The 2016 Farm Team Welcomes Renae!

This year, we are fortunate to have the majority of our team from 2015 return for another season at Weavers Way Farms.  Having experienced, returning staff allows us to hit the ground running in the spring, and fosters the greatest opportunity to improve as a farm as we build on successes and failures from the past season.

However, to round out a well-balanced team, it is also important to have new ideas and a fresh perspective, and broaden our perspectives as farmers with new coworkers. This year we are thrilled to have Renae Cairns join the team for her first season with Weavers Way Farms. We want you to know the people who grow your food, so please enjoy her bio below.

Renae Cairns, Field Assistant
I came to farming with a deep belief that food has the power to transform our world.  Growing up, I constantly donned my rubber boots and followed my dad around in hayfields and on neighbors’ farms—climbing around barns and sneaking around the animals.  Although it took many years for me to seriously consider a life in food and farming, it was definitely an influential part of my childhood landscape. 
I went on to study anthropology in college which challenged me to gain a more critical perspective on our current food and agricultural systems and inspired me to begin reaching out to farms and food-related organizations to gain experience in the field.  I began by volunteering with the local community garden, farmers’ market, a meals-on-wheels program, and our college farm to begin learning about some of the many agents in our local food system.  Later, I began working for Sow Much Good, a non-profit in Charlotte, North Carolina working to create a more racially and economically just food system through urban farming and community-based initiatives.  With SMG I helped execute the daily tasks of the farm sites from crop planning and seed propagation to field maintenance, harvesting, and distribution.
After two and a half seasons with SMG, I decided to move closer to my family in upstate New York and spent this past winter working on a small, yet incredibly productive, certified organic, no-till farm in the Catskill Mountain area of New York State.  At this farm, I learned a massive amount about what it requires to run a successful, production-focused, for-profit growing operation—even during NY winters!    
Then, I came across the opening for a field assistant at Weavers Way Farms and was beyond excited for the possibility of working for a cooperatively-owned business while continuing to work in farming and food systems.  I firmly believe that centering community, strengthening local economies, working cooperatively, and restoring the environment are all imperative components of a more just and equitable future and as I learn more about the farms and the co-op each and every day, my excitement only grows for all that Weavers Way currently does towards those ends as well as our potential to keep striving for far-reaching, meaningful change. 
For those of you reading this who may be less familiar with Weavers Way Farms, I want y’all to know that the people who comprise the farm team are just as beautiful as the produce that finds its way onto our co-op shelves, your plates, and into your CSA shares.  It is through their endless hard work, passion, extensive knowledge, and enthusiasm that we have some of the highest quality and most delicious produce around.  It is a privilege to join this team and I am excited to meet more and more of the Weavers Way community around the stores and, hopefully, out at the farms!

Meet Another Member of our Farming Team

Hello, my name is Yona Hudson and I am the yearlong apprentice at Henry Got Crops! I have been working at the farm, since the summer season started. Perhaps you have seen me, I'm normally helping out one of the other farmers doing something, or talking in the "Creamery" to a volunteer. I LOVE the farm, and have a HUGE passion for urban farming and sustainability. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, I'm normally wearing Crocs (depending on the weather) or my awesome sunglasses or even playing music in the field! I have been blessed with having a bunch of different food justice opportunities. For example, I participated in creating the first ever Youth Food Bill of Rights, I have been apart of the Weavers Way Bike tour, I worked at Marathon Farm last summer in Brewerytown, I was a part of the Farm Bill panel last year, etc. I plan on applying to an agriculture based college/university this fall, such as Penn State Berks or Warren Wilson College and major in Sustainable Agriculture or Food Systems. Also, my dream job would be to join Food Corp then after, travel to learn about different food systems and sustainable agriculture in different parts of the country and the world. I am and will always be at the farm, so if any of you have a question, I'd be happy to answer it. Also, if you have never met me and would like to, I will be supervising the Tuesday CSA pick-up from 2pm-4pm. Hope to see you there!!!

