CEDAR CIRCLE FARM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Adie is glad to be back at Cedar Circle Farm as the Administrative Coordinator. She first came to the farm in 2015 as a member of the kitchen crew, then two years later transitioned to an office position. After a few years away from the farm and the Upper Valley the opportunity to return was very exciting. The customers, all the staff, and the beauty of the farm itself provides a rich and rewarding environment to work in.
Over the years, Adie has worn many hats. After culinary school, she owned and operated a food business with her brothers, catered, worked in fashion retail as a buyer and store manager, then spent many wonderful years as an educator in classrooms and at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College. When she's not working you will find her in the garden, in the kitchen, or playing and doing art projects with her two granddaughters.
Annie joined the farm office team during the summer of 2011. Since then, she has taken on the meticulous work of bookkeeper for the farm. She considers an organic lifestyle to be essential to her well-being, and was drawn to Cedar Circle Farm by the prospect of growing her understanding and appreciation of that facet of her life.
Having grown up on a horse farm in Vermont, she is happiest and most comfortable outdoors in the wilderness. She loves to hike, bike, snowshoe and ski. Annie is also a gardener and a baker. Annie loves to spend time with her family - two daughters and two fabulous grandchildren, and currently lives in the hills of Strafford.
Deborah joined our team in the fall of the 2022 season. She brings a wonderful, warm and welcoming energy to the farmstand.
As a Farmstand Lead, Deborah's role includes merchandising, working with the farmstand staff, and interacting with guests-making sure every single person has a good experience while they're here, and getting them excited about all the great things going on at the farm.
Deborah hails from southwest Ohio, where she went to college for merchandising and retail, and worked in retail for many years. More recently, she was an event catering manager at Miami University.
As a relative newcomer to Post Mills, Deborah enjoys learning about Vermont and the Upper Valley through talking with customers. Outside of work, she enjoys going to musicals and doing any outdoor activities with her husband, kids, and grandsons.
Eric Tadlock became the Executive Director of Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center in January 2019.
He initially joined our team at the farm in May 2015, as our Education Programs Manager. Eric was responsible for carrying out the educational mission of the farm, overseeing program planning and development, as well as maintaining ongoing programs such as group tours, classes, and outreach education.
Before coming to Cedar Circle, Eric was the director of education at Wolfe's Neck Farm in Freeport, Maine for three years, overseeing a department that hosted a variety of programs, including summer camps, school programs, and teacher and farmer training workshops. While in Maine, he was also a board member of the Maine School Garden Network.
Eric was the education director and co-founder of Fernbrook Farms Education Center in Chesterfield, New Jersey from 2005 to 2010. While in New Jersey, Eric was a founding board member of the New Jersey Farm to School Network, he also held the position of Planning Director for the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education.
In his various roles, Eric has focused on developing programs to provide opportunities for people of all ages to learn more about food, agriculture, and ecology. He's dedicated to cultivating strong values and agrarian skills to improve the overall health of the community and the world we live in.
While he has never made a living off of farm production, he has enjoyed raising chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, ducks, and beef cattle, as well as managing small-scale vegetable production programs as teaching models for educational initiatives.
Eric, his wife Nicole, and their two young children have settled in the Upper Valley and are happily embracing our wonderful community here at Cedar Circle Farm.
Job Titles:
- Greenhouse Production Lead
Katherine moved to Quechee, VT in the summer of 2022, and began her work at Cedar Circle soon after! As our Greenhouse Production Lead, Katherine spends her time on the farm monitoring and caring for plants in the greenhouses and well as managing our retail veggie and herb starts! Her position allows her to see the entire growth process of her plants, from starting veggies from seed to harvesting later in the season, and often includes specialized tasks such as grafting tomatoes.
Katherine is from Athens, OH, and started her farming experience there with one season on an organic farm, followed by two years in a nursery that specializes in native and medicinal plants. She completed the Medicinal Plant Conservation Certificate program at United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary in Rutland, OH, and often spends time outside of work putting those skills to use. Katherine is regularly out hiking with her dog, and loves to teach herself new things. Currently, she is learning about food preservation, and is experimenting with growing oyster and lion's mane mushrooms at home!
