My three seasons working with Wendy and Asher and the Common Thread crew were full of learning, skill-building, and satisfying work. Wendy and Asher’s support and education of their crew is full-hearted and thorough. I came with previous smaller-scale growing experience and an interest in learning more tractor work. They trained me in greenhouse management and tractor cultivation in addition to a large selection of jobs on the farm. They also shared their years of training and experience very generously though education sessions and field trips they organized to take place after work.

As managers, Wendy and Asher value communication, efficiency, and the well-being of the farm organisms (including the crew members and themselves). When I asked for a short check-in, they always met my request for kindly and helpfully even when the schedule was hectic. The stress of farming is real, but they continued to show up wholly even when the going was tough. Additionally, they navigated the pandemic with lots of communication about crew safety and made significant adaptations to ensure the safety of the farm’s wider community.

Though the crew changed season-to-season, I found that each year brought new kind and interesting people who cared about ecological stewardship, food, and thoughtful relationships. The CSA members are also a sweet community that are very supportive and grateful during CSA pick-up. Overall, I believe that Common Thread can be a great place to work to learn sustainable vegetable farming and to connect with people who are striving towards the big goals of ecological care and a just food system.