Thanks to all that were able to join us for the this session: see the wrap up here.
Meet our Speakers
Sophia Maravell grew up on a seed saving organic farm in Montgomery County, MD. She wrote her undergrad thesis on female farmers and ranchers, and started working on sustainable farms in Colorado, Maryland and abroad. She attended the Farm School's Practical Farm Training Program in Athol, MA and shortly thereafter co-founded Brickyard Educational Farm in Potomac, Maryland. She has her Permaculture Design Certificate from Forested and earned a Master's in Education from Goddard College in Community Education focusing land-based farming and craft communities. She worked as a farm-based educator and co-manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm's Place-based Learning Center. Currently she works at Potomac Vegetable Farms as a community educator and farmer. Sophia is committed to healing through our connection to land. She is committed remembering 'culture' back into 'agriculture' by cultivating beautiful food and community.
Nick Maravell has been farming organically for more than 40 years. Concerned about the soil, environment, energy conservation, and fresh, local, and healthy nutrient dense food, he began by selling vegetables to restaurants, local food and farmer co-ops and health food chains, and at farmers markets. Now the farm produces mainly row crops and livestock. The farm is located on 175 fertile acres in the Frederick Valley in Maryland. Nick’s Organic Farm uses a diversified grass based organic farming system with rotational grazing, cover crops, and an 8-12 year crop rotation to constantly build the soil. Nick served a five-year term on National Organic Standards Board and is involved in the newly formed Real Organic Project (ROP) which advocates for organic standards that adhere to the basic principles of an ecological soil and pasture.
Pete Walton is a farmer and entrepreneur from Northern Virginia, with a passion for soil, trees, and livestock. He has worked on projects ranging from small urban farms, to large scale regenerative grazing systems, and cannabis production on the west coast.
