A useful learning and networking opportunity for anyone interested in regenerative farming: the Farming as a Climate Solution free webinar on April 21. Here’s the description:
Hear from several of the farmers hosting Terra.do’s Climate Farm School program about how they are implementing regenerative principles.
About this event
In this hourlong webinar, Climate Farm School Director Dr. Laney Siegner will moderate a panel discussion with three of the host farmers for the program. Panelists will share how they are operationalizing regenerative agriculture on their farms, what challenges they are facing as they seek to catalyze a more regenerative and climate friendly farming future, and what they are most excited to share with participants who join in for land-based learning through this unique program offering. There will be plenty of time at the end for audience Q&A, so come get your questions about nature-based climate solutions answered by this panel of knowledgable land stewards!
Moderator:
Dr. Laney Siegner received her Ph.D. from the U.C. Berkeley Energy and Resources Group in 2019. Her researched focused on sustainable food systems and climate change education, and she spent several summers during her graduate studies working and living on diversified farms. She joined Terra.do in May 2020 as the first instructor for the Climate Change: Learning for Action course, and launched the Climate Farm School program at Terra in fall 2021.
Panelists:
Aubrie Maze runs Brambletail Homestead, a Jersey cow dairy herdshare at Green Valley Farm + Mill. Aubrie has dedicated her life to the traditional arts of land-based skills. With a background in herbal medicine and animal husbandry, Aubrie weaves the lives of humans with our essential, connective and productive relationship with plants and animals here at Green Valley. Aubrie has spent the past ten years living in intentional communities gaining deep knowledge of the internal structures that support such communities and has dedicated her organizational skills to helping them thrive. Having lived for on the land for 10+ years, Aubrie continues to deepen her relationship to this land by raising animals alongside her partner Scott Kelley. She is also launching a u-pick medicinal herb garden and community garden project this year to extend the gifts of the land to the surrounding community.
Nate Sander is the Education Manager at Round the Bend Farm in South Dartmouth, MA. He came to RTB in the fall of 2014, after working in the Seattle Public School system for seven years where he taught in the classroom, implemented afterschool and summer programming, and worked in school-community partnerships at the district level. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Nate earned a BFA in painting and printmaking. Nate has worn several hats at the farm. As permaculture specialist, his early work focused on developing a perennial food landscape. He has also supported the work of the “agripreneurs”- from planting veg gardens to building animal infrastructure to hay making- and has contributed in a large way to the construction of our education center as a carpenter. Now as Education Manager he is fulfilling a crucial element of RTB’s mission- to educate people of all ages. Nate will use his background in teaching and education policy to build equitable programming, and utilize the farm as a living laboratory- where the potential for hands-on learning and experiential discovery is limitless.
Spencer Fenniman came to Hawthorne Valley Farm in January 2012 to take on the position of Field Manager. A Westchester County native, Spencer graduated from Colby College in Maine with a degree in Anthropology before spending time living out West, where he began pursuing farming as a vocation. “I was interested in food policy and looking for a job to get me between ski seasons,” Spencer said. “When I got into farming, though, I realized it’s much more than planting and growing. It’s planning and logistics, and that made me pursue it more.” Spencer worked on a farm in western Oregon for 4 years, before coming to Hawthorne Valley. In his role as Field Manager, Spencer provides feed for the livestock and manages the fertility of the land. He has expanded the Farm’s grain growing enterprise to provide food for the livestock and the Farm’s organic Bakery. With the help of Bruno Follador from the Nature Institute, Spencer also guided a process to systematize the Farm’s compost operation, a vital aspect of maintaining the fertility of both pastures and vegetable fields. In October 2017, he and CSA manager Lucy Marston became the co-managers for the farm. As part of these new roles, Spencer and Lucy will lead the farm management team to maintain and establish the farm’s vision and direction to meet current and future needs of the Hudson Valley.
To make the most of this and similar online events, be sure to read our article, How to leverage online industry events for your transition to a green job.