Valerie Woodhouse

Honey Field Farm, Vermont

My interest in farming took off in college when I interned at an urban farm and community center in Camden, NJ. I got my first farm job in 2013 on a 70-acre organic vegetable farm in Fairfax, VT, where my partner and I launched a part-time incubator business for 5 seasons. In 2019, we landed on a 35-acre farm in Norwich, VT where we grow annual and perennial flowers, organic veggie and herb starts, and 15 acres of organic veggies. Ever since that internship at the urban farm, I’ve been drawn to the link between growing food and healing our minds/hearts/communities. While we started our part-time veggie operation, I pursued my masters in social work and spent 5 years working in community mental health. My dream is to start a farm and nature-based therapeutic center focused on stress reduction, coping skills, and holistic approaches to our health.