Send us a text

I sat down with special education teacher Alanna O’Donnell to explore how urban farming, gardening, and raising chickens are transforming learning for students with significant disabilities at P177Q, the Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children in Queens, New York. Alanna shares how her background in service and community work shaped a teaching philosophy rooted in empathy, real-world learning, and trust in student capability. When traditional classroom approaches fell short, she turned to hands-on, outdoor learning—starting with a school garden and eventually bringing chickens into the school community.

The conversation dives into how caring for animals became a powerful educational tool. Through daily farm routines, students developed emotional regulation, communication, life skills, and confidence—often without realizing they were “learning” in the traditional sense. Alanna describes how students counted eggs, built coops, voted to name chickens, and learned to navigate both success and failure, including thoughtful conversations around loss. These experiences provided structure, purpose, and dignity, especially for nonverbal students and those who struggled with abstract instruction.

The episode also highlights the broader impact of the program, from a student-run farm and micro-enterprise to statewide recognition at an agricultural competition—the first time special education students were invited to participate. While they didn’t win, the experience affirmed the power of inclusion, visibility, and high expectations. Alanna reflected on what this model reveals about education, food systems, and community, and why experiential, farm-based learning offers a compelling blueprint for preparing students with disabilities for life beyond the classroom.

Chicks in the City Instagram
New York Ag in the Classroom
Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children
Full Blogpost about the Podcast Interview with Alanna O'Donnell

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

He is a nationally recognized biodynamic farmer, designer, entrepreneur, author, and educator. Daron Joffe—also known as Farmer D—was introduced to me by my friend Pattie Baker, who has long been inspired by his work and his mission.

Farmer D is the author of the acclaimed book Citizen Farmers: The Biodynamic Way to Grow Healthy Food, Build Thriving Communities, and Give Back to the Earth, and for more than 25 years he has been designing and building community farms and gardens across the country.

The Citizen Farmers movement is about far more than growing healthy food. It’s about how food—and the act of growing it—can transform ourselves, our communities, and our planet. Farmer D believes that each of us has the ability to create opportunity: to grow something, to compost, and to reconnect with the land in ways that benefit us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

He also believes that thriving communities begin with a farm. In this episode, we explore the concept of agrihoods—neighborhoods intentionally designed to integrate farms into their foundation. It’s a powerful idea, and one I’m especially hopeful will continue to evolve with authenticity, inclusivity, and accessibility for people across all income levels.

Farmer D’s work is also deeply rooted in his Jewish heritage, which has meaningfully influenced many of his projects and the way he approaches land stewardship, community, and purpose.

Join me for an inspiring conversation with a true agri-entrepreneur—someone who has expanded his passion for farming in unique, far-reaching, and deeply impactful ways. Enjoy my conversation with Farmer D.

Farmer D
Citizen Farmers
Serenbe
Coastal Roots Farm
Noah’s Ark Skirball Cultural Center

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

She’s a young, inspiring agri-entrepreneur—and the CEO and Founder of Change Food for Good. Her name is Samia, also known as Sam Lemfadli. Sam is a Brooklyn native and technologist with a deep-rooted passion for sustainable agriculture.

She founded Change Food for Good, a New York City–based nonprofit dedicated to making sustainable agricultural technology more accessible in communities affected by food insecurity. Let’s pause on that for a moment—a nonprofit dedicated to making sustainable agricultural technology more accessible to areas impacted by food insecurity.

Sam recognized that technology is a key ingredient in feeding people, and she was driven to put those tools into the hands of individuals who want to learn, create, and innovate. Through her work, Change Food for Good motivates, inspires, and trains people to understand technology, build it, and invent new agricultural solutions—especially for urban environments.

Sam saw an important need and stepped forward to fill it. To date, she has placed over 200 program graduates into jobs and continues to bridge technology and agriculture through several innovative, community-based programs.

When I speak with people like Samia, I’m truly humbled by the depth and breadth of their vision—their foresight, their drive, and their willingness to take a leap of faith in pursuit of what they believe in. It reminds me of other changemakers I’ve had the privilege to interview, like Giany, Executive Director of Carolina Human Reinvestment, or Emily Stone, founder of Uncommon Cacao, who disrupted the global cacao economy.