Meet the Farm Production Team

At Henry Got Crops Chris O’Brien, Matt Steuer and Nancy Anderson have joined me on the farm production team. Chris is a Biology and Environmental Science major from Temple University. He is from western Massachusetts. He has spent two seasons working on Community Cooperative Farm in Great Barrington, MA. Here he gained experience working at a vegetable CSA as well as working with grass-fed, pasture raised cows for dairy and meat production.

Matt is a Liberal Studies major from Portland State University. Matt has volunteered and studied at various farms throughout Oregon, both urban and rural. He has also toured multiple farms between Vancouver and California on an agricultural themed bike trip. Most recently he was volunteering at the well known City Slickers Farms in Oakland, CA. Nancy is a long time co-op member and resident of Philadelphia who joins us with a strong background in cartography and horticulture. She is a partner in a cartography and information design company called NaZa Designs. She manages the gardens at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church and was the market grower/farmer at Overbrook Herb Farm for six years.

I have been managing Henry Got Crops, in some shape or form, for four years now. I learned how to farm because I wanted to be more self sufficient. After only a few months of living on a farm in British Columbia, I fell in love with it and decided I wanted to be able to answer, “I farm”  when anyone asked the question, “what do you do?” Then I moved to Philadelphia to learn about what it was like to farm in a city. I thought I would stay for 8 months and leave. Then I fell in love with it and decided to stay for another, and another and another season. There seems to be a trend here- a previously undetermined path has unfolded into a passion and a lifestyle for me, one that I could not be happier about. I grew up in Vermont and have happily found a way to recreate a small town, country feeling in a big city.

Meet The Farmers-- Molly Devinney

Hi everyone! My name is Molly Devinney and I'm so excited to join the Henry Got Crops! team as the farm apprentice for the entire season. I recently graduated from Ursinus College where I majored in Environmental Studies and Sociology. I fell in love with farming while spending countless hours at the Ursinus' student run organic garden, where I helped plant a fruit tree orchard, raise chickens, and keep a honey bee hive. I hope you enjoy your vegetables, I am enjoying working hard to make your CSA experience an enjoyable one!

Meet the Farmers--Student Viewpoints.

At Henry Got Crops we do everything we can to incorporate students from Saul into every aspect of the CSA. Clare is working hard to bring the education programs to their full potential. Every student that comes out to the farm is contributing to the function and operation of the CSA. Below is one student’s essay about her experience working on the farm. She not only came out to the CSA with her class this spring, but also volunteered on the weekend at the spring fundraiser. Some of the money from that event went to purchasing a share that got raffled off to a different Saul student every week for free for the entire season.

By Rielle:

From the point of view of a Saul Agricultural Student, and having fully participated in the preparation of vegetation, I have realized how much it is important in my life. The CSA is important to my life because it provides vegetables, fruits and other food products that are beneficial to my family and me. The CSA provides opportunity of certain safe foods, that aren’t disturbed with preservatives or added ingredients.
I have learned a lot within my ten weeks here with the CSA. I have learned that you can’t just water plants; you have to fill it with two capfuls of fertilizer. I have also learned that you absolutely can not step on the planting beds, because it compacts the nutrients inside. Besides all of the necessary instructions, I have learned that the CSA group is not just a group of people that plant food, but really are educated, friendly people that treat people well, and treat people like family.
To be completely honest about my feelings toward the CSA, I would have to say that I honestly and truly like it. The workers and farmers sincerely love what they do and when I’m around them listening to them explain, I feel compelled to try it because they make it sound so pleasing. Another reason why is because you get an opportunity to work out doors, and get an experience of a lifetime. The CSA teaches you about life, health, and also GOOD FOOD!!!

