Staff Highlight: Jen Silveri

Jen Silveri is our Director of Field Operations at MIFFS and we would like to recognize all of her hard work to ensure our organization's mission. Read on to learn more about Jen and her constant work with MIFFS!

"I have worked for MIFFS for 5 years as a Co-Director. Before working for MIFFS, I was actively engaged as a board member for an additional 5 years."

"I am inspired by all of the amazing people I work alongside at MIFFS and all of the amazing and weird things I learn from them. I learn something new every day at work and get really excited to continue to learn more about our connections to the ecosystem. I love being able to exchange that knowledge, and get excited about it with people and cultures."

"I believe climate change and land access are the biggest challenge facing agriculture today. I believe it is absolutely vital to work with the land, knowing its strengths and challenges and letting those guide what and how we farm. We need to think about how to leverage, incorporate and support the regeneration of naturally resilient features of the land that can support and enhance farming. We need to adjust our farming practices to be more in sync with natural systems rather than fighting against them. I strongly believe that one of the ways we do this is by looking to practices of other land stewards from different cultures and diverse climates, many of whom have lost access to the land or whom have had it stolen. Those voices usually have the most valuable things to teach us. We need to find better ways to support equitable access to land, seek opportunities to learn from each other and problem solve together."

"If lawns were looked at as an agricultural crop, it would be the largest irrigated crop in the US. They are by large, managed by untrained homeowners who unlike farmers, are unregulated and often have no training/experience in nutrient or pest management."

MIFFS would like to once again thank Jen for all of her dedication to help this organization run smoothly and thrive!