- B.S., Plant Sciences, University of Vermont
University of Vermont Extension
UVM Farmer Training Program, Institute for Agroecology
BIO
Rachel Stievater is the UVM Extension Outreach Specialist for NRCS Programs. Her work is funded by NRCS-Vermont to help vegetable and berry growers better understand and thus successfully participate in NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and Conservation Stewardship Program). Rachel worked at UVM’s Horticulture Research and Education Center in South Burlington for 10 years as Farm Manager and as the Farmer Training Program Co-Director. Prior to that Rachel worked on farms in Maine, New York, and Vermont. She is based in the UVM Extension Berlin office and can be reached at Rachel.Stievater@uvm.edu
Rachel Stievater was turned on to the idea of farming while being a student at Oberlin College. She left school for hands-on experience and has never looked back. After apprenticing on farms in the northwest and northeast, she became a Field Manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, NY. Although a production farm, Hawthorne Valley also runs many programs for students. It was here that Rachel began to see the importance of incorporating education into agriculture.
This led her to Farm & Wilderness in Plymouth, Vermont where she became the Garden Manager for 4 years. Farm & Wilderness operates a year-round, highly diversified, small-scale farm. Seasonal interns, campers, and students learn through working on the farm.
She took a break from Farm & Wilderness to raise a son, start a homestead and a cut-flower business, and return to college at UVM to obtain a degree in Plant Biology. After finishing her degree at UVM, she realized she missed the educational side of farming and returned to work as the Garden Manager at Farm & Wilderness for another three seasons. Rachel was excited to return to UVM in 2015 as the Catamount Farm Manager and an FTP instructor. She moved into an FTP Co-Directorship role in 2017 and Director in 2020.
Bio
Rachel Stievater is the UVM Extension Outreach Specialist for NRCS Programs. Her work is funded by NRCS-Vermont to help vegetable and berry growers better understand and thus successfully participate in NRCS programs such as EQIP and CSP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and Conservation Stewardship Program). Rachel worked at UVM’s Horticulture Research and Education Center in South Burlington for 10 years as Farm Manager and as the Farmer Training Program Co-Director. Prior to that Rachel worked on farms in Maine, New York, and Vermont. She is based in the UVM Extension Berlin office and can be reached at Rachel.Stievater@uvm.edu
Rachel Stievater was turned on to the idea of farming while being a student at Oberlin College. She left school for hands-on experience and has never looked back. After apprenticing on farms in the northwest and northeast, she became a Field Manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, NY. Although a production farm, Hawthorne Valley also runs many programs for students. It was here that Rachel began to see the importance of incorporating education into agriculture.
This led her to Farm & Wilderness in Plymouth, Vermont where she became the Garden Manager for 4 years. Farm & Wilderness operates a year-round, highly diversified, small-scale farm. Seasonal interns, campers, and students learn through working on the farm.
She took a break from Farm & Wilderness to raise a son, start a homestead and a cut-flower business, and return to college at UVM to obtain a degree in Plant Biology. After finishing her degree at UVM, she realized she missed the educational side of farming and returned to work as the Garden Manager at Farm & Wilderness for another three seasons. Rachel was excited to return to UVM in 2015 as the Catamount Farm Manager and an FTP instructor. She moved into an FTP Co-Directorship role in 2017 and Director in 2020.