As a 2007 Economics major from Tufts University, I spent my first four years out of college working at one of the world’s largest, leading international asset management firms. During the week, I was chasing paper wealth, dealing with some of the world’s most successful financial institutions in Manhattan and Miami. At nights and on weekends, I was working harder, dedicating my free time to learning and working with farmers and chefs, sharing the knowledge I was absorbing through my agriculture blog www.HaveYouEverPickedACarrot.com . I soon realized that there was a disconnect in my life and I needed to change things, I needed to contribute to something I believed in.

In 2011, I gave up my suit and clean-shaven face, leaving the financial industry to begin farming full-time at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a farm and education center dedicated to helping young farmers learn sustainable land management practices that go beyond the organic label, while sharing the message and meaningful impact of healthy food on the community and economy. It is also home to world famous chef and award winning author, Dan Barber, owner and Chef of Blue Hill restaurant in Tarrytown, NY, the 2015 James Beard "Outstanding Restaurant" winner. An incredibly inspiring place.

I spent one year as an apprentice, taking the reigns managing the daily workings of the Stone Barns Center’s greenhouse, working firsthand with Farm Director Jack Algiere, a lifetime farmer, mentor and voice of sustainable agriculture for young farmers throughout the US. In 2012, I made my way back to New York City to consult and work with Manhattan restaurateur, Eli Zabar, leading a team to develop and construct a rooftop greenhouse for hydroponic production at his famed Vinegar Factory location. Always in search of great opportunities for knowledge, I travelled up the coast to work at Four Season Farm in Harborside, ME learning and working with farmers, consultants, and acclaimed agricultural authors Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch.

In 2013, to gain a better understanding of the seed industry, I took a fortuitous position, supporting vegetable plant breeding research with professor and vegetable breeder Michael Mazourek, at Cornell University’s Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics in Ithaca, NY. In addition to the research, we developed a newly converted greenhouse into a living, soil-based greenhouse classroom, to teach students the production, ecology and economics behind producing food in all four seasons.

In late 2014, after a few years away, I took a position at the Stone Barns Center as the Field Crop Manager and Variety Trial Coordinator, managing vegetable production and seed variety experimentation, developing and maintaining relationships with a global assortment of seed breeders and seed companies.

Throughout the years, PickACarrot.com has been developed and created, by Mark and me, to bring necessary technology tools to the farm and help farmers locate seeds while helping seed companies share their vast seed selection and democratizing the seed industry.

I'm the software engineer, site builder, and architect, for PickACarrot. I studied Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where the motto is, "My heart is in the work." I would like for that sentiment to be reflected in this project. While I am not a farmer, myself, I have an interest in game and app development, as well as woodworking and furniture building (in a more physical realm). I am often designing or creating something or other in my spare time. To that effect, I also enjoy planting things and watching them grow. I often ask Jason basic questions in an effort to further my understanding of the world of agriculture and all it has to offer. I love to cook and am looking forward to using my newfound knowledge to grow some interesting and delicious vegetables with which I hope to expand my culinary repertoire.