PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
LOVE HOUSE DAHLIAS, Ventura, CA 2010 – Present
The premier and largest grower of specialty dahlias in Southern California
Foreman
• Increase revenue by growing and selling sweet peas in off-season creating year-round income and improvements in soil management.
• Manage temporary and skilled labor crews in animal and farm management supervising 3-6 workers.
• Instruct student intern/workers in dahlia production, care of boarding horses, fence maintenance, care and use of irrigation equipment, chicken coops, greenhouses, and vegetable gardens.
• Provide strategic long range business planning in partnership with owners.
• Coordinate sales and promotion at farmers markets.
• Promote dahlia sales at dahlia society and garden club meetings.
HEDLIN FARMS, Mount Vernon, WA 2010
Farm Stand Manager
Managed the farm stand, selling organic and heirloom vegetables, fresh cut flowers, U-cut sales, harvest festival arrangements
• Under my development plan, sales increased significantly.
FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND BOOK AUTHOR, LaConner, WA 2006-2010
• Author book of humor, “Frog Hospital” and published a weekly email paid-subscription newsletter of the same name
• Wrote freelance farm stories for farm newspapers and local newspapers
WILSON COUNTY NEWS, Floresville, Texas 2005 - 2006
Farm and Ranch Editor
Wrote news and feature stories about local agriculture, including cattle auctions, livestock shows, 4H clubs, veterinarians, farriers, feed stores and mills, dairy farms, hay growers and dealers, pecan orchards, olive groves, market gardens.
* The ongoing story that year was about a punishing drought and how it adversely affected local farmers.
SOUTH LACONNER COMMUNITY GARDEN, La Connor, WA 2000 – 2004
Organizer/ Manager
Created a community garden in our neighborhood. Included clearing area, preparing soil, and providing gardening consultations
Early Horticultural Experience
FILAREE FARM, Omak, WA 1999
Harvester/Sorter
Small catalog operation garlic growers who sell 80 types of garlic seed to gardeners.
THE ZIMBABWE TREE SOCIETY and MBUKAWENI NATURE PRESERVE, Zimbabwe, Africa 1997 - 1998
Arborist/Conservationist
Under the guidance of the Zimbabwe Tree Society, a group of amateur and professional botanists, attempted eradication or limitation of alien species, promoting field knowledge of native tree species
Also
• Neil Jorgenson, Landscape Designer, Boston, MA ~ Assistant
• Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Boston, MA ~ Landscaper
• Lefeber Bulb Company, Skagit Valley, WA ~ Planter and Harvester, beets, daffodils, irises, tulips
• Cascadian Farm, Rockport, WA ~ innovative organic product farm ~ Laborer
• US Forest Service, North Cascades National Park area, WA – private contracted Fire Fighter
EDUCATION & TRAINING
• Western Washington University Graduates Studies in History
Bellingham, WA
• University of Toronto B.A. Psychology
Toronto, ON, Canada
• Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, course work on conifers, rhododendrons and lilacs. Learned New England soil types, climate and flora. Supported education as landscaper.
• Neil Jorgenson, the author of New England’s Landscape hands- on training in stones, also use of maples & rhododendrons.
• New England Bamboo Society membership, and extensive hands-on seminars with Roger Geffen, a Boston-area bamboo expert.
REFERENCES:
Dave Hedlin, Hedlin Farms, Mount Vernon WA, hedlin@hedlinfarms.com, 360-466-3977
Tom Cloud, Filaree Farm, Omak, WA, tlc@filareefarm.com, 509-422-6940
Ann & Andy Dunstan, Love House Dahlias, Ventura, CA adunstan@lovehousedahlias.com, 805-648-6808
Fun Fact: I enjoy reading classical texts in Greek and Latin – Homer, Horace and the other great poets of ancient times.
