We’re so glad to have Brian, Claire, Graham & Rachel on board!

It’s the first week for the new AmeriCorps members at the farm.  They have each come from different states and different places in life to serve at Beardsley for a year. We’re so excited to have their fresh ideas and eagerness to make a difference. Here’s who they are in their own words.

Brian Blackmon

I hail from the outer coastal plains of South Carolina.  I did not grow up on a farm, but I grew up in a farming family.  My mother, aunts, uncles and grandparents were sharecroppers and I spent my youth picking watermelons and playing in pastures.

I attended college at the University of South Carolina and subsequently graduated with a BA in English accompanied by a minor in Anthropology. It was during these few years when a natural culinary curiosity combined with a finer understanding of anthropology combined to form what seems to be a lifelong interest: gastronomy.  After graduating in 2008 I joined AmeriCorps and served a VISTA service year in Montana with the Montana Grass Conservation Commission.  I was able to meet and learn from many of Montana’s ranchers and the boards that affect their livestock production during my year of service.  I made some great friends and was able provide my services and experience with them.  I look forward to similar experiences with Beardsley Farm.

Claire Godschalk

I grew up in Cincinnati, OH and attended college in central Virginia, where I studied scenic design.  Following college, I moved to Washington, DC, where I resided for 2 years and became fascinated by the world of food and agriculture.  I began reading as many books as I could get my hands on about food, working at the local farmers market, and volunteering at a community garden.  I also spent almost every free moment visiting the nearby and not-so-nearby mountains, and fell in love with Appalachia.  I enjoy working with my hands and making things from scratch, including clothing, food, and art.  I love to read and am very interested in rural issues.  I am very excited to continue learning about food at Beardsley, and very much looking forward to teaching others about the virtues of small farms and the value of supporting your community!

Graham Taylor

I was born and raised in New York State, an hour or so northwest of NYC. For many generations, my family has run a nursery and landscape business, and my love of the natural world was born out of my work there as a teenager. Over time, my interests have centered on the intersection of human health, agriculture, and the environment. This past May, I graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in Biology, and am planning to go to medical school in the fall of 2010.

Other passions of mine include–in no particular order–cooking, national parks, running, pottery, trying unusual foods, and bicycles.

I can’t wait to start work at Beardsley, and am excited to explore Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains!

Rachel Winner

I grew up in Tampa, FL with my parents and brother, Frank. I was active in my church and martial arts, competing nationally and earning black belts in two styles of karate. When I was 16, my parents had a mid-life crisis and moved the family to Asheville, NC, which turned out to be a wonderful transition for everyone. They created Barkwells, a pet-friendly resort where I enjoy working when I’m at home. I graduated magna cum laude from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA in May 2009 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and a degree in International Studies and a Spanish minor. Some of my most rewarding experiences from Dickinson were outside the classroom, like working on the college farm, playing on the frisbee team, living at the Treehouse, and traveling to China and studying in Argentina. I hope to some day pursue my next degree in sustainable development or religious conflict-resolution. I am really excited to work at the Beardsley Farm, and hope to take these experiences with me when I go abroad again to continue this type of work.

Ben’s trademark Chicken-Wing Pose. Sorry Ben, I couldn’t resist.

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.

-William James

I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.

-Edward Everett Hale

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