Job Titles:
- Education Programs Manager
Job Titles:
- Outreach & Engagement Coordinator
Laura first came to Cedar Circle as a member of the farmstand and coffee shop crew in 2016, before becoming Marketing & Communications Coordinator in 2018. She spent two years away from the farm-gaining experience in the nonprofit sector with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH) and Merrimack County Conservation District in Concord, N.H.-and rejoined the Cedar Circle team in 2022.
Job Titles:
- Annual & Perennial Department Lead
- Artist
Muriel Horvath is an artist raised in the Upper Valley. She has always been interested in and curious about the workings of the ecosystems around her, and has used art to deepen her understanding and make sense of all that she learns. Recently, she graduated from Tufts University and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts with degrees in studio art and environmental studies, concentrating in environmental humanities.
Her artistic practice is centered around ecology and communication, and much of her work is created through collaboration between herself and many other organisms. She is passionate about learning from and with the land and finding respectful and intimate ways of communing with the species of this planet.
Muriel has an abundance of experience coaxing growth from soil and seeds and caring for plants. After completing her undergraduate degrees in 2022, she found her way to Cedar Circle to continue exploring the joys of growing, getting dirty, and working with her hands. On the farm, she works as the Annual & Perennial Department Lead, tending to the cut flower garden and greenhouse plants. She also enjoys running workshops that combine art and creativity with farming and sustainability.
What she loves most about working at Cedar Circle is getting to experience so many of her interests in one job while spending time with so many creative and thoughtful people. She is delighted by the opportunity to learn more each and every day on the farm and thankful to be able to work with and learn from Kestrel!
Job Titles:
- Vegetable Production Manager
Ralf is a vegetable enthusiast with a soft spot for potatoes, tomatoes, and pasgaragus (or however you say that one). He came to the Upper Valley for college, originally, but fell in love with the farmscape of Vermont and decided to pursue farming full speed. It brings him great joy to participate in the interdependence of the Upper Valley and, rain or shine, he is excited to have his boots in the soil.
Ralf came from Utah and enjoys skiing and biking down mountains. His form of secondary tillage, one might say. One day he hopes to be able to bring his farming knowledge back to the rockies so as to help improve the food sovereignty of what he calls home.
As a new resident to the Upper Valley, Sam was ecstatic when he discovered the opportunity to join Cedar Circle Farm as Retail Manager. Sam manages the Farm Stand and Cafe by building a fun and focused work environment where folks from all over can learn about organic regenerative agriculture while having a delightful, sensory sensation sipping on a latte, perusing the prime produce.
Sam jumped into the food and beverage industry as a dishwasher to pay for film school back in 2007 after growing up in Central Maine. Little did he know that bringing happiness and joy to folks through food and beverage would be such a passion and love language for him. Since then he has worked at many restaurants, coffee houses, bars and hotels, but most recently managed Veggie Galaxy, Sweetgreen (Fenway), and Flour Bakery (South End) all in Boston/Cambridge. He has discovered a real passion for building a strong team that not only greets every guest and makes them feel at home, but a team that cares for each other and grows together.
Sam is delighted and honored to be part of the CCF team. He has a lot to learn, but is surrounded by folks who will guide him on his way to a successful season and many more to come. He is most excited about meeting all of the wonderful people that come and support the farm, and getting to know each person. When Sam is not on the farm he can be found in the kitchen, cooking fun food for his family. He also enjoys hiking, exploring, and discovering the little precious moments life brings to us every day.
Sarah grew up in the small town of Yarmouth, Maine. After high school, she ventured out West and attended Whitman College where she received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and worked on local organic farms during her summer breaks. Following college, Sarah spent a year in the Czech Republic teaching English as a Foreign Language to elementary school children. From there, she got her Masters in Education in Portland, OR spending time in a K/1 blended classroom and a third-grade classroom. For a year, she also worked as a professional mentor to youth who faced multiple systemic obstacles. Sarah is excited to combine her passions, education and farming, together. In her free time, you can catch Sarah running, climbing, biking, reading, and spending time with her loved ones.
