First Reflections
April 2023

I grew up in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. I never really paid much thought to where food came from, even as I experienced working in community gardens. Food came from the  grocery store or a restaurant; that was the extent of my interest aside from the novelty of the odd tomato or bunch of mint with dinner every once in a while. After a period of college meal halls and early 20s haphazard air fried chicken tenders and boxed mac and cheese meals, my girlfriend and I drew up a plan to transition into living on our own land, producing our own food, and contributing nourishing food to our community. 

I happened across Living on a Few Acres, from the 1978 U.S. Department of Agriculture which spurred my ambitions, and after searching around online I found Alderspring Ranch’s range rider internship. The idea of living on open range and learning about regenerative agriculture, inherding, and horsemanship certainly had me hooked. However, a few details of the program spurred me to look elsewhere, leading my search to the New Agrarian Program.  After looking into the various operations in the program, I settled on Rafter W Ranch. The ideals of not only being a steward for the land, but incorporating family, community, and animal stewardship on a local scale directly lined up with my personal goals. 

I hope this program will allow me the opportunity to further a much needed revolution in agriculture. I both am a prime example of how far removed we are from what we eat, as well as an example of the potential we have to change what we eat, where it comes from, and our relation to its production. This upcoming season, I know that immersing myself in learning the holistic practices here at Rafter W will have me on the right path to furthering the regenerative agriculture movement.

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