James Longanecker is the Farm Manager at the University of Florida Field and Fork farm. Longanecker recently started working for the program and has big plans for the farm. She said “This farm has a lot of potential.” She wants to make the Field and Fork farm as efficient as possible in the small space that is available.
The farm is operated by students who attend the university, volunteers, and even sometimes, “baby gators,” children attend a nearby UF daycare. The Field and Fork farm offers multiple opportunities for volunteering, internships, and the occasional farm public engagement event.
Longanecker was not always an expert grower and farm manager. She started out majoring in Economics at UF and did a graduate program in food and resource economics. After her program, James became very interested in feeding people and made her transition into farming. She worked in farms in Germany, France and here in the US. James’s experience in farming and working with people makes her a perfect fit for the Field and Fork farm manager position.
There are three paid internship positions on the farm, and students can also volunteer while receiving academic credit for their work on the farm while getting to work with Longanecker who is a down-to-Earth agriculturalist who loves to get her hands dirty. She has a passion for Field and Fork and putting sustainable food practices in place to support the local campus community.