Julie Jedlicka

$10,000 recipient

Univeristy of California, Santa Cruz

Julie is working towards her PhD in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz, and focuses her research on innovative ways to use songbirds to eradicate insect pests in the Napa wine region. Julie earned her B.S. in Resource and Ecology Management and her M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology both at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

As an undergrad, Julie studied in Costa Rica researching avian species diversity on an organic blackberry farm. She also worked with the non-profit group, Community Agroecology, which connects coffee-growing communities in Central America with U.S. consumers interested in purchasing fair trade, environmentally coffee.

"My future goal is to illustrate what sustainable agriculture can look like in the United States. I believe that human-dominated environments can benefit biodiversity and that this biodiversity can, in turn, benefit humans creating win-win situations."

Rachel Brand

$2,500 recipient

Univeristy of California, Santa Cruz

Rachel Brand is working towards her PhD in Sociology & Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz. Brand has been researching a way to establish a sustainable education based garden in Watsonville, CA, that would hold workshops, demonstrations, a space for farmers to learn, as well as many youth programs. While this program still needs to be implemented, Rachel hopes the funding of this scholarship will make that possible. 

Brand also served as a teacher at the famed Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley at Martin Luther King Junior Middle School. This experience engaged her with personal experiences and conversations with students as they debated the value of 'real food'. After hearing a conversation of the students' honestly spoken words, the issues became clear that food also encompassed racial, historical and economic inequities.

"This conversation and many others have helped shape my area of study, finding the intersection between sustainable agriculture, race, class and social change...I define sustainable agriculture as a vision."

Damian Parr

$2,500 recipient

University of California, Davis

Damian Parr completed his undergraduate degree at the UC-Santa Cruz in Environmental Studies and completed his M.Sc. graduate degree at UC-Davis in the International Agriculture Development program. Currently, Damian is working to complete his Doctoral graduate degree at UC-Davis’ Agricultural and Environmental Education program.

Damian is a co-founder of the UC Davis Students for Sustainable Agriculture where he has worked on projects ranging from farm-to school initiatives, to engaging faculty and administration with research and committee participation for transforming on/off campus curriculum.

“If we are to learn and teach about sustainable agriculture through an experiential, interdisciplinary, and systems-based approach, then our conventional teaching and administrative approaches will need to be revised and expanded. Sustainable agriculture requires us to learn about the complexity of issues and the interdependency of social and environmental factors. These are learning challenges that require us to draw upon both practical and theoretical knowledge within progressive educational programs."

James Veteto

$2,500 recipient

University of Georgia

James Veteto has been working on his PhD in Ecological and Environmental Anthropology at the University of Georgia with a special emphasis on Agricultural Anthropology and Agrobiodiversity. James has been studying sustainable agriculture and agrobiodiversity in western North Carolina and the greater southeastern U.S. for over ten years.

As a Masters student at Appalachian State University, he worked as a graduate assistant and farm manager. Currently, he is working as a research assistant and coordinator of The Southern Legacy Project, which is dedicated to the study and preservation of the cultural and genetic diversity of Southern agriculture.
 

“My vision for sustainable agriculture is for a locally and globally responsible agriculture that is productive, biodiverse, and works to enhance soil, water, and landscape conservation with a mind to generations of healthy human beings at least on hundred years into the future.”

Adelheid West

$2,500 recipient

Oklahoma State University

Adelheid West is currently pursuing a Masters in Plant and Soil Science at Oklahoma State University. She is involved in developing a phyto-remediation project that utilizes native trees intercropped with alfalfa to extract excess phosphorous from an old swine lagoon. Upon her undergraduate studies, she received the Honors College Degree in Political Science after completing a thesis examining the role of non-governmental organizations in the development of sustainable agriculture programs in rural Honduran communities.

Adelheid hope’s her current work experience will allow her to educate and aid land managers and owners in making sustainable management decisions that result in healthy and sustainable food options. 

“Sustainability is a relationship and, therefore, agriculture can not be viewed as an isolated system. Agriculture must be practiced with an understanding and awareness of the local, global and temporal impacts on a social, economic an ecological level.”

