by Avery Marks
In the Spring edition of Plenty Magazine, Avery Marks recounts a visit to Red Wiggler Care Farm and dives into the origins of Red Wiggler and Care Farming Network (CFN). Marks paints a picture of a typical day at the farm—where staff with and without intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) work together to grow organic produce for the local community. Frequent farm tours and volunteer groups encourage employees cultivate a deeper sense of leadership and ownership in their work.

In Red Wiggler’s 30th year, the article also delves into the origins of the farm as told by founder Woody Woodroof. Woody shares how his vision evolved from a community garden project in Tucson, AZ to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Germantown, MD.
Finally, the article explores the origins of CFN and its rapid growth over the past five years. “‘Our big why is that you don’t have to do this alone,’ explains Kate Mudge, Co-Director of Care Farming Network. CFN provides a place for beginning care farmers to start, and supports established care farms as they grow and evolve.
Marks writes: “Care Farming Network provides an opportunity to build power as a collective, as well as provide evidential proof of concept on the individual and community benefits of care farming.”