#12 Mary Kimball: Agriculture & Farming

In this episode, Spencer speaks with Mary Kimball (she/her) about the critical shortage of farmers in this country, the ways that people get pushed away from agriculture-related careers, and the growing collaboration between the farming community and the sustainability community.

Mary is the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Land-Based Learning, whose mission is to cultivate the next generation of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards. She was raised on a small farm in Yolo County, CA and has been involved in food and agricultural education at the local, regional, state, and national levels for over 25 years.

Mary started with the Center for Land-Based Learning as the first employee in 1998, and has led the growth and development of the organization from one program in the Sacramento Region with 30 high school students, to today’s portfolio that includes six educational programs for youth and adults, spanning 27 California Counties. The California Farm Academy’s portfolio includes the most expansive beginning farmer training, business incubator, and Registered Apprenticeship in Farm Management in California.

Mary holds a Master’s in Human and Community Development from the Ohio State University, and a B.S. from the University of California at Davis in Agriculture Science and Management, Plant Science Option. You can connect with Mary in the Careeriosity LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13924312/.

This is the last episode of season one of Careeriosity. We wish to express sincere gratitude to all of the guests who made this season possible, because they helped illustrate an important lesson for our listeners: People want to help. When you ask for advice and look for ways to connect, you will be amazed at the generosity that people show you. So we just want to acknowledge one more time all of the generous contributors to this season. Thank you for helping to lift up others who may follow in your path.

As always, episode music by Wataboi. To learn more about Careeriosity, visit https://careeriosity.wixsite.com/podcast.