The Carrot Project
Farmers’ Financing Needs Assessment
Working Group
TCP Advisor Stephen H. Burrington is an independent consultant in the areas of renewable energy and smart growth. Steve served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the 6th largest State lands and parks agency in the U.S.. Prior to joining DCR, Steve was the Undersecretary in the Massachusetts Office for Commonwealth Development. He previously was vice president and general counsel for the Conservation Law Foundation, New England’s leading environmental advocacy organization and was the primary author of the Massachusetts Food and Farmland Protection Act. Steve holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and University of Michigan Law School, respectively.
Chris Cavendish, is an upstart farmer operating Fishbowl Farm, an organic vegetable market farm, in Bowdoinham, Maine. He began his farm in 2004 as MOFGA’s Farmer-in-Residence with ¾ acre. In 2006, he moved his farm to Bowdoinham where he has 12 acres leased. He plans to develop his markets and capitalize his farm with the intent of “buying the farm” in the near future.
Duncan Hilchey (MRP, Cornell University, 1988) is a private consultant and Senior Extension Associate with the Community, Food, and Agriculture Program at CornellUniversity. His work is mainly applied research and outreach related to local and regional food systems and agriculture development. He has conducted surveys of farm cooperative members, agri-tourism operators, farmers’ market vendors, small-scale food processors, and others, including statistical analysis and report preparation. He is collaborating with the International Association of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions (IAAFE) on the development of an online survey of their membership.
Kathy Ruhf is a principal with Land for Good, a nonprofit organization that specializes in planning assistance for New England’s working lands. Kathy served for six years on the USDA Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers and chaired it for two. Kathy is the also the coordinator of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. She works in areas of farm entry, farm succession, and food systems development and farm and food policy.
Will Thalheimeris a learning-and-performance consultant who conducts learning audits, consults on instructional design, and publishes research reports. Dr. Thalheimer utilizes survey methodology to track respondent attitudes and beliefs, measure learning, and improve on-the-job performance. He is President of Work-Learning Research, Inc., which he founded in 1998 to bridge the gap between research and practice. He holds a BA from PennsylvaniaStateUniversity, an MBA from DrexelUniversity, and a PhD in Educational Psychology, Human Learning and Cognition, from ColumbiaUniversity.
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