Erik Gibson-Snyder
True Farmer, More Organized Than a Dictionary, Cornhusker Fan

Of our entire team, Erik is probably the most focused on farming and, perhaps because of this focus, he is also the most structured and organized of our lot. He is also, almost certainly, the only Cornhusker fan. Erik hails from Nebraska, lived in Montana, now lives in Seattle, and has absolute intentions of someday returning to Montana to be a blueberry farmer and a doctor’s husband. He attempts to manage his farming life with his family life, and much of what he does is focused on providing support and attention to Jen and Grace, his wife and daughter. That said, when the girls are away he is the first to show up at the farm and the last to leave.

His true passion for farming, and his true enjoyment of the art of organic agriculture helps balance out the days when the turnips are wormy, the voles eat all the seeds in flats, the tractor breaks, and the transplants just died. He can often be found in late summer picking food, listening to the game on his radio earphones, and recording field notes to himself on his cell phone. Erik came to be a part of the Growing Washington team after participating in the Cultivating Success program at Washington State University, and has matured as a farmer in a very quick period of time. Prior to farming he was the soccer coach at Evergreen State College, and his team leading skills have been instrumental in the success of the farm at 21 Acres. In two short years he has helped double production and total sales, and nearly triple the size of the CSA.

Because of his systemic approach, Erik has greatly improved our record keeping, our crop planning and projecting, our approach to crop selection and management, has influenced the way that our team farms, and has encouraged everyone to grow food with a sense of both purpose and efficiency.