Rachel Brice, a life-long gardener and sometimes farm worker with a passion for small farms and local food systems, has joined our team as the new Program Coordinator. She will directly assist farmers and landowners with a focus in northern New England and support region-wide program development and delivery.
Rachel will represent LFG across New England, and particularly in NH with outreach, networking, and program development for farmers looking to access land, plan for farm succession, and obtain more secure land tenure. Rachel joined us at the start of the year and is already putting her diverse skills to work. Among other things, she is co-facilitating our new virtual course Acquiring Your Farm, organizing our upcoming webinar series Make Your Land Available For Farming (watch for details), and coordinating the New England Farm Link Collaborative with a focus on efforts for upgrades to New England Farmland Finder, a farm linking website that connects farm seekers to available farm properties for purchase, lease, or other arrangement.
Rachel brings enthusiasm and diverse experience that is sure to be an asset to our program offerings and the farmers we serve,” shared Shemariah Blum-Evitts, LFG’s Program Director. “Her passion for and knowledge of local food systems and food sovereignty are a great complement to our team.”
Rachel moved to New England from central Texas in 2017 to pursue her master’s degree in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England. After graduation, she decided to stay on and is currently a doctoral student, researching organizational resilience. She was born and raised in the Midwest, and comes from a long line of gardeners and farmers. Rachel has a strong interest in local food systems, and has volunteered and worked on small farms across the United States.
Rachel has been active in the local food scene since she arrived, primarily through her work with Community Garden Connections. Working closely with the Cheshire County Conservation District, Rachel has worked on multiple projects, including management of a small charitable-donation garden and coordination of Cheshire County’s 2020 Urban Agriculture initiative. Before coming to Land For Good, Rachel directed the C&S Workplace Organic Gardens Project. She volunteers on the board of the Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition, and serves on the advisory council of the UNH Extension Service.
I am pleased to join Land for Good as Program Coordinator, make new connections, and learn more about the farm and food landscape in New England,” shared Rachel. “There is a lot to learn about land tenure, and I’m excited about supporting Land For Good’s mission.”
Rachel currently lives in Walpole, NH where she is trying to steward an abandoned apple orchard back into production, learning to keep bees and make cider.
