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JBG sets up every week at the SFC farmers' market. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Editor's note: It's small business week from May 2-8, so Austonia will highlight a small business every day this week. Check back tomorrow for the next small business profile.
Johnson's Backyard Garden has a mission: feeding the Austin community high-quality, certified organic produce that was grown right here in our backyards.
JBG started with humble beginnings—the year was 2004 when Brenton Johnson started selling the veggies he grew in his East Austin backyard at local farmers' markets. After 17 years, you can find it at 11 different markets and select stores around town, delivering fresh veggies to 10 different cities.
Today, all the produce is grown in Garfield, Texas, on 186 acres of land; the company quickly outgrew Johnson's small backyard. JBG marketing manager Ada Broussard said with the huge growth in Austin, local produce is in high demand.
"I wanted to work for a farm that was producing food in a way that was both sustainable and regenerative for the environment," Broussard said. "We are a local farm here but we're also in a huge growing town—there are almost a million people in this area so it really takes a lot of farmland to grow food for this community. JBG is able to grow a lot of food and turn the dial a little bit on our local food economy."
So why buy local produce?
Broussard said one of the biggest reasons is getting more bang for your buck. When you buy local, you buy fresher food and reduce your carbon footprint because it doesn't have to travel as far. It lasts longer, supports the local economy and keeps farmland from being developed.
Plus, Broussard said, local produce has more nutrients and tastes better.
"There are so many benefits and when you buy food locally, it gives you an opportunity to really know your farmer, which is just nice because it's easier to ensure the environmental sustainability or the quality or the employee welfare," Broussard said. "And of course, when you're eating from a local farm, you're really supporting the men and women who are the farmers at that business."
If you don't believe it, you can go check the farm out for yourself. JBG has a farm stand on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. where you can roam the fields, buy transplants for your own summer garden and of course, stock up on a rainbow of vegetables. Broussard said her current favorites are the variety of onions.
Even if you can't make it to JBG's myriad locations, it offers a Community Supported Agriculture program that delivers produce directly to your door.
"Having more residents in Austin and more people interested in local produce is definitely something we welcome," Broussard said. "We wish that there were more farms like us. We still need more local farms to feed the town. There are plenty of people that we're unable to feed so if there was more and more produce being grown here locally, it would help the supply to the local community."
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(Shutterstock)
If the idea of the metaverse makes you feel more scared than excited, you’re not alone.
In a recent poll on the metaverse, a third of respondents leaned toward feeling more scared about it. It’s a response fitting for a tool that’s in its infancy stages, where it’s not uncommon for some to find it elusive or irrelevant, or require a virtual reality headset.
Amber Allen, founder of metaverse company Double A, has noticed these concerns. Now with the Austin-based company, she’s working on advancements in the metaverse, which may see progress in business use before it becomes mainstream in the general public. But getting to that point involves demystifying misconceptions over it, like that we’ll all put a headset on and avoid real life.
“A lot of people are talking about the metaverse and like what it could be in 10 or 30 years. And they're not talking a lot about what it is right now. And I think that's what scares people and confuses them,” Allen told Austonia. “I'm just very passionate about what is the metaverse now. It's the next wave of the internet. No, you don't need to wear a VR headset.”
(Amber Allen/Twitter)
She broke this down last week in Forbes, writing about what is hype versus what’s actually happening with this phase of the internet.
Allen sees how eventually, the metaverse could become a part of how we play and interact. But before the Metaverse extends to the average consumer, many predict that it will be popular in business first.
It’s why some think Microsoft may have an edge over Facebook turned Meta in the industry. And why Allen has designed for work that’s 3D, interactive and business to business, garnering interest from companies like General Mills, Dell and Chanel.
She points to how many workers now prefer a hybrid work environment, but says the business tools are not there right now. It’s not just within the workplace, however. Double A also offers tools for boosting sales and generating brand engagement through activities like watch parties and meet and greets.
With companies like Allen’s, corporate metaverse use could see wider adoption. Double A has hired 13 people this year, adding to the ranks of nearly 30 employees plus dozens of contractors. Some are remote workers outside of Texas while others use the office in East Austin with graffiti art that includes popular gaming figures like Zelda and the Mario Brothers.
Allen takes great pride in working in her home state, saying that she’d like to be a great ambassador for Austin. She said she wants people new to the city to feel welcome. She has meet ups from time to time so that new people who have moved in can get face time with others who have been in Austin for a while.
Still, her work is bound to extend outside of Austin as she aims to create products that will have global reach.
“I want to change the world,” Allen said. “You got to think localized. If I'm creating something, how does this work for Europe? How would this work for Asia? How can they build on things?”
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(Austonia)
The record-breaking heat seen last week is officially coming to a halt as some much-needed rain is expected in Austin from Monday through Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Central Texas as thunderstorms headed this way could be strong to severe.
Thunderstorms are forecast to begin in the west around 6 p.m. Monday, bringing about a half-inch of rain through the night. Then Tuesday, thunderstorms will likely begin after 1 p.m. lasting through the night. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will be in the mid-80s before dropping to the mid-70s on Wednesday. Wednesday will also bring rain and thunderstorms in the morning before clearing out.
Rainfall chances will increase today beginning in the west before spreading east. Rain chances remain elevated through tonight and then again tomorrow and tomorrow night. Strong to severe storms and locally heavy rain will be possible from the stronger activity. pic.twitter.com/f8OpN50dkX
— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) May 23, 2022
The rain comes after a dry spring that has pushed drought conditions from moderate to severe, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Lake Travis has dropped to its lowest level in almost 4 years as a result.