your intentional community desires. We are in the forming stages, but we are highly-organized and motivated and have a huge resource base already in place. We would be delighted, after positive, affirmative dialoguing, to invite you and yours to our farm to work alongside you, pray alongside you see if we might be a righteous fit and could build this community, together. Email us and let's start a dialogue!
Website:
City: Crab Orchard
State: Kentucky
Zip:
Contact Email: blake@rootofdavidnursery.com
Contact Phone: (606) 355-7242
Contact Name: Blake Cothron
Does living within a rural, hard-working farm community of dedicated, Hebraic, Judeo/Christian people appeal to you? Do true simplicity, honesty, integrity, detachment from the world and its values, fads, idols and systems resonate within you? Are you willing and able to follow the Messiah with all heart and soul while also keeping the Commandments? My name is Blake Cothron, and my wife, Rachel, and I operate an integrated organic farm in a place called Crab Orchard, KY, near Berea, KY. We are in our early 30s. We have built from scratch a very successful permaculture-influenced organic farm in a very short time (18 months). We produce thousands of pounds of organic produce, year-round (right now in December we are producing and selling about 15 different types of vegetables and herbs). We also successfully operate a fruit-tree/ edibles nursery. We have substantial backgrounds in intentional community. Blake lived within intentional communities for over 7 years (2005-2012) and Rachel lived overseas over the course of 7 years working with orphans in Christian community. Blake is trained in herbalism, organic agriculture, NVC and permaculture. Rachel has many homesteading, cooking, crafting, and other skills. They both are musicians, artists and writers. Like many out there, we strongly believe people are meant to live and flourish in a very personal village or town setting, and did for ages (and still do). We believe a shared life lived with other disciples of Yahshua, living a mostly agricultural lifestyle would be a powerful, meaningful and radical life shift that many believers out there strongly desire. Many sincere disciples feel lost, bewildered, inundated and burned by living isolated lives within mainstream society and want and need to be set-apart and to be living a more holistic life with others. However, the bridge between the dream and the reality can be a hopelessly daunting one, especially for those with zero farm or community experience and little resources. This is where the Root of David Kibbutz comes in. Where we are right now is this: we have a real, working, profitable organic produce farm and nursery and 11.5 acres of land outside town. Not amazing, secluded, epic or gorgeous land, but land. We have two, giant, unheated poly-tunnels full of produce, an equipped workshop, a nice little retrofitted mobile home, and a young orchard with about 30 fruit species growing. We produce enough vegetables for 50+ people right now, on about an acre of extremely intensively farmed land. We have active markets and a positive, growing reputation already in place. Launching an IC from this situation would be ideal. Trust me, it's a whole lot faster and incredibly easier to do it this way than to start from scratch on a raw piece of land with no source of income in a new place as strangers, and with strangers. The farm and business setup here would support and nurture a new farm IC getting up and going nearby. In addition to this we have created the basic framework for this community and community agreements to get this community started. All that's needed is for sincere and humble people to join us in this vision. Important to note is that we are not trying to introduce people onto our personal farm to satisfy our desires for people, but rather to create a new farm which would become the eco-village/kibbutz. This area of Kentucky has some major advantages. Lower-priced land. Very clean environment, high rainfall, moderate winters, not overly factory-farmed and NO industry or industrial plants for many, many, many miles. Locals are pretty friendly, practical people including LOTS of amish and mennonites. We are in a non-frackable area (30 miles on either side of 1-75, supposedly). We are nestled in-between 6 product outlets within a 35-minute drive: Berea, Danville, Somerset, Stanford, Crab Orchard and Mount Vernon. Nearby Berea is a VERY permaculture-interested large town with a lot of interesting people and possibilities. This area has an enthusiastic, very active market for organic produce, crafts, value-added goods and the like. A few points to consider: 1) We do not have housing available right now. But, we do have plenty of space for campers, RVs, vans and there are very cheap rental properties/apartments very close nearby. We'd be happy to share bathroom and kitchen space. 2) We are hard-working organic farmers, year-round and work 6 days a week. We would potentially have a small amount of paid work available for a very serious person/family. There are some jobs available nearby. 3) We are of the Hebrew-Roots/Messianic Jewish "camp," however we are not super-fanatical, extreme or dogmatic with other people and we are not interested in living with super-fanatical or extreme people. The Hebrew aspect of our faith expresses itself in our lives through a kinship with Judaism, Torah observance, keeping Shabbat and feasts and clean living. We are not polygamists, church-bashers, conspiracy-theorists, dogmatic about moon cycles or other minor matters or otherwise strange or unpleasant. We keep Yahshua, Bible, holistic living, hard work, and loving-kindness first and foremost. 4) We are not perfect or flawless, but make good communication, forgiveness, honesty and integrity major priorities. We live an organized, disciplined, though not rigid, lifestyle. 5) To be upfront: television, internet/phone addictions, worldly movies, intoxication, feminism, machoism, politics, conspiracy theorists, lots of guns, aggressive prepper-ism, worldly ways, pro-war/violence, patriotism, materialism and idolatry have no place here. This community shares many Amish values (simplicity, modesty, hard work, humility, quiet living, low-tech) but will use minimal electricity, minimal computers, vehicles and sometimes small machines. 6) We are not trying to save the world, solve all of this area's problems, create the perfect community or fix everything. We hope to be of service, though, through being good examples, through the organic production of local food, useful nursery plants, medicine, goods and leading classes and workshops. There are a few requirements which we ask of any potentially interested parties: 1) Respect for and adherence to (or very sincere willingness to take on) our spiritual/religious lifestyle and practices including Torah, Shabbat, festivals, clean living, and simplicity. This is simply about creating sustainable, synergistic cultural values and common, shared lifestyle. There are many alternatives elsewhere. 2) Ability to do some physical work or contribute physically in a substantial way. Not everyone would have to be a full-time farmer but we do operate pretty labor-intensive businesses. We are open to new business ventures. 3) Willingness to patiently and lovingly create this community, together. That takes honesty, humility, patience, cooperation and good communication. 4) Some amount of financial resources to eventually invest in a land base and a home for yourself on the future site. 5) A flexible, openness and cooperative heart when it comes to decisions, faith matters and lifestyle. This is not a cult and we do not have a charismatic leader, nor the correct and final answers or solutions to everything. If this sounds appealing to you, lets start a personal dialogue and tell us about yourself, your current circumstances and your intentional community desires. We are in the forming stages, but we are highly-organized and motivated and have a huge resource base already in place. We would be delighted, after positive, affirmative dialoguing, to invite you and yours to our farm to work alongside you, pray alongside you see if we might be a righteous fit and could build this community, together. Email us and let's start a dialogue!