Who grows your food?
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- Andy Andrews, Farm Director
Andy Andrews is the Farm Director at Pennypack Farm, a position he has held since coming to the farm in 2005. In this capacity, Andy manages the farm operations pertaining to crop and animal production, hires staff, formulates the agricultural budget, and oversees other farm projects as necessary.
Andy began his farming career in 1996 after leaving a job in the health care field to move to Nova Scotia, Canada. There, he worked on an organic farm and sustainable forestry operation and learned the basics of farming, animal husbandry, logging and land management. He then spent several years working on several farms throughout the Northeast and was exposed to a broad range of agricultural practices. Before coming to Pennypack, Andy co-founded Colchester Farm CSA in Georgetown, Maryland and managed the growing operations there for several years.
In addition to the above farming experience, Andy also worked for American Farmland Trust on agricultural land cost analysis, agricultural economic development, and agricultural economic impact studies. Andy holds a B.S. from the Virginia Military Institute and a M.S. from Antioch New England Graduate School.
- Katie Fotta, Farm Manager
Katie graduated from Mansfield University with a BA in Music with the intent to take her life in a different direction upon graduation. In search of her path, she held various jobs in the subsequent years. She worked as a membership representative for AAA in her hometown of Scranton Pa; helped her siblings at their vegetarian cafe in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and as an intern for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. After returning to PA she moved to Doylestown and applied for the first job that sounded interesting. She was hired at Blue Moon Acres, a micro greens operation. It was there that sparked her interest in organic and sustainable farming. In her five years at Blue Moon Acres, she worked as part of the greenhouse production team, tended the market garden for 2 seasons, and eventually became the farm manager. In search of finding more fulfilling work that connect community, education, and farming, she discovered Pennypack Farm. She is excited about expanding her knowledge of organic and sustainable systems.
Katie is reestablishing her love of music by playing piano for pleasure, learning guitar for versatility, and experimenting with banjo for fun. She participates in the Doylestown Community Garden. Katie enjoys the company of her partner, Scott and their cat Sebastian.
- Dennis Reil, Farm Manager
Dennis Reil was raised on the Connecticut seaboard and in Great Britain. His mother is an avid gardener and he naturally followed suit, laying his first bed (of carrots) at age six. He patiently waited until the carrots were two inches long before harvesting them for the family table. After graduating high school and a brief stint in the Navy he traveled around the country, finally settling near the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey. It was there that he was first introduced to organic farming. He was a shareholder, volunteer, then worker at Genesis Farm; a 300+ share, Biodynamic CSA/educational center run by the Dominican Sisterhood (and one of the first CSA’s in the country). While living in NJ, he was an Appalachian Trail maintainer and also a trail guide and officer for the local Sierra Club. After an extended stay at a Zen monastery in the Catskills, he moved to Philadelphia, deciding to make farming his livelihood. He first farmed at the Charlestown Farm CSA near Phoenixville, PA. Later, Dennis was the greenhouse manager and mechanical odds-body at New Jersey’s Honeybrook Farm, at 3000 members the largest CSA in the country.Dennis is a voracious reader, history buff, and a long time meditation practitioner. He is very passionate about local organic food and feels that educating the public is the best way to re-invent our nation’s failing farms and food systems. He believes CSA’s are the best way to do this and was attracted to Pennypack for this reason and doubly for its separate educational outreach to the community. Dennis has been farming with Pennypack since 2008. He lives with his wife, Kasey in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.
- Jessica Gerani, Farmer
As a young girl, Jessica was introduced to the benefits of growing food in the family garden. She takes great pride in farming organically in the community she grew up in. She has traveled to Europe and across the United States, worked in the major motion picture industry, hiked all of Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail, done live sound at the Theatre of the Living Arts and was a bank teller for over seven years. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys volunteering her energy. In the past she has shared food locally and nationally with people less fortunate. She also has been known to attend roller derby bouts, stand in peaceful protest against the National Forest Service annually and find Eastern philosophy fascinating. Yoga, writing, photography, backpacking and beekeeping are all activities she finds interest in. Jessica has been farming with Pennypack since 2009.
Education and Administration:
- Raina Ainslie, Education Coordinator
Raina grew up in the hustle and bustle of New York City where she grew vegetables and herbs at her local community garden. She had the pleasure of teaching at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children's Garden for 3 years. Her love for nature and the environment led her to SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Biology. Her main interests were plant biology, mycology, and entomology. She likes to think of herself as an ecologist, keeping her eyes open to the interconnectedness of the systems around us. Raina has been farming with Pennypack since 2008. She manages the Edible Classroom garden and coordinates the educational programming for children and adults. Raina lives in Mt. Airy with her husband Zach, and several other young farmers.
- Margot Bradley, Administrative Director
Margot is a founding member of Pennypack Farm. She was the first Board President and is now working at the farm half-time. In addition to working at the farm, Margot is a nurse-practitioner at Bryn Mawr College, United Cerebral Palsy Association and an adjunct faculty member in Immaculata University’s Nursing Department.
Margot is a retired nurse-midwife. For many years, she worked at The Birth Center in Bryn Mawr. She learned about the CSA concept from clients. After visiting the Kimberton CSA in the mid-nineties, she was determined to help found a CSA farm in eastern Montgomery County. She wanted children to grow up knowing who grew their food and how it was grown. It is thrilling to for Margot to watch families return from the u-pick areas with baskets of berries and stained faces.