Meet Our Newest Team Member! Holly Stein, Manager of Farmer Training

We’re excited to have Holly join the Groundswell team as Manager of Farmer Training! We asked her a few questions to learn more about her:

What brought you to farming?

Growing up in a suburb I had little exposure to growing my own food.  I increasingly became interested in where my food was coming from and the impact it had on the land, animals and people that produced it.  Around ten years ago, I moved onto a small family farm and fell in love with working with plants, my hands and exploring what it meant to work with and in nature.  It has opened up my world and I will always grow food and plants.

Why not work directly on a farm right now?

Farming expanded my relationship to the natural world and it also expanded my understanding of the structural racism, colonization and modern day slavery that plagues our food systems and society at large. While I love spending my days outside on the farm, I am also drawn to being in conversations, building networks and working with communities to make a more just and safe world. 

Favorite veggie and why?

I can’t pick just one.  Collards, kale, and daikon radishes, to name a few! I love the magic of pulling Daikon out of the ground and the hardiness of watching kale and collards produce all season long.  Ashwagandha, which I am harvesting in the photo above, is also one of my favorite grounding herbs!

Welcome to the team, Holly!