Adam has spent the last two decades working in the field of agriculture. In his previous careers, he was a horticultural educator and Cooperative Extension Agent. He holds a MS and PhD in agronomy, has peer-reviewed publications in academic journals, has been the recipient of several awards and fellowships in teaching and research, and is a certified Canopy Small Farm Consultant.

Tenacious Agrarians Farm has been Adam’s dream ever since he spent the summer of his junior undergraduate year WWOOFing on a market farm in Fairview, NC. When he’s not turning sunshine into food or defending his strawberries from squirrels, he is usually doting on his lovely wife, reading eight different books simultaneously, or picking up heavy things and putting them back down again. He does play the acoustic guitar- but only under duress. Don’t be alarmed if you see him sprinting across the farm; that is just his normal walking speed.

Jessy (aka Eli aka Naps) writes spicy historical romance while trying to hold down a full-time job. She’s a bossy farmhand but makes up for it with lots of dirty jokes. She plays the 5-string banjo better than some, but not as good as many, and is often preoccupied with making sure everyone gets enough sleep, but she can farmer-carry her bodyweight, so she’s still somewhat useful.

On the days she works on the farm, everything is more fun and everyone is more efficient- except for Adam, who finds her very distracting. 

James (Farm Manager) begins every day with an unrepentant enthusiastic “Hell Yeah.” His observation and attention-to-detail skills come from his previous life as a hawk, and his desire to learn is inspiring in an envious do-you-ever-get-tired kind of way. He likes to eat avocados like apples, which we find both disturbing and fascinating. James is a graduate of the Sustainable Vegetable Production Apprenticeship Program through the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. He and Jerrika are partners in every sense, including not knowing what constitutes too many chickens.

Jerrika brings a divine feminine energy to the farm through her creativity, proclivity towards labeling, and willingness to tell men things they don’t want to hear but desperately need to hear. She enjoys discovering peculiarly shaped vegetables and lounging in the tractor’s front loader on its way back to the barn. You will often find her keeping Adam on task or at the Saturday Farmer’s Market sharing the fruits of our labor with the community.

Jim is an expert engineer and tinkerer. He is the only reason we have properly functioning farm infrastructure. On occasion, he relegates himself to the role of farmhand. Despite our best efforts, we haven’t been able to lure him to the lunch table, but he isn’t above giving us side-eye as he single-handedly finishes every project on the farm while we eat like mere mammals. We don’t mind though because he has eyes the color of a clear blue sky reflected on the serene surface of a tropical turquoise lake.

Mito is enlightened. He meditates 20 hours a day (though some might confuse this with sleeping), is one with that which surrounds him, and possesses no capacity for judgement. He accepts all from the comfort of his chair. On occasion, using his overwhelming presence, he reminds us to sit and relax.

Unlike Mito, Leo is not enlightened. Highly paranoid, everyone and everything is a potential threat to his existence. He copes with this predicament by demanding excessive physical affection and never leaving your side. You’ll be his mortal enemy for the first twenty minutes after meeting him, but then he’ll love you forever. You can never feed him enough.

Ukko is tactically trained and specializes in stalking and reconnaissance warfare against birds, squirrels, and deer. He is unhinged and can never be unleashed, should he feel morally obligated to defend his homeland. He loves side rubs, staring uncomfortably into your eyes, and his bed.