Hi, I'm Alice.

In my life I have been lucky enough to learn from some incredible farmers. I carry their wisdom with me as I start this venture of my own. I have worked on permaculture farms in Thailand and Hawaii, a biodynamic farm at Camphill Minnesota, a small organic dairy farm in the Berkshires, and large scale organic vegetable operations in the Hudson Valley. My love for no-till was reignited when I moved to Sebastopol this past year to work at Singing Frogs Farm. Through witnessing so many different operations, I have learned that each farm is a unique manifestation of those who tend it.

My journey started with volunteering at a horse-powered vegetable farm when I was fourteen years old. When I realized that those farmers were not only the most hardworking people I had ever known, but the happiest, I had a clear vision of what I wanted my life to be: simple, filled with joy and the ability to spend as much time outside as possible. In those fields, I learned how to cultivate meaningful relationships and I discovered my own integrity, vulnerability, and deep reverence for living soil.
‍
Despite how certain I was in my vision for the future, as I grew older, societal stigmas made me doubt myself. I didn’t see anyone who looked like me in my New England farming community. I began feeling like I didn’t belong in agriculture for so many reasons – my gender, my skin tone, my body. My dreams of farming were pushed away by my fears of failure and judgment.  
‍
That’s when I started jumping into cold water.
‍
Standing on a dock after summer’s end, looking into the dark, freezing water absolutely captivated me. Cold water taught me how to be with my fears instead of running away from them. Finding the edge of my own comfort zone, and meeting myself there with compassion felt like it should be my life’s work. And it has become the momentum behind this farm.
‍
That’s why I chose the name Fledgling Farm – for me, farming has been an enormous jump from the comfortable nest. A great jump that has taught me if I want to be a farmer, I need to do it on my own terms. I will never fit into the constructs of society, but I will grow food for this community in a way that honors who I am and teaches others to shine light on what scares them and act boldly anyways.
‍
Fledgling Farm is the culmination of my past, my vision for the future, and my commitment to push my own boundaries seeking out growth – self growth, community growth, and of course, the growth of many, many healthy plants.