Meet the Farmers-- Clare Hyre

Greetings from Henry Got Crops! agricultural programs - I 'm Clare Hyre and I'm the new education coordinator at Saul High School for the CSA! A brief introduction of myself is that I am originally from Virginia and that I went to a small Quaker College in Greensboro, NC for college (Guilford) where I studied Peace and Conflict Studies and Religious Studies and where I spent thousands of hours volunteering nationally and internationally through the Bonner Scholars Program. During and after college I worked on educational farms in California, Maine, Connecticut and New York and I and am glad to have finally found a home at Weavers Way.
The education coordinator position is brand new and was formerly part of Nina and Nicole's job. We all agree that having someone focused solely on education at the CSA (even if only part time) is proving to be very successful.
At the farm things are going full swing and the enthusiasm for education programs is very high. People are so enthusiastic that classes have to come out every other week to make sure that everyone gets a turn weeding, transplanting, and creating new beds! Students learn how to grow vegetables from seed to table and are able to understand the importance of local and sustainable agriculture. Likewise, I hope to incorporate what students are learning in the field into what they're learning in the classroom, and vice versa. Because Saul is an agricultural high school the students can see how everything fits together and how important healthy food is to healthy living.
Another fun part of my job is running the Farm Club, which meets every Wednesday afternoon and students get to explore the CSA, taste test, and help out with our weekly farm stand. As well as growing for a CSA we sell our produce to the local community in Roxborough. Having the kids help run the farm stand is a great way for them to see the business components of farming and learn about marketing. Through the educational programs at Henry Got Crops! I hope to deepen the relationship between the Saul students and the CSA, empowering them to find ownership in the work they do. All families of Saul students are offered a discount if they choose to join the CSA.
Soon there will be several paid high school interns on the farm and we will also be working with incoming freshman classes to introduce them to the farm. It will be a busy place with all the CSA pick- ups and fields a plenty. Hopefully I will see ya'll at the farm and we can chat while harvesting U- pick green beans grown by Saul students.

Meet Our Farmers-- Nina Berryman

Our farming team at Henry Got Crops grows and shrinks with the change of the season. At this point, there is only one year-round employee, myself, the farm manager. I hope to one day soon make our seasonal Education Coordinator year-round to work with students throughout the entire school year. We also have a full time, seasonal apprentice, a full time, summer intern, and part time, summer students who make up the team. Then of course, during the school year we have about 6 classes from Saul who work and learn on the farm on either a weekly or biweekly basis. For the next few weeks a member of our team will be profiled in the newsletter. I grew up in the woods of Vermont, surrounded by fantastic examples or sustainable agriculture. Of course, while living in Vermont I never once thought about agriculture as a career choice, and it took moving away from Vermont, to the Canadian city of Montreal where I went to University, to realize that I wanted to be a farmer. After studying Environmental Studies and Geography at McGill University, I moved to British Columbia to attend an 8 -month, ecological gardening program. Here I lived on a very remote island, on a farm, learning hands-on the basic principles and practices of sustainable agriculture. While I loved the rural countryside of both Vermont and British Columbia, I was drawn to the challenges and creativities of urban farming. At that point the idea of growing food in the city on a scale that was larger than a community garden was new to me, and I thought new to our society. I was excited by the innovation involved. While this excitement has not worn off, I have since learned that the idea of growing food in cities is as old as cities themselves. Determined to gain experience in urban farming, I started searching for urban agricultural opportunities, back on the east coast. A few google searches later I found Weavers Way and applied for one of the apprentice positions on the farm. That was 2008 and the first year Weavers Way Farm offered an apprenticeship. At the end of the season our farming team at the time decided the farm was ready for an expansion and myself and the other apprentice, Nicole, started Henry Got Crops, turning Weavers Way Farm into Weavers Way FarmS. Nicole and I co-managed for two years, and this is my first season solo-managing at Henry Got Crops. Nicole is back at the original Weavers Way Farm site, where we apprenticed, which is officially named the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm. I’m certainly not on my own this year though, thank goodness! You can read more about the rest of the team next week!

Philadelphia Youth Network Partners with Henry Got Crops!

