Who's Here Now:

Ellen joined Astarte Farm in 2020 as our Farm Manager after three years of production farming at Brookfield Farm in Amherst. Hailing from the upper Midwest, she has been growing food and teaching children and adults about nature for more than a decade  She is passionate about no-till farming and the hope it brings for more resilient food systems in the face of climate change.

Having always had a dream of one day owning his own berry farm, Jim decided to buy Astarte in 2014. His background in electrical engineering and atmospheric science, while different from that of the typical farmer, has propelled sustainability research and experimentation here on the farm. 

Kelsey is from Leverett, MA and is an animal and nature lover, especially of all things fungi. She has a special eye for beauty and is always pointing out tiny miracles as we farm. She found Astarte because she wants to learn farming practices that are in line with her values to implement on her own land. No-till organic farming for the win!

Emily is new to the valley and is so excited to witness her first full growing season with Astarte. With a background in food service, she has seen the ways that food brings people together and came to the farm to learn more about the other side of food production. She can't wait to spend her days this summer in the sun seeing the magic of no-till and watching things grow!

Originally from Cape Cod, Sadie moved out west to farm in this beautiful and bountiful valley. Although she misses the ocean, she is overjoyed to be in the soil and loving plants all day. She is passionate about farming using sustainable practices, fungi, pollinators and making sure that delicious food comes from a happy earth! She loves leaving work everyday knowing that she added something good to the world.

Founder of Astarte, and longtime organic vegetable grower, Dan is behind it all here on the farm! You'll often find him giving farm tours, making videos for our no-till YouTube channel, or maintaining the compost piles!

Danny joined the farm in 2022 after moving to Western MA from the Hudson Valley. He values sustainability, nature, and has a personal interest in the cultivation of mushrooms. The shift from restaurants to farming has brought love and light into his life as he enjoys being outside working with Mother Earth!

Bridget is originally from Lowell and joins us in the valley as a student at UMass Amherst studying sustainable food & farming. She is also helping to revamp their garden share program! Bridge joined the Astarte crew because she wants to learn more about no-till practices and is also interested in learning more plant and bird identification. She looks forward to spending the summer outdoors and learning more about the ecosystems around us.