Growing up, Nicole would help her mother with small gardening projects around the house. But it wasn’t until she was a junior in high school, that she realized she wanted to pursue a career in horticulture. Nicole’s goal is to be as close to the natural world as possible and work with plants in a greenhouse setting. Her first farm-related job was a few years ago when she spent a summer working at a small greenhouse & farm in her town. Currently, Nicole is a student at Penn State majoring in Horticulture, and will be graduating in May 2021.
Nicole's Role at CVO & Thoughts on Being a Farmer
Nicole’s favorite crop to grow is herbs, but she can’t narrow her favorite down to one specific herb because there are so many different varieties she enjoys growing!
“There are so many different uses for an herb - culinary, medicinal, aromatic, etc. – also the plants themselves are often very beautiful. The wonderful scents that you experience when working with herbs are probably my favorite quality about them,” says Nicole.
One of Nicole’s favorite aspects of working on the farm is that every day is different!
“Even if a task is one that we do often - such as planting, harvesting, or weeding - we work with so many different crops that no day is ever really the same. We certainly don’t get bored,” Nicole explains.
Nicole loves spending time outside and the fact that her ‘office’ is in nature, but farming can be hard work. Her least favorite part of farming is how demanding it can be, yet Nicole still feels accomplished and proud after a difficult day.
“When I see a finished product gets sent on its way to being enjoyed by a member of the community, I feel the proudest to be a farmer. It feels great to know that all of the hard work we do on the farm ultimately contributes to feeding and supporting the health of those around us,” states Nicole.
