Apprentices
Maria Valenzuela
I am looking to condense all my experiences and seed a brand around earth based livelihood that goes hand in hand with the seasons and my own personal rhythm. I want to bring joy and wellbeing to other people through artisinal, beautiful products and services.
Farm Studio meets my needs for an intimate and personal cocoon of professional development, targeted and focused, a cpmplete path... and exposure to community committed to their own development and the earth.
I love to experiment in the kitchen, alchemize and do anything with flowers and fruits. I love to go into the spa and Ayurveda is a big love of mine.
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Liam Pearson-Moyers
As a small child, I was filled with wonder and surpise that growing one's own food was allowed. Growing tomatoes to eat felt rebellious in the best way. Though today I am focused on the role of regenerative agriculture in creating healthy economy, I am still filled with wonder by the small miracles of cover crops pushing through straw in the winter. During college, I began "doing Permaculture" in my tiny backyard, culminating in some very delicious and slightly stressed tomatoes grown atop a mixture of tree branches, horse manure, and thick clay. I was hooked.
I graduated UNC Asheville in 2020 with a degree in Economics and an obsession with monetary theory. This led me eventually into working for a non-profit promoting social banking. I noticed that when I was ostensibly doing research, I was more focused on my regenerative agriculture podcasts. I began gardening again after moving to Sonoma County, studying the work of Sepp Holzer and Mark Shephard. I interned at Wheaton Labs' Permaculture Bootcamp in 2023, and now work with Nucleus Permaculture Design and Farm Studio.
My main areas of practice are water management, agroforestry, restoration agriculture and Biodynamics. I am deeply immersed in all of this with the goal of simply being in relationship with the land and growing healthy food.
Marc Hoeppner
I have been the full-time gardener at Ratna Ling Retreat Center in Cazadero, CA for two years. I have learned to farm independantly, and have been building a 1/4 acre vegetable garden on the property using No-Till and Grow Biointensive methods. I am unsure if I want to make farming my long-term career, but I hope home-grown organic produce will always be a part of my life. I am now seeking a more structured program with a more qualified mentor I respect and trust for what may be my final year in California. My hobbies include playing music, cooking, and practicing meditation. My long-term goals include uquipping myself with the skills to sustainably grow produce for any community, becoming certified in "Rolf" Structural Integration Bodywork practice, and playing guitar well enough to be the lead in a band.