Meet Our Board

Jesse Frost

Farmer Jesse Frost owns and operates Rough Draft Farmstead is the author of The Living Soil Handbook and the co-creator of Notillgrowers.com. He started the No-Till Market Garden Podcast and hosts Growers Daily, a daily podcast about small-scale farming.

Erin Worrall

Erin Worrall is a farmer, educator, and mom of four in Southwest Virginia. Her background in marketing provided a unique perspective on starting a farm, and enabled her to scale from a home garden to half acre operation in just two seasons. She is driven to farming by her passion for fostering community, believing that connection to our food builds connection with the people and place that surrounds us.

Jayne Merner

Jayne Merner has a passion for enlivening the world's soils. She grew up at Earth Care Farm in RI, surrounded by massive compost piles and the day-to-day rhythm of farm life, which sparked her passion for composting and regenerative agriculture early on. Today, she runs the farm her dad, Michael Merner, started back in 1977. Alongside three generations of the Merner family and a small, dedicated crew, Jayne helps produce regenerative crops and the farm’s well-known Merner’s Gold Compost. She also hosts The Composter Podcast and has traveled around the world teaching composting, helping build new facilities, and sharing her love of the natural world.

Nisa Marks - Secretary

Nisa Marks owns and operates Sweet View Farm, a 1/2 acre market garden in Henniker, NH. She is also a consultant who helps non-profits figure out how to maximize their impact, communicate their core message, and engage key stakeholders. Her background is as a wildlife biologist, and in her spare time she can usually be found reading, quilting, or happily exploring anywhere outside.

Dan Brisebois

Dan Brisebois has a secret agenda. He wants you to grow seed on your farm! Dan is the author of The Seed Farmer and Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers; and the host of the Seed Growers podcast. Dan runs the Farmer Spreadsheet Academy and blogs about farming and seeds at www.danbrisebois.com.

Dan Brisebois is also a founding farmer at Tourne-Sol co-operative farm in Les Cèdres, Quebec. Tourne-Sol grows organic seeds for an online seed store and a wholesale rack program; and grows organic vegetables for 500 weekly veggie baskets.

James Olson - President

James Olson is a fourth generation farmer in Tulare, California. I have a BS in Agricultural Business from CSU Fresno and am a certified crop advisor. Currently stewarding about 250 acres of land, mostly in trees but also produce hay, grain, seeds, vegetables and nursery products. You can see more of what I am involved with on my website www.fireag.com and instagram @FireAg Nursery.

Clara Coleman

Clara Coleman is a second-generation organic farmer, creator of Real Farmer Care, podcast host, jury member of Food Planet Prize, farm consultant, writer, TEDx and keynote speaker on sustainable four-season farming. From 2016 to 2023, Clara led and operated the farm business at her family's farm Four Season Farm.

John Heineke

John Heineke is a chef, market gardener, and food systems educator working at the intersection of agriculture, kitchens, and community. He is the founder and head grower of Jackson Road Farm, a regeneratively managed farm serving a regional food desert in northern Mississippi, focused on soil health, food access, and community resilience. He also serves as market manager for his local farmers’ market, supporting small producers while strengthening regional food connections.

A three-time graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, John holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Food Systems, a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts management, and an associate’s degree in culinary arts. His career includes nearly a decade leading and operating restaurants with José Andrés, serving as a regional head chef for Planta Restaurants, and co-founding a food-tech startup that launched a plant-based micro food hall at the University of Maryland. He also works as a graduate-level teaching assistant, helping connect academic food systems concepts to real-world applications.

John’s work aims to bridge small-scale farming, professional kitchens, and education to help evolve our food system into a more responsible model.

Tommy Butler - Treasurer

Tommy Butler is the Farm Manager at an urban farm in Denver, CO growing microgreens, leafy greens, lettuce, herbs, and a wide variety of culinary mushrooms for local restaurants and grocery stores. A 4th generation farmer, Tommy got his start in the family business at age 8 before leaving the farm after college to build a career spanning corporate finance, sales, and operations at companies like GE, Ping Identity, Guild Education, and Truckstop.com. He returned to his passion for farming after the birth of his first child in 2022.

Tommy serves on the No-Till Growers board as Treasurer, where his background across farming, finance, sales, and operations makes him a natural fit for the role.

Michelle Hochkeppel

Michelle Hochkeppel sits at the intersection of organic seeds and sustainable systems. Michelle started farming through WWOOF opportunities abroad and never looked back. She farms in Oregon and Idaho, focusing on soil-building and small scale vegetable production. Her MA in organizational leadership supports her community-centric systems-thinking based work.