I think you’ll feel humbled and inspired as well. Enjoy my conversation with Samia from Change Food for Good.

Change Food for Good

The Knowledge House

Brooklyn Supported Agriculture

Chipotle Cultivate Foundation

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

Her business is called Mandy’s Mushrooms - her name is Amanda Dye - and she is passionate about making the kingdom of Fungi more accessible to the general public through mushroom education.

Mushrooms are mysterious to me. The more I read about mushrooms and the more the world learns about mushrooms, the more we learn about the significant impact they have on controlling - actually managing and overseeing is probably the better word - managing and overseeing nature.

There is so much you can do in the kitchen with mushrooms, and there are so many mushroom varieties to experiment with. Many people say that they don’t like mushrooms but I challenge you to try a recipe that contains some fresh, locally grown mushrooms- I think you might just change your mind.

And then there are all the medicinal properties of mushrooms. That’s another whole world to explore.

I have not gone on a mushroom forage as of yet - but it is something I intend on doing in the near future - maybe with Amanda at her new property in NY which we discuss!

Amanda is a young woman with a passion for mushroom agriculture - mycology - and I love people that are passionate about agriculture. I get very excited for all the amazing things that Amanda is doing now and for all the amazing things that she will create in the future. I hope you share in my excitement as we explore the world of mushrooms - aka mycology!

Mandy's Mushrooms

Worcester Common Ground (WCG)

Mushroom Observer

Inaturalist

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

In the forward of his book, it states: “Growing Out Loud Captures the depth, breadth, height of a life that has loved and pursued knowledge, understanding, purpose, application, and service for the benefit of all and for the fulfillment of his god-given calling. The Food Revolutionary has truly lived well.”

Keith Rashid Nuri is the author of Growing Out Loud, Journey of a Food Revolutionary. I reached out to my dear friend Pattie Baker, telling her about the types of connections I wanted to make for my next set of podcast interviews - I wanted to really focus in on businesses and visionaries who are shaping agriculture - who are educating our future generation - who are tackling big food issues - and Pattie referred me to a few companies and people in her network down in Georgia.

She linked me to a website for a non profit called Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture. The work of this organization around education, growing in an urban setting, building community, agritourism and edutoursim was extraordinary. But I didn’t want to speak to the people in charge now - I wanted to speak to the visionary behind all of this amazing work - Keith Rashid Nuri. Before our interview I dove into reading his book - his inspiring journey literally around the world, from attending Harvard and Umass Amherst, to working in ag in CA, Michigan, Georgia and Alabama, and then nationally and internationally with Cargill, a Big Ag for profit company, eventually working in a pretty big position during the Clinton Administration….and - the culmination of all of his studies, experience and travels - creating the Truly Living Well Center for natural urban agriculture in Atlanta GA. .

This interview with Rashid is powerful. It is blunt. It is telling. And it is purposeful. Above everything that Rashid and I discussed, his integrity and sheer willingness to do what was right resonated with me the most. I am so excited for you to listen to my conversation with Rashid and take away the learnings that resonate the most with you and your life….

The Nuri Group

The Atlanta Local Food Initiative

Chinatown - History of California's Water

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

Today’s guest is a filmmaker, community builder, and aspiring farmer who happens to be based right near me in Brooklyn — Maxine Simone Williams. Maxine uses storytelling, farming, and community engagement to illuminate how culture, food, and relationships shape our lives.

I first discovered Maxine on Instagram. I come across countless amazing farming-related posts, but Maxine — a brilliant, young, and inspiring woman — immediately caught my attention. I wanted to dig deeper into her story and her mission. She is a true wealth of resources, and what I love most is that she doesn’t just share information; she demonstrates the power of these (often free!) community resources by showing up, participating, joining in — and then sharing her experiences.

I learned so much from this interview — not only about local community offerings, but also about how a single plant, like cotton, can carry deep emotion, generational pain, and historical significance. At the same time, growing cotton today can also create space for healing, growth, and a sense of moving forward. Maxine opened my eyes to that.

