Ali Coakley was a Math and ASL teacher with a passion for growing things before she began farming full time at Upswing Farm in 2018. A few years later, she had the opportunity to take over the lease from Upswing Farm for the land in Franklin where she now runs her business. Night Owl Farm has found success by leaning into her talents as a teacher and diversifying their offerings. They run a summer program for kids, a wide range of public workshops, a seedling sale, CSA, and online store. This Twilight workshop will focus on building a sustainable farm business, particularly in the critical first years, and diversifying market channels to maximize success.
We will also be joined by Susan Scheufele, a vegetable production specialist from UMass Amherst, who lead us in some pest identification and discussion of pest management.