Job Titles:
- R & D Lead, Willing Hands Garden Coordinator
Shawn started working on the Production Crew in 2015. He was a farm apprentice for two years while also working at the Willing Hands Garden. As of 2019, he is the R&D Lead and Willing Hands Garden Coordinator.
Before joining the team at Cedar Circle Farm, Shawn worked as a professional chef in the corporate world. He became a certified cook after completing a 3 1/2 year Culinary Apprenticeship Program through the American Culinary Federation at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel. He also holds an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from White Mountains Community College. As a working chef, he continued to study and received a Chef De Cuisine Certification through the ACF.
After years of working an unsustainable amount of hours in a broken corporate food system, he became burnt out physically as well as spiritually and developed some food allergies. In the interest of healing himself, he started to explore how food is produced in this country and how that relates to a healthy lifestyle and the environment. Having learned about the negatives of GMOs, mono-cropping, pesticide use, and the horrors of confined animal feeding operations, he decided to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle in organic farming. Shawn is excited to continue his journey into regenerative organic agriculture with Cedar Circle Farm.
Job Titles:
- Specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Job Titles:
- Deputy Director / Director of Agriculture
Stacey joined the Cedar Circle team in February of 2022 as the Director of Agriculture.
Most recently she was an Organic and Small Farm specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) in Oregon and had previously worked as a Soil Conservationist in Orford, NH. Bringing experience in farm production and management in addition to soil health and farm conservation, she made the move back to the Upper Valley to be closer to her family.
After earning her Master's degree in Environmental Science and Landscape Ecology from Antioch New England, her heightened awareness of the role of agriculture in climate change and pending food security issues led to her to seek work with Vegetable Ranch, LLC in New Hampshire where she became manager of a 15 acre organic vegetable farm. In 2015 the Concord Food Coop hired Stacey on to start a new organic farm on historic Shaker land with the goal of providing more local organic produce for the Coop. She implemented a no till permanent raised bed system at the farm and taught workshops on no till systems, vegetable production and home gardening.
In her work as both a farm manager and a conservationist, she has focused intensely on soil health and regenerative agricultural practices, working with other farmers and gardeners in the development and adoption of sustainable growing methods that are scale appropriate.
Job Titles:
- Farm Mechanic & Facilities Manager
Sven joined the Cedar Circle team in March of 2022 as our Farm Mechanic and Facilities Manager. A jack of all trades, he works closely with each of our departments, providing support to keep everything running smoothly. The rest of his time is spent fixing and operating equipment, overseeing our groundskeeping, and doing general maintenance.
Sven grew up in Lyme, and still lives there now. He enjoys spending time with his son and daughter, and is interested in learning about the history of our area. He channels this knowledge and an appreciation for our natural surroundings both into his work here at Cedar Circle, and in foraging, hiking, and fishing outside of work.
As our Kitchen Lead, Tessa gets to use all the wonderful fruits and vegetables we have grown to make prepared food for the farmstand, dinner shares, and special events. She loves that although we have a few staple dishes, everything depends on what crops have been harvested in abundance, so she's constantly developing and adapting new recipes. It's exciting!
Tessa is from New York City. She grew up cleaning mussels and clams for her family restaurant in Montauk, NY, and eventually began to work in the kitchen. Some years later she was presented with an opportunity to work in a kitchen for a small business in Brooklyn called Marious & Co, which was an eat-in, take-out, and catering restaurant. She went from sous chef to head chef, and stayed there before moving to the Upper Valley a few years ago.
Since then, Tessa's been living in Norwich, VT, and this will be her third season on the farm! When not here, she loves swimming and being outside, and teaching herself how to garden. She occasionally reads and draws, and spends a lot of time with her son Jack and daughter Pia. She'd like to shout out her husband Nick, cat Mishka, and the hamster, Professor Nibs. Oh and Gail, hi Gail!!