Now, that’s a farm system!
Dana Cavalea used to train Yankees as the team’s director of strength and conditioning, even helping to clinch the World Series in 2009. Now, he’s cultivating his own Field of Dreams.
“For years, my background in sports was helping athletes source good quality food,” Cavalea, 42, told The Post. “I just thought, ‘Well, what better way to source quality food than raise your own?’”
Despite no prior agriculture experience, Cavalea and his wife, Lauren, purchased 180 acres in the tiny upstate town of Greene and operate a growing direct-to-consumer meat business.
Freedom Farms is fielding an influx of orders thanks to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which emphasizes natural and whole foods.
“I’ve run other businesses before, and I haven’t seen anything take off quite like this,” said Dana, who worked with the Yankees from 2002 to 2014, coached business executives and wrote “Habits of a Champion.”
An organic journey
The couple, who grew up on Long Island and relocated to Florida, came across the farm while checking out local real estate during a 2020 vacation.
“We met this woman that was the owner of the farm, who was in her 80s, who was looking to pass the torch,” Dana recalled. “She gave us a three-hour walking tour of the property.”
Three months later, the land was theirs.
The dream of a summer home eventually evolved as the Cavaleas saw business potential — even though they didn’t have enough cows for a home team.
“I’ve sort of used this whole baptism-by-fire method my whole life,” Dana said.
The couple worked the land, rebuilt the barn and the facilities, collaborated with local farmers and sourced 150 heads of cattle. The meat venture launched in 2022.
Now, Freedom Farms boasts over 15,000 customers, mostly conservative blue-collar workers and military veterans. A delivery van services NYC, Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey.
They specialize in grass-fed, grass-finished prime beef with no added hormones.
Grass-fed beef tends to have a higher concentration of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), vitamin E and beta-carotene than grain-fed beef — with fewer calories and less fat to boot.
While farm-to-table is often more expensive than grocery-store cuts, the Cavaleas said the distinction is clear.
“We never really bought meat off of a farm,” Dana said. “So, to our surprise, when we first did, the taste was certainly much different. And … when you cooked the burgers and when you cooked the meats, they held their size and they held their shape.”
Growing pains
As with every start-up, and in baseball, there have been highs and lows.
“I’ve actually turned into Beth Dutton sometimes,” said Lauren, 42, referring to the protective “Yellowstone” antihero.
The “city slickers” have, at times, run afoul of the “very-cutthroat, very-old-boys-club” upstate farming community.
But their “contrarian” marketing strategy, which includes sharing pro-Trump messaging and posting emails penned by “rogue vegans,” has helped them retain over 70% of their customers.
Politics aside, the unpredictable weather and sky-high operating expenses have proved difficult. The Cavaleas estimate they shell out $250 daily to feed their cows, $1,350 weekly for pigs and $500 monthly for egg-laying chickens.
“When you start to put all these costs together, it would be like feeding a big family, except our family is livestock,” Dana said. “We basically feed a family of like 500 every day.”
Food production costs are also astronomical, from the transporters to the local feed mill and the order handlers.
“So when you start to see meat at the store for like $4, $5, $6, you’re like, ‘How do they do it?’” Dana mused. “And that’s what I think has priced a lot of small farms out of the game.”
On the horizon
Acquiring a US Department of Agriculture slaughterhouse was not part of the Cavaleas’ initial vision, but now they want to “control the process even more from start to finish.”
“That is, and will continue to be, our biggest bottleneck in the business, because these slaughterhouses, they’re not going to eliminate all their other customers in order to meet your needs,” Dana said.
In the meantime, they are working on feeding and building their loyal base.
The free third-annual Freedom Fest, set for Sept. 13, will feature a pig roast, BBQ, live music, tours, rides and games.
“The goal is to continue to bring new customers into the system, service those customers well, grow year over year, watch the business create value and the brand become valuable,” Dana said.
If you till it, they will come.
