I grew up in Southern Alberta, home of chinook winds and wheat fields, and oh yah, lots and lots o’ cows!! I completed my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Carleton University, and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo.  The focus of my Masters’ degree was researching the feasibility of developing strong local food systems in Canada, specifically looking at the Barriers and Opportunities to Developing Local Food Systems in Canada.

I was raised a small town girl with strong links to the farm with both my parents and grandparents being raised on the farm and having several family members still actively farming.  Trips to visit my cousins on the farm, helping them with chores, and exploring the wide open country space were some of the best memories of my childhood.  So it is not surprising that I was drawn back into the countryside later in life to start farming for myself!

I first became interested in agriculture after partaking in a cycle trip across Canada (http://www.cycle.wild.net.au/home.html) where I learned about sustainable agriculture through peers and by WWOOFing on organic farms along the way.  From this experience I was inspired to start my own vegetable garden, which I felt enabled me to connect directly with nature, nurture the environment, and provide for my own needs. 

I became involved in community gardening shortly after to provide a space for my new hobby and love interest (growing vegetables).  I met lots of other gardeners and learned from my new friends (and mistakes I made along the way:).

After making a move to Ontario I was inspired to bring the beauty of gardening as a community with me.  I did this by starting the UW Community Garden in 2006 and began volunteering in a larger capacity on the Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region (to help support and ensure these spaces remained available to others in our community). This volunteer position eventually led to me being hired on as a Community Garden Capacity Builder as part of a collaborative with Opportunities Waterloo Region, The Region of Waterloo Public Health, and the Community Garden Council of Waterloo Region.  This was an amazing job that however had to come to an end but which brought me the opportunity to finally explore my own farm dream!

I completed one full season as a CRAFT intern at the Ignatius Farm CSA in Guelph where I learned the ins and outs of scaling up my gardening skills to a bigger level, as well as the ins and outs of running a farm business.  This was a wonderful experience that I highly recommend for any of you thinking of farming as a career option or simply wanting to learn (at a hands on level) the work that goes into the food you eat!

In 2010 I launched the first season of Transpire Organic Farm and Wellness, filling homes with an abundance of fresh high-quality vegetables!