Emily Weiss, 5-35 acres, flowers +

Multiple short Wwoof stays, and seasonal apprenticeships on two small farms I found through Wwoof, a flower farm in Beavercreek, OH, and an organic vegetable farm in Bolinas, CA. I operated tractors during both apprenticeships, and learned multiple methods of seedstarting, bed preparation, irrigation, transplanting, cultivation, harvesting and processing for a wide range of crops.

I am starting a specialty cut flower farm, catering mostly to wedding and retail florists. I plan to use regenerative, no-till techniques, and create long-term orchard-style plantings of woody and herbaceous flowering perennials as well as annual floral crops. I have extensive experience as a wedding florist, and have been responsible for purchasing and processing product for several floral design studios - this has given me a good understanding of the needs/expectations of florists and floral wholesalers for product quality, selection, and timing. I would love to develop a floral design company on-site and utilize my own crops in wedding and event design. I'm also interested in creating a u-pick flower field, and potentially hosting design workshops and pick-your-own events. It would be wonderful to diversify into other crops such as tree fruit, berries, Christmas trees, eggs/poultry, grazing etc., depending on the available acreage. I plan to have a strong composting operation as well, to build the soil amendments needed for layered no-till agriculture. I hope to find a long-term home for my family as a part of this farm, so while I am open to leasing if it's the right place, I am really interested in a financing option that can eventually lead to ownership. The perennial crops I will be growing are a long-term investment, so I am hoping to be able to stay on one place after I get started!