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Meet yOur Farmers
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Zach Cannady
As our lead farmer, key planner, builder, and fix-everything-man on the farm, Prema would simply not exist as it does today without Zach's presence.He is the fire, the passion, and the lifeblood of our daily operations. It's been joked that while the plants certainly need the sun and water to thrive, they've also grown accustomed to feeding off of Zach's unending energy at the farm!
Amazingly, this is Zach's first time farming, ever. After spending six years traveling the world in his twenties, he returned to his home state with clear insight into the contribution he wanted to make. His connection to the energy of the land is uncommon, revealed clearly by his instincts farming it. You'll see Zach when you visit the farm, stop by our Farmers Market booth, or receive pretty much any of our deliveries. He's everywhere the farm is!
Kasey Crispin
Kasey and Zach's shared vision of growing food was mentioned before the sun set on their first day of friendship back in 2013. It turned out they had much in common, and despite the timing (Zach was just returning to the States after years of living and traveling abroad, and Kasey was days away from leaving on a one-way ticket to Kauai), their partnership in life was inevitable.
Kasey was lured away from farming adventures on the islands of Hawaii to create a life with Zach in the high desert. Her soil-caked hands of years-past now tend mostly to her and Zach's favorite seedlings: their two daughters, Anjali May and Rishi Lou. Kasey is the engine behind everything online, visual, written, and marketed for Prema, including the creation of this website (woohoo!). She is also the director of the Riverside Farmers Market, the year-round market we created in 2018.
Cassidy Case
Cassidy joined our team in the winter of 2018 as an intern on break from her agricultural studies at Evergreen University in Washington. She immediately blew us away with her steady optimism, calm maturity, and incredible reliability. She charmed our regulars at our first go at the Riverside Farmers Market, and despite frigid temps and an outdoor market in active blizzard conditions, she never missed a market. We moved quick to swoop her once she graduated and have since made her our Farm Manager. Cass keeps the farm running smoothly and helps train our team of interns.
Kayla de Lancey
Kayla joined our intern team after helping us with various aspects of our home delivery operation and the farmers market. She has a passion for local food and brings a refreshing dose of eagerness, sincerity, and organizational skills to the farm. Kayla has a penchant for growing mushrooms and will be helping with that operation up here this winter. Give Kayla a fresh harvest, some time in the kitchen, and she will delightfully produce the best thing you've ever tasted.
Haley Paulsen
Hayley joined our intern team to further her dream of running a full-spectrum nursery. Raised in Sonoma County, she brought farm knowledge and a deep love of plants to our region, and has exciting plans to enrich it further. She cares for dozens of plants at her home and is currently seeking out potential sites to bring her vision to life. Hayley brings a refreshing authenticity and focus to the farm.
Hawa Naimzada
Hawa joined us as an intern this year after farming in various locations over the past four years. Raised in Fairfield, CA, and now sharing her gifts with the high desert, Hawa brings a gentle and determined sweetness to our team. She has knowledge of and experience with herbal medicines and is considering creating a small-scale herb farm in the future. Whatever she decides to do, we're certain it will be beautiful.
Garrett Menghini
Garret joined our team with a diverse background and a fire for learning how to grow intensively in the high desert. As the founder of Down to Earth Composting, Garret is no stranger to the importance of soil health and he brings a sharp focus and sincere curiosity to our farm. He has aspirations to turn his Washoe Valley plot into a diverse market garden and we have no doubt he will.
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