Fall is a beautiful season in Michigan, and it finds me back downstate, actively seeking employment.

Priorities and timelines for development of Two Fish Farms have shifted with the owners focusing on starting a family and the schoolhouse remodel taking longer than anticipated due to a lengthened stay by international extended family visitors.

I truly enjoyed my time in northwestern Michigan, and am very thankful for the opportunity to stay at Two Fish Farms and live a scaled back, low-impact lifestyle. It was great to experience living off-grid, cooking on a rocket stove, grinding coffee by hand, watching bluebirds feed their young in a nest box 20 feet from my camper, and immersing myself in subsistence gardening, the botany of the region, bicycling, photography, and starting an apiary.

I treasure the friends I’ve made in Manistee County, an extremely lovely part of the state. There are a large number of organic small farms in the region doing excellent work serving local markets with a diverse selection of products, including vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, mushrooms, eggs, and meat. I have a fuller appreciation of the challenges of successfully operating a farm in this part of the world, where sandy soils, extremely varied microclimates, and strong winds predominate. I wish the area’s small farmers the best of luck in their endeavors and hope to be able to visit in the future.

With this sabbatical ended, I’m looking for work again. I’m focusing primarily on a job related to sustainable agriculture, ideally in an academic or educational setting, or a position which serves the gardening public to promote horticulture or IPM. I am potentially open to the right offer in the greenhouse industry, particularly in a climate milder than Michigan’s. I’m also working on some writing projects that should come to light in the near future.

If you know of a position I might be interested in, would like to discuss a potential consulting project, or just want to catch up, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Here’s to a productive and successful fall season!