Our Farm Manager
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James Parker was born and raised in Virgina. His family always had a garden in their backyard and grew lots of vegetables each year. His parents moved to 20 acres of land when he was 11 years old and started raising chickens for eggs right away. Many different enterprises followed in quick succession and The Parker Family Farm was born! James spent 7 years working on this farm while being homeschooled which allowed him to learn so much through these years. Now the Parker Family Farm is run by James' older brother Benjamin and serves the surrounding areas with fresh, local Non-GMO meats and eggs (You can check them out at theparkerfamilyfarm.com) When James was 18 he was interested in making produce a profitable enterprise at home. He read and was inspired by many books including 'The Market Gardener' by Jean-Martin Fortier (who is still one of James' heroes) which encourages new growers to go work for experienced farmers as the best way to learn how to grow for market. After a quick google search and phone call, James showed up at Dayspring Farm as a very green but eager learner, spending his first day in frigid February temperatures weeding the garlic patch. Now after many seasons, James is still here leading our farm crew in daily chores like seeding, planting, weeding and harvesting, while also managing all our store and restaurant relationships, planning our seeding schedules and maintaining infrastructure and equipment. James is married to Heidi and they have 3 kids, Titus, Noelle, and Helena. Heidi spent the summer of 2019 working at Dayspring and still helps out when she can although the kids now keep her very busy. Heidi brings experience in animal husbandry, seed saving, and small business customer relations. She also pursues cake decorating and floral design, while canning and preserving our bountiful summers' harvests and homeschooling the little Parkers. The children love to spend time at the farm and have adopted Charlie and Miriam as a bonus set of grandparents.
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Dayspring Farm Team members
Grace & Rowen met as co-workers at Dayspring in 2021 and got married in 2023 with Charlie Maloney as their wedding officiant! Grace grew up in Northern Virginia, moving to Williamsburg for a bachelor's degree in Biology and Religious Studies at William & Mary. From there, she began working at Dayspring in 2020 for her love of food and working outside with plants. Rowen grew up in Charlottesville and received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University in general engineering before working in water treatment. He then began working on various farms until his love of sweet potatoes led him to Dayspring. Grace and Rowen share a passion for local, ethical, and sustainable food, and they love working at Dayspring for the wonderful community. Grace and Rowen have also started Hickory Heart Farm at their home a few miles north of Dayspring, where they grow specialty produce, mushrooms, heirloom seeds, and beneficial plants.
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Rebekah grew up in Virgina and has worked on farms for over 10 years. In 2015, she completed an internship with Joel Salatin at PolyFace Farm. This experience equipped her to thrive in many different types of agriculture. She loves the outdoors and in her spare time enjoys hiking and backpacking. Rebekah stared working here at Dayspring Farm in 2023 and brought with her diverse farming experience from the other farms she has worked at. In 2022 she pursued her dream of assisting women through pregnancy, birth & postpartum by training as a Birth & Postpartum Doula. She currently does birth work part time. Check out her website here! www.shalombirth.com She is self motivated and puts 110% into whatever she does.
Rebekah and her husband Josh are looking forward to welcoming their first child in August of this year! We are so excited for them! |
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Gabe joined the farm crew in the summer of 2020 after graduating from William & Mary. He studied Geology and Environmental Science and got connected to the farm through Charlie Maloney’s Sustainable Agriculture course. Cited as his 'favorite class of college', he and a friend from Northern Virginia worked on the farm for a summer, and Gabe decided to stick around after that. He quickly grew to love the communal hands-on work offered at the farm, and continues to work part time. Gabe has been a musician his whole life and when not farming he is writing, recording, or playing his own music.