For the second year now we have partnered with the Philadelphia Youth Network to offer summer employment for students at Saul. Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) is a nonprofit that encourages job training for youth by providing funds to organizations like ours who in turn hire youth to work with them. It’s a great way to offer summer employment to students while introducing them to the ins and outs of what it takes to work on a farm. We are privileged to be working with two great students from Saul this summer. They have been working hard, side by side with us since the beginning of July and will work a total of 6 weeks at the farm. Vicky and Yona have endured the 100 degree weather of July, helped us harvest record amounts of squash and cucumbers and are helping us save our tomatoes with hours and hours of pruning and trellising to get them up off the ground so they can grow more productively. We have been blown away with their level of maturity, curiosity in urban farming and endurance in working long, hard days. I would go on, but I’ll hold back and save some room so they can introduce themselves!

Vicky
Hi, my name is Victoria and I work for my school. I and another intern are learning the ups and downs of growing your own crops. While working here I've learned that tomatoes get diseases really fast and that the leaves on the squash can make you break out if you don't have sleeves! Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 5'2”, brown eyes and black hair. I like eating yellow carrots and love drinking peach and raspberry tea. I try to be more independent than people think, because I am growing up I think I want to do more things on my own. I also like the color green and the color purple. I enjoy the twilight series (team Jacob)! lol. I am a free spirit, and like crafty things. I think my motto would be “it is what it is.” I like picking blackberries and raspberries too.

Yona
Hi, I’m Yona. I’m a summer intern at Henry Got Crops. I’m a sophomore at W.B. Saul. I’m a gemini, 15, and I’m majoring in food science. What I want to get out of the internship is to learn more about urban organic farming. Also, to meet new interesting people. So far, I think I've gotten just that. I like farming because I get to interact with people every day and I like being part of a team. Also, growing local organic vegetables. I was born and raised in Philadelphia. Love the city and culture and super excited about farming over the summer.

Meet Nicole!

I grew up in Connecticut, in a family that had lost its relationship with agriculture back when my great grandparents emigrated from their plum farm in Poland. I reengaged almost by accident, inspired in college by a newfound angst about economic globalization to try to understand my local agricultural system, then hooked on farming by the hard work, opportunity for inventiveness, the extremely high caliber of conversation that occurs while weeding a bed of carrots, and the sudden opportunity to never go indoors. My spirit plant is the dandelion, although I am also drawn very strongly to the bean and the kohlrabi. I enjoy singing at the top of my lungs while operating farm machinery, because then nobody can hear me very well.

Meet Kirsten!

Hey there! My name is Kirsten and as the latest addition to Weavers Way Farm at Saul, I’d like to introduce myself to the Northwest Philadelphia community.
I hail from a small town in northern New Jersey and have been going to school at Reed College in Portland, Oregon for the past three years. I study contemporary American history with a focus on environmental, social, and cultural histories. Outside of school I coordinate and lead community service projects in Portland to urban farms, city parks and community gardens, and the Oregon Food Bank with an organization called SEEDS (Students for Education, Empowerment, and Direct Service).

So what brings me back all the way across the country to Philadelphia for the summer? Urban farming! To be perfectly honest, it’s hard to remember exactly how I ended up on this path. Last summer I volunteered at Pennypack Farm & CSA in Horsham, PA and did an “intern-swap day” at Weavers Way Farm at Awbury Arboretum. I met a lot of people not much older than me who were involved in urban agriculture hand heard about the community gardens and farms and sustainable food initiatives all over Philadelphia. I was so inspired.

And it dawned on me that organic farming in the city and working with young people was exactly what I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to apprentice here because of the opportunity to learn more about how to make an urban farm a real, sustainable source of local, organic, and secure food, do hands-on education with students, work for a newly blossoming CSA, and of course—grow some delicious vegetables.
In my free time I love to bike around the city, read food histories, practice yoga, get lost in the mountains on long hikes, cook for loved ones, and experiment with vegan & gluten-free baking.

It’s super exciting to be back in Philadelphia. I feel so lucky to work with and learn from Nina and Nicole, as well as Sarah and Zemora, here at Weavers Way Farm. Thank you so much for welcoming me into your community. I look forward to meeting more of you CSA members and celebrating the summer harvest!

Meet Zemora!

