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. 

Emily is so excited to be back for her second season at 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!

Moss is a joyful spirit who found her way into the valley in 2021. Since then she has fallen in love with this special place in the world. This being her first year at Astarte, she is most excited to further her knowledge in regenerative agriculture. She is always learning with curiosity about the interconnected relationships in nature.

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 nutritious food comes from a happy earth! She loves going home everyday with pockets full of veggies and a heart full of love and appreciation for the magic of life.

Kelsey lives in 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. No-till organic farming for the win!

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

Founder of Astarte and longtime organic vegetable grower, Dan is a fountain of knowledge! Dan continues to make videos at the farm for his no-till YouTube channel and is also a CSA member, so if you see him around be sure to say hey!