Who Is Elon Musk's Brother? Kimbal Musk Is Helping Millennials Become Farmers

Elon Musk is known for his multiple companies, including Tesla and Space X. However, not many people know his brother, Kimbal Musk, co-founded a company based in Brooklyn that teaches millennials how to farm.

The company, Square Roots, teaches young people how to grow food from containers in Brooklyn -- and it’s currently recruiting young entrepreneurs that are interested.

Musk seems to be tapping into the demographic that is propelling the organic food industry. Musk, who is only a year younger than the Space X CEO, noted in an interview with CNBC that millennials are driving sales of organic foods. He also said young people are interested in farming to change the way food is produced.

"If you look at just five years ago, farming was considered, you know, this is what your grandparents did. And over the past few years, there's been this extraordinary demand and desire to be a farmer amongst the younger generation," Musk said in the interview.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows an increase in farming among young people ages 25 and 34 between 2007 and 2012. Meanwhile, a survey released last month by the National Young Farmer Coalition shows millennials in the industry are different from their older counterparts. The findings show millennial farmers are more likely to have attended college, and are not precisely from farming families. Young farmers also more inclined to use organic or sustainable practices. They are also much more aware about climate change, focusing not on whether it’s real, but on how to deal with it in the farming industry.

What Is Square Roots?

Square Roots is pulling millennials out of the offices and into the farming business. The company teaches 10 people how to grow food. With eight gallons of water a day, the containers in Brooklyn grow food and can hold up to 50 lbs of leafy greens a week.

“Square Roots brings together technology, entrepreneurship, and a love for local, real food to empower leaders in urban agriculture,” the company’s site says. “Ten real food entrepreneurs grow local, tasty, food inside hydroponic, controlled-climate container farms located in the parking lot.”

Interested entrepreneurs can sign up for a 13-month program, which includes “skill-based training, professional development plans.” Throughout the program, participants can attend classes, workshops, coaching and training sessions.

The company hopes to steer people away from foods that are processed.

“Our cities are at the mercy of an industrial food system that ships in high-calorie, low-nutrient, processed food from thousands of miles away,” the company’s site says. “It leaves us disconnected from the comfort, the nourishment, and the taste of food—not to mention the people who grow it. The results are awful, from obesity and diabetes epidemics to massive impact on the planet. It’s no surprise that people are turning against this system. People want real, local food - food you can trust to nourish your body, the community, and the planet. And they want it all year round, grown in the cities where they live.”

For those who are interested in the farming industry, Square Roots is holding several workshops in January.