Jimmy and I met in 2012 while working at Crop King, a commercial hydroponic supplier located in Lodi, OH. I started in commercial sales and then worked as a horticulturist. Jimmy, a recent Ohio University graduate, managed the website and all marketing materials. You'd think we would have bonded over our shared interest in agriculture, but what really made us click was our ability to make each other laugh.
By 2015, we decided we understood how challenging starting a small, diversified farm would be, and we did it anyway, thus Front 9 Farm was born. We exist on a piece of land which was previously a 9-hole golf course, hence the name of our farm.
I was initially drawn to agriculture through my personal philosophy that food is everything- the basis of health, society, and the way we interact with the ecosystems we inhabit. I came to Ohio from Philadelphia after completing a bachelors in biomedical engineering, and a masters in biological science at Drexel University. I wanted to be, and still want to be, part of the solution to the problem that plagues humanity's existence- how can we feed and sustain ourselves while still maintaining the natural ecosystems that provide us with everything we need to survive and thrive?
We married on our farm in fall of 2017, and both began farming full-time that season. Each year we've studied our systems to find what works and what doesn't for our business, and we've made decisions for the next season based on our goals and principles.
We have two young girls, Annabelle, who's nearly 4 years old, and Georgina, who just turned one year old, so our lives include the joys and struggles of young parenthood. They spend a good amount of time each week with Jimmy's mom, which allows both of us to work full-time at the farm and to attend two markets on Saturdays. If you frequent any of the large playgrounds and librarys within Medina County, you might have run into them. Annabelle recently told us she wants to be a Grandma when she grows up, so they must be having fun.
After working in agriculture for the past ten years, we've gained a wide range of technical skills, as well as a more informed and nuanced perspective on the challenges we face, and the possible paths forward.