Hi! My name is Zemora. I'm really excited to be interning at Henry Got Crops!
Right now, my favorite thing we've got growing is probably the hakurei turnips. I think they taste like ice cream. My interests include hiking, drawing, reading, going on adventures, and laughing at funny shaped vegetables, especially carrots that look like pants.

I go to Hampshire College in western Massachussetts where I study community food systems and resistance to capitalism. When I was little, I lived with the largest flock of angora goats east of the Mississippi. If this helps you know anything about me, I'm a pisces, my moon sign is scorpio and my ascendant is sagitarius.

I've dabbled in a few farms and gardens here and there, but this summer is my first experience really farming for a long stretch of time. So far, it's off to a great start. My main goals for the summer are: to learn by doing, to connect with and explore Philly's abundant urban agriculture scene, and to gain skills that will help me weather the apocalypse. I also hope to learn a lot of new recipes, get a rockin' farmer's tan, and perhaps even discover what my spirit plant is.
Looking forward to seeing you at the farm!

Meet Sarah!

Hello shareholders, I'm so excited to be living and farming in Philadelphia. After growing up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, I moved to Boston, Mass. to go to college and studied cultural anthropology. After a stint as a museum assistant, I decided to try out farming for a month on Long Island and I realized it was the only thing I wanted to do. I had my first apprenticeship last summer at a small CSA farm in northern Rhode Island and am here in Philly to learn more about farm education and working side-by-side with youth. In my free time, I like to ride my bike, explore the Wissahickon, daydream about pie, write letters and make comics. My spirit animals are the manatee, orca whale, Atlantic harbor seal and the turkey. Feel free to talk to me about mid-Atlantic plants and trees, astrology and garlic.

Farmer Biographies: Meet Nina!

Hi Shareholders!

In case we haven’t met yet, I am one of the co-managers of the CSA. I moved to Philadelphia a little over two years ago with the purpose of learning more about urban agriculture. I grew up in Vermont and always loved working and playing outside and had a love for being in nature. It wasn’t until college while getting my undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies that I decided I wanted to learn more about growing food. When I was younger, I knew I wanted a career that kept me active and outside, but gardening and growing food had previously been something I considered a hobby or a temporary summer job. After graduating from McGill University I stumbled across a program in British Columbia called the Linnaea Ecological Garden Programme. Linnaea Farm is on rural Cortes Island and the people that live there invite students to come and live on the farm and study agriculture for an entire season. For eight months farming was my life and it struck a chord deep inside me. I left the program realizing that farming was the perfect mix of my interests: working outside, taking care of the earth and being self-sufficient. I also realized that after living in such an isolated area for 8 months, I didn’t want to farm in the country but wanted to try urban farming instead. I also wanted to teach others about the importance of growing food. I returned home to Vermont and began searching for an urban farming position. After some quality time on the internet, I discovered that Philadelphia had more urban farming opportunities than most cities on the east coast. I applied for an apprenticeship at Weavers Way in 2008 and haven’t left since.
When I’m not farming, I put my energy towards various activities and crafts. I’m currently trying to learn more about sewing as well as fixing bikes. I have a bit of a one-track mind and don’t stray far from farming even when I’m doing these other activities. I am currently daydreaming about sewing a farm banner and building a bike-powered salad spinner! In the winter when the farming season slows down I try to spend as much time as possible in the snow back in Vermont.

Meet the Farming Team!

Weavers Way has a few different farms around North West Philadelphia. However, we don’t all work at all the farms; we specialize in one location. At Henry Got Crops, Nicole Sugerman and I co-manage the farm. We work year round in every aspect of the farm, from harvesting to planting to administrative tasks to working with the students at Saul. Every year we invite apprentices to work with us on all of the Weavers Way Farm sites. The apprenticeship is an educational, working experience, geared towards people who want to learn more about farming through hands-on experience. Nicole and I started at Weavers Way as apprentices ourselves. The apprenticeship is April through November and is full time. Apprentices are involved with every aspect of the farm, including production and education. This year we are thrilled to be working with Sarah Garton, the apprentice at Henry Got Crops.
We also consider the students and integral part of the farming team, here at Saul. Students come out to the farm to work with us, weeding, planting and harvesting. It is important to us that the farm not only be a production farm, but also a working, educational farm.

