Corie Pierce - Farm Manager, Instructor
Corie Pierce is one of the Farm Managers and instructors at
the Student Organic Farm. She managed Barker's Farm in Stratham,
NH for 7 years and attended Middlebury College for her undergraduate
degree in Biology and Environmental Education. She also completed
the organic farming apprenticeship at the University of California,
Santa Cruz at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food
Systems. She also helped to start an educational company in
San Francisco, CA where she lived and worked for 6 years. Her
interests besides growing food include competing in triathlons,
music, cooking local, delicious food, yoga, and traveling.
Jeremy Moghtader - Farm Manager, Instructor
Jeremy has been managing the SOF and its 48 wk CSA since August
of 2004. Prior to joining the SOF, Jeremy was a graduate student
at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and
Environment where his researched focused on Agroecology. He
has studied and worked at the Evergreen State Collage Organic
Farm in Olympia Washington, and worked at several organic farms
including the Mountain School educational farm in Vermont. Jeremy
is also very involved in food and farm system education and
activism. He serves as president on the founding board of directors
for the Agrarian Adventure, a non-profit organization dedicated
to connecting k-12 students to the source of their food through
experiential food and agriculture education. He also serves
on the leadership team of 2 other non-profit organizations,
Slow Food Huron Valley and the Food System Economic Partnership
of SE Michigan where he is chair of the Farm to School Committee
working to increase consumption of healthy locally produced
food in school meals.
Tomm Becker - Farm Manager
Tomm Becker has been farming since 2004, working while studying
at MSU in the English department until he graduated in 2006.
He now works as Farm Manager of the SOF, managing production,
the crew, and facilitating the day-to-day workings of the farm.
Tomm is passionate about the health of his community,
and is thrilled to be a part of such a project that brings food and joy to so
many, and knows how fortunate he is to be able to
contribute to such a process by engaging in work that he loves.
Laurie
Thorp - RISE Faculty
Laurie Thorp is the Director of the MSU Residential Initiative
on the Environment (RISE). She also serves as one of the faculty
advisors to the SOF. Laurie has been with us since the early
days when the farm was just a dream. RISE students are responsible
for both the free-range chicken project and the honeybee colonies.
Thorp holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M
and a B.S. in Horticulture from Michigan State. She is passionate
about experiential learning and student community engagement,
which from this perspective makes the SOF teaching nirvana!
John Biernbaum, Faculty
John Biernbaum is a Professor of Horticulture at Michigan State
University, where he teaches courses in greenhouse management
and vegetable crop production, does research on year-round diversified
organic farming, and is the faculty coordinator for the Student
Organic Farm. Students, staff and faculty have worked together
at the SOF to develop a diversified 48-week CSA community farm
through the use of greenhouses and on-farm cold storage methods.
The SOF was certified in 2004 and 2005 by the Organic Growers
of Michigan. John has also coordinated the certification of
the 5 acre MSU CHES Organic Apple Research Plot by OCIA and
OGM. He has developed and taught courses on organic transplant
production, compost production and use, and winter greenhouse
vegetable production for the MOSES Organic University. In 2004
he was recognized by the Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance
(MOFFA) with their Public Service Award.
Adam Montri - Hoophouse Outreach Coordinator and Instructor
Adam was first introduced to hoophouse and year-round vegetable
production at the MSU Student Organic Farm (MSUSOF) where he helped
to construct some of the current structures and completed an internship
during the first season of the MSUSOF CSA. He attended Penn State
University where his graduate research focused on tomato production in
hoophouses during the first year of transitioning to organic production.
He also aided in diversified fruit and vegetable production within 36
hoophouses at the Penn State Center for Plasticulture.
Adam currently serves as the year-round vegetable production outreach
and education person for the Student Organic Farm and Michigan Food and
Farming Systems (MIFFS). Between these two positions he teaches both an
in-person and online course focused on unheated greenhouse usage,
experiments with production techniques, conducts tours of the SOF, and
collaborates with farmers around the state. He has a strong belief that
hoophouses are an essential component of encouraging, growing, and
strengthening local food systems.
Corie Pierce is one of the Farm Managers and instructors at
the Student Organic Farm. She managed Barker's Farm in Stratham,
NH for 7 years and attended Middlebury College for her undergraduate
degree in Biology and Environmental Education. She also completed
the organic farming apprenticeship at the University of California,
Santa Cruz at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food
Systems. She also helped to start an educational company in
San Francisco, CA where she lived and worked for 6 years. Her
interests besides growing food include competing in triathlons,
music, cooking local, delicious food, yoga, and traveling. 
Jeremy has been managing the SOF and its 48 wk CSA since August
of 2004. Prior to joining the SOF, Jeremy was a graduate student
at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and
Environment where his researched focused on Agroecology. He
has studied and worked at the Evergreen State Collage Organic
Farm in Olympia Washington, and worked at several organic farms
including the Mountain School educational farm in Vermont. Jeremy
is also very involved in food and farm system education and
activism. He serves as president on the founding board of directors
for the Agrarian Adventure, a non-profit organization dedicated
to connecting k-12 students to the source of their food through
experiential food and agriculture education. He also serves
on the leadership team of 2 other non-profit organizations,
Slow Food Huron Valley and the Food System Economic Partnership
of SE Michigan where he is chair of the Farm to School Committee
working to increase consumption of healthy locally produced
food in school meals.
Tomm Becker has been farming since 2004, working while studying
at MSU in the English department until he graduated in 2006.
He now works as Farm Manager of the SOF, managing production,
the crew, and facilitating the day-to-day workings of the farm.
Tomm is passionate about the health of his community,
and is thrilled to be a part of such a project that brings food and joy to so
many, and knows how fortunate he is to be able to
contribute to such a process by engaging in work that he loves. 
Laurie
Thorp - RISE Faculty 
John Biernbaum is a Professor of Horticulture at Michigan State
University, where he teaches courses in greenhouse management
and vegetable crop production, does research on year-round diversified
organic farming, and is the faculty coordinator for the Student
Organic Farm. Students, staff and faculty have worked together
at the SOF to develop a diversified 48-week CSA community farm
through the use of greenhouses and on-farm cold storage methods.
The SOF was certified in 2004 and 2005 by the Organic Growers
of Michigan. John has also coordinated the certification of
the 5 acre MSU CHES Organic Apple Research Plot by OCIA and
OGM. He has developed and taught courses on organic transplant
production, compost production and use, and winter greenhouse
vegetable production for the MOSES Organic University. In 2004
he was recognized by the Michigan Organic Food and Farming Alliance
(MOFFA) with their Public Service Award. 
Adam was first introduced to hoophouse and year-round vegetable
production at the MSU Student Organic Farm (MSUSOF) where he helped
to construct some of the current structures and completed an internship
during the first season of the MSUSOF CSA. He attended Penn State
University where his graduate research focused on tomato production in
hoophouses during the first year of transitioning to organic production.
He also aided in diversified fruit and vegetable production within 36
hoophouses at the Penn State Center for Plasticulture.