Farming & Resource Management
I was raised on a dairy farm in Allegany County, NY. The cows were my friends, as were the goslings, barn cats, and trusty canine companions. I feel so fortunate to have grown up with room to roam, a place where we whistled and sang while we worked and where the noise of the modern world was distant and muffled, a place where I developed a reverence for life and death.
As an adult, I studied agriculture, started a farmers market, worked for my parents and other farmers, and had a flock of sheep that I grazed around the neighborhood and on my parents' land. I sold my sheep in 2016 but remained active in the agriculture community. I provided respite to farmers, looking after their farms while they travelled.
Knowing firsthand and secondhand about the joys and challenges of farming, I returned to college and studied farm transitions and aging in rural areas. I came to better understand the complex dynamics that impact rural communities. I have since graduated college and returned to serve a rural community as a care manager for older adults aging-in-place.
I plan to start a flock of sheep in 2025 and offer custom grazing to nearby landowners.
