5 Matador Members to Meet Right Now: The Farmers' Edition

1. JenG

JenG, based in the Philippines, describes herself as “a floundering aspiring organic farmer” who will “someday be a spectacular one.”

2. Carina Port

When she entered MatadorU’s travel writing program, Carina’s day job was working as an editor of a magazine about ducks. Yes, she assured me, there is such a thing: an entire publication devoted to ducks.

She recently shucked that job to get down and dirty with ducks in an entirely different way: she’s now a farmer.

Here’s what she had to say about the transition on Twitter:

9:02 PM Apr 7th via web
since I became a farmer last week, less tweeting. But squatting to pee on a patch of nettles this am inspired driving to town for internet.

moved to the farm and fell off the earth. or so it feels. haven’t been on twitter in approximately 2 weeks. somehow, have more followers now
10:42 PM Apr 19th via web

She hasn’t dropped her pen, though; Carina just launched a blog about the farming life, called, appropriately, Chicks on a Farm.

3. SophisticatedMonkey

Like many Matador members, SophisticatedMonkey is a man of many interests and talents. He’s a musician, storyteller/writer/poet, a builder, a soccer coach, and a farmer.

Long-term plans include: “learning how to live sustainably and therefore reduce my ecological footprint. I want to someday be self-sufficient and build my own home, have a farm powered by solar, wind, water, and/or thermal energy, and have friends/interns/whoever come and live with me to learn and live and love.”

4. Queen Bee

As her Matador screen name suggests, Queen Bee is a beekeeper, as well as a farmer. (She’s also a jazz singer and a cake baker).

She currently calls Chiang Mai, Thailand home and is building a house at Panya Project out of bamboo, mud, and straw.

5. Josh Kearns

Josh, aka Good Farmer, is fired up on “nvironmental chemistry, ecological economics, organic farming, natural building, permaculture, agroecology, sustainability, self-reliance, appropriate technology, right livelihood” and wants to make a difference in the world by “creating self-reliant agrarian communities and local economies.”

Community Connection:

Want to get your hands in the dirt and make things grow? Check out our WWOOFing guides to Australia, Ireland, and Thailand.