The Gardens of Eagan Team
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Linda Halley, Gardens of Eagan Farm Manager"I see my role as a transitioning one, from growing great produce to growing great farmers and a new kind of farm. " After nearly 15 years as co-owner of Harmony Valley Farm, developing its CSA and relationships with retailers, restaurateurs and wholesalers, Linda left to manage Fairview Gardens, a non-profit farm in California. That experience was the next step to reimagining the structure of medium sized farms. "I like the challenge of creating a model for a farm owned by a food co-op and, in the case of the Wedge, its 14,000 members. Its mission and goals are distinct from a family owned farm and can provide a training ground for the next generation of farmers and sophisticated food consumers. Both are essential if we want to transform our food system one sustainable foodshed at a time." Linda encourages
everyone to plant a seed. No matter how modest the container or the
plant it holds, tending that first plant is the "gateway drug" to
becoming a farmer of your own food! |
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Mike Leck, Crop Production and Harvest ManagerFrom seedling to harvest-ready crop, Mike is in charge of the plants and the people who pick them. Mike brings six seasons of experience and lots of natural talent to our solid farm team. The job that makes it all worth it for Mike is checking the watermelons on a blistering hot day, cutting into and tasting the juicy cool sweetness of the ripe red, orange and yellow fruit.
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Susan Quigley, Pack-Shed and Plant Production ManagerSusan oversees the packing of produce, organizing each day's shipment and making sure everything sent to the cities is guaranteed to impress. She also took the reins of the Starter Plant enterprise in 2010. In between growing transplants and packing produce she is developing our Good Agricultural Practices manual and documenting our safe and sanitary harvest and packing systems. Susan hopes to continue learning new skills here at Gardens of Eagan to apply to her own farm one day. |
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John Middleton, Operations and Field ManagerJohn Middleton traded his position as right hand of Roxbury Farm CSA in Kinderhook, NY for a chance to put his experience in to work as part of the management team at Gardens of Eagan. He will also get the opportunity to develop his own farming business, Fazenda Boa Terra, at the Gardens of Eagan incubator project. |
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Jesse Fearing, Harvest Team LeaderJesse and his family will someday run their own farm. In preparation for that life Jesse is heading up the harvest team. He sets the pace and lays down the law (NOT). Mostly Jesse just keeps everyone on the sunny side and motivated to give it their best shot. Jesse is just one reason we can say GOE produce is picked with a smile. Jesse is a 2010 graduate of Land Stewardship Farm Beginnings. On annual forays to his father in law's farm in Israel he brings back the world's best dates. |
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Reed Turner, GruntReed brings three years organic farming experience from his time at Easy Bean Farm in western Minnesota. He returned to the University of Minnesota in 2005 to study geography and geology, then came back to farming in 2009. Reed’s favorite vegetable is a ripe, beautiful, red pepper, and Gardens of Eagan grows and harvest an acre of them with Reed's help.. The Gardens of Eagan photo blog on WordPress is Reed's latest undertaking and allows the whole crew to see the farm with their creative side.
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Lidia Dungue, Harvest Team Member and MarketeerLidia learned about produce and hard work at an early age helping out with her family's green grocer enterprise in Brasil. After just a couple years interning in the US on organic farms in New England, she mastered English and the the logistics of CSA and farmer's market marketing. Beginning in 2011 Lidia will become the lead grower at Fazenda Boa Terra, her farming enterprise with husband, John Middleton. She works part time at Gardens of Eagan and still gets more done than most. On Saturdays you'll still find her heading up the team at our Fulton Farmers' Market stand in Minneapolis.
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Jennifer Nelson, Market CoordinatorJennifer brings three years experience of managing the Rochester Downtown Farmers’ Market to her position coordinating GOE’s market stands.She loves farmers markets and real, good food and relishes the opportunity to be on the other side of the market stand and a member of the Harvest Team. GOE is relying on Jennifer to develop our presence at the new Fulton Farmers Market. She is a proud graduate of Land Stewardship's Farm Beginnings. In the winter months she is everyone's favorite teacher at Prairie Creek Charter School. Even though we don't grow them at GOE,in her opinion, there’s nothing better than a perfectly roasted beet. |
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Julio Lozano, Harvest Team LeaderJulio has been the bedrock of our harvest team for years. He originally hails from the Texas borderlands and operates a mercantile with his wife when he's not busy being a one-man dynamo at Gardens of Eagan. |
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Seasonal Harvest Team MembersEach year we rely on professional harvesters who do this job efficiently and skillfully and a handful of new folks learning along side to be just as quick and discerning. Perseverance and perfection (well almost!) characterize this team. The harvest team serves as most people's introduction to Gardens of Eagan. We are always interested in talking to potential team members. See the job description on our employment page. |
 | Martin and Atina Diffley, Farm FoundersAs fifth generation farmers, Martin and Atina Diffley operated the original Gardens of Eagan in Eagan, Minnesota beginning in 1973. As one of the first certified organic produce farms in the Midwest, the Diffley's worked with co-ops and natural food grocers to build the Twin Cities' organic market and usher in a new kind of green revolution. In the early 1990s suburban sprawl pushed them from Eagan to the farm's current location in rural Farmington where they continued developing their reputation as organic land stewards and farm pioneers.In 2004 they were honored as Organic Farmers of the Year by Midwest Organic and Sustainable Educational Services. They now serve as mentors to the current Gardens of Eagan staff and the broader organic farming community in the upper Midwest through their independent consulting business, Organic Farming Works LLC. |