Co-owner, farm manager: An undergraduate plant biology major, Rico became interested in farming through a summer internship as an integrated pest management (IPM) scout for Rutgers University way back in the ’90s. Rico’s first stop after graduating was Howell Living History Farm in NJ, where he worked with draft animals and became convinced that farming was in his future. From then on it was a working apprenticeship: as assistant manager at North Star Orchards in PA, and as a production manager at Bishop’s Orchard in CT. While looking tirelessly for a piece of land to purchase, Rico worked with farmers in the Catskills on water quality issues, and continued this work in Vermont with UVM Extension and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) until 2019. Today, Rico is happy to work full time on the farm, and though he is joyfully and frequently distracted by his family and young sons, his focus is to run a modern, sustainable, and successful farm.