We also have members of Weavers Way Co-op come out to the farm to work with us and complete their working hours if they are enrolled as working members with the store. If you want to fulfill your co-op hours this way, look for our work shifts posted on the electronic work calendar on the store’s website.
As the season progresses, our team will only grow. Half way through the first pick-up week a new intern will join the team, and the first week in June a second will be working with us as well. We’ll introduce them in the newsletter as they arrive. Over the summer we also employ a few Saul students to work with us through the Philadelphia Youth Network.

And last but not least, we recognize that all of you, the shareholders, are members of the farm team as well. We certainly couldn’t do this without you, and through your unique contribution as a shareholder in the farm, you are more than customers- this is your farm as well!

Meet Farm Aarion Warren

Aarion Warren is a student at Saul and will be going into the 10th grade this fall. He is 14 years old and lives in Germantown. His major at Saul is Landscape Design. He is on the football team and next year will be joining the bowling team at Saul. His favorite vegetable is collard greens.

Meet Farmer Eve Fisher

Eve Fisher
Summer Intern

"I grew up in center city Philadelphia and lived in Mt Airy and Germantown for about five years, during which time I enjoyed being a co-op member and living among the trees, plants and bugs of the Wissahickon Watershed. For the last three years I have been living in San Francisco and getting more involved in urban farming, gardening, and permaculture. I came back to Philly to do an internship with Weaver's Way Farm because I wanted the chance to immerse myself in the field (both literally and figuratively!) and to be a part of the Weaver's Way community again. I am greatly enjoying my work and the chance to learn about and participate in growing so much beautiful food!"

Meet Farmer Amanda Bonacci

Amanda is going to be a Senior at Saul this fall. She is 16 years old and lives just around the corner in Roxborough. She is an Environemntal Science major and enjoys writing. She is also a member of Saul’s volleyball team. She has been involved with the CSA from the very beginning, as she helped create the brochure for Henry Got Crops! last fall.

Meet Farmer Dana Kilgariff

This week marks the first week that we will have four students from Saul working with us for 20 hrs a week for the next 6 weeks. They are working with us through the Philadelphia Youth Network program which connects high school students with summer employment opportunities. These students have worked with us during the school year and now will continue helping out on the farm throughout the summer.

Dana Kilgariff

Dana is going to be junior at Saul this fall. She is 18 years old and lives in West Philly. She is an Animal Science major and wants to go continue to work in large animal science after high school. She rides horses and likes to read when she is not in school. She is part of the cross-country running tam and the softball team at Saul. Dana is the only member of our farming team that can boast that she has completed a marathon! She was an intern with Weavers Way Farm last summer at the Awbury Arboretum.

Meet Farmer Izzy Jansen

"I'm going to be a senior at Germantown Friends School in the fall. I like to play basketball and go hiking. I became aware of and interested in the Weavers Way Farms through a one month internship with the Co-op this past January. I wanted to continue pursuing my interest in local agriculture in a more hands-on and outdoors-y fashion (the farm!). My favorite vegetables are cucumbers."

Meet Farmer Lindsay Robbins

Lindsay is a part-time intern at Saul, usually here in the afternoons following a morning of baking cakes downtown in the Northern Liberties. She first learned about the magic of CSAs when she volunteered and shared harvest with students at Hampshire College, a long time running student CSA and farm in beautiful western Massachusetts. She has also worked farms in the Canadian Rockies in British Colombia and various parts of Oregon. After her travels, she decided to bring her experiences back to her hometown of Philadelphia, where she did some small gardening projects before getting involved with the amazing CSA here at Saul. Fascinated with Saul's unique program, Lindsay secretly wishes she could be fourteen again and enroll in classes. Visits to the woods of the Wissahickon are memories she can recall as a child and the opportunity to farm here is a meaningful return. She is looking forward to harvesting her favorite crop, carrots, this summer and hopes to make friends with the coyote that visits us from time to time in the fields.