Loren Cardeli

$10,000 recipient

Warren Wilson College

Loren is a junior at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, working towards a degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a focus on Sustainable Agriculture. His academic studies have been enhanced by hands-on experience at working farms in North Carolina, Colorado, and Vermont. He holds a leadership role with the student-run farm at Warren Wilson College, and helps manage a 275-acre sustainable farm complete with a beef and swine herd, corn and cereal crops.

Loren also spent a semester at the College of Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, so he could take specialized agriculture courses. 

“We need to change the way we grow our food.  I want to show the world how growing food responsibly can also be rewarding financially and holistically.  It is clear to me that the modern small farmer is a pursuer of erudition, a man of intellect as well as a toiler in the fields.” 

Rachel Ostlund

$10,000 recipient

Cornell University

Rachel is a junior at Cornell University, majoring in Plant Science. She spent a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer organizing school gardens, composting programs and recycling contests to students in Tennessee, and has worked on the Wesleyan University farm and at the West Haven Farm in Ithaca, NY. Her studies include soil science, weed biology and management, environmental science, and biodiversity. 

“Just bringing fresh produce into urban areas isn’t enough.  The food needs to be affordable, and people need to learn how to cook produce that may be unfamiliar to them….My ultimate goal is to farm organically on small plots of land in urban areas (i.e. deserted lots, old playgrounds, parking lots).”

Brittany Bethel

$2,500 recipient

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Brittany Bethel is a junior at the University of Wisconsin, Madison working towards a degree in Horticulture & Environmental Studies.  Her studies include: World Vegetable Crops, Tropical Horticulture, The Humanistic Perspective, Environmental Strategy and Sustainability. 

Brittany was recently selected as one of 200 students around the nation to participate in Change It 2007; a grassroots training program sponsored by Greenpeace and Seventh Generation.  Currently Brittany works on the JenEhr Family Farm and can be found at their vegetable stand at the Dane County Farmer’s Market. 

“I will not be fully satisfied until I know that everyone today can eat good, wholesome foods while earning enough to meet their needs while not further harming our delicate earth”.

Sarah Buzogany

$2,500 recipient

University of Kentucky

Sarah Buzogany is in her junior year as a Sustainable Agriculture major at the University of Kentucky. In her coursework she will be studying social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and economic profitability. She will also take part in designing and installing a rooftop garden and greenhouse on the sundeck of the university G.R.E.E.N Living Learning Community Dormitory. This Spring Sarah will also begin her apprenticeship in Sustainable Agriculture where she will work with the University’s Organic CSA Program.

“Sustainability has become one of today’s biggest buzz words, but rather than being seen as a radical new approach, sustainability should be the norm. The only way agriculture can feed our world for millennia to come is to think about it not only in the here and now, but as an entity that must be cared for and looked after in a comprehensive way.”

William McCaffrey

$2,500 recipient

Cornell University

William McCaffrey is currently attending Cornell University as he works towards his undergraduate degree at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. William hopes to emerge from Cornell University with the education to establish himself as a farmer. After graduating, he plans to return to his family’s farm, share what he’s learned, and capitalize on his recognition of how interconnected everything is.

“The greatest hope I have for my community is to identify the importance of local small farms…The benefits of having a healthy, localized food source for my neighbors annihilates the economic efficiency found in massive and distal agricultural corporations.” 

Molly McNutt

$2,500 recipient

University of Alabama

Molly McNutt is currently a junior at the University of Alabama working towards a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Sustainability.  Molly has been a leader in organizing the on-campus farmer’s market, the only student run farmer’s market in Alabama.  She also spent a semester on an organic farm learning one-on-one about organic and sustainable practices. Through this experience Molly envisions hopes to start a community supported agriculture program both during and after college.

"My vision of the phrase ‘sustainable agriculture’ is not just about using organic farming methods to build healthy soils and grow pesticide-free food. It is not only growing food in a sustainable way, but making sure that it is bought locally. It is about teaching people how to prepare and cook food that is good for their bodies as well."