I hope you enjoy this episode, and I encourage you to check out Maxine’s Instagram and YouTube. As I told her during our conversation, I can’t wait to join her one day in her community garden or on one of her NYC field trips. Enjoy my conversation with Maxine.

Maxine's Instagram
Maxine's Youtube Channel (How We Grow Series)
Leah Penniman, Farming While Black
NYC Community Compost Network - Master Compost Certificate
Maya Stansberry, Deep Routes
Dirt to Soil, Gabe Brown
Soul Fire Farm

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

So everyone should know my good friend Pattie Baker by now…author of Round America with a Duck and most recently Round Ireland with a Duck. Pattie has become such a dear friend and has encouraged me to continue trusting the journey…and so I have! It was Pattie’s inspiration that made me consider WWOOFing. (World Wide opportunities on Organic Farms) And when I thought about where I would want to WWOOF, Italy just popped into my mind….so that is where I put my energy…. researching farms throughout Italy from the WWOOF Italy website, and ultimately connecting with Gianfranco and Nino from Orto Infesta in Marsala Sicily.

Like everything in life, we can’t know whether our WWOOFing selections will turn out the way we imagine in our minds. Obviously we end up painting a certain picture in our minds of farming in Sicily. There is always so much to consider when selecting a WWOOfing destination. And at some point, you have t just take the leap of faith and just go for it…and that is basically what I did during my WWOOFing journey.

Upon returning, Pattie couldn't wait to chat with me about my adventure in Sicily. I recorded our conversation which basically was her interviewing me about my WWOOFing experience. I really loved her questions and I thought it would be a great opportunity for people to hear about my experience from a slightly different perspective. Enjoy my conversation with a true inspiration, Pattie Baker….

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network

Send us a text

This is the 2nd interview I did while in Sicily. This interview is with a dear friend Helen Cane Tarpinian. Helen and I reconnected recently around the same time I was researching WWOOFing farms in Italy and landed an opportunity in Marsala, Siciliy, about an hour south of Helen's Terrasini home.

When I arrived at the Palermo Airport on Oct 11, 2025, Helen picked me up and we went back to her beautiful home in Terrasini Sicily. The bedroom I stayed in the first night had a view of the water and of the majestic Sicilian sunset. Mountains on one side of her home and water views on the other. She was also steps away from jumping into the Mediterranean waters. What a paradise.

Helen is an American living part time in Sicily. Her husband Vincenzo is from Sicily. So, her perspective of Sicily and my small perspective from the 12 days I spent there became a conversation that I wanted to capture for the podcast. One story that we somehow forgot to talk about in the podcast - as there were so many stories to cover - was Rossalini’s farm tour and Italian farm to table lunch in Terrasini. Rossolini not only has a farm - he is also growing several tropical fruits not normally grown in Siciliy such as papaya and avocado - but he is also growing coffee. Of course I had to ask about cacao - and he actually did try to grow it, but they were hit with a frost and it didnt’ survive….but he is determined to try again! I definitely want to connect him with Jeff from Moka Origins - not only about the cacao but also the coffee!!

The farm tour was amazing - we tasted our way through - and then we sat down for a real authentic Italian farm to table meal - 3 courses - plus wine…and more wine…and an after dinner cocktail made from passion fruit grown at the farm - accompanied by authentic italian music and singing….Although I knew few words….i could feel the sense of family, connectedness and joy during this festive gathering.

So Join Helen and I as we explore my first few days and last few days in Siciliy - which were filled with more family, more delicious meals, visits to historic city streets, markets and churches, hikes, majestic scenery, gelato, cannoli and much love and connection. It was amazing and unforgettable.

A Special thank you to Helen, Vincenzo, and Anthony for graciously welcoming me into their home and making me a part of the family! This is jen ross, your agritourist podcast host. Enjoy my interview with Helen from Terrasini Sicily. If you enjoy the podcast, subscribe, share and comment! Ciao!

Thank you for taking the time to listen to The Agri-Tourist Podcast, for supporting our inspirational guests, and for sharing my personal journey back to agriculture.

• Agri-Tourist.com
• HeartBeet Farms
• Instagram
• About Jen Ross, The Agri-Tourist Podcast Host
• Global Agritourism Network