Fertile Ground Farm
Our Team
We are a mix of full time and seasonal workers, passionate about growing beautiful vegetables for a community we love.
Angie Koch,
Owner/Farm Manager
For Angie, Fertile Ground has been an exciting venture into the world of farm entrepreneurship. With an educational and professional background in community development, Angie found herself shifting towards the life of vegetable-growing over a decade ago. Favourite farm tasks include basket weeding, trellising tomatoes, and playing with the chickens. Angie loves getting her hands dirty & is kinda proud when the grit just won’t come out from under her fingernails. When not in the fields or behind her computer, she can likely be found strumming her banjo, sipping a craft brew, puttering in her kitchen, or shamelessly reading a novel in a sunbeam.
Lara Jerome
Team Lead
Lara is inspired by the power of food and our relationship to food for creating healthy communities. During her undergraduate degree in International Development at the University of Waterloo, she became passionate about community-based food initiatives that increase our access to socially-just, ecological, and locally-produced foods. Since 2013, she’s worked in a diversity of realms where people and food connect: on farms, in backyard gardens, and with local food producers and retailers in Waterloo Region and Perth County. Lara organized a 1st-ever (for her AND for our farm) Winter CSA 2019-2020. When she isn’t in the field, you can find her sipping coffee at Show & Tell café, hiking and reading by the Grand River, or advocating for local food with the Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region.
Grace Bruckman
Grace is a kind person who brings a positive attitude everywhere she goes. She is passionate about supporting local companies and is always looking for new ways to be more involved within the community. Growing up surrounded by a family of farmers, gardening and farm work has always been a part of her life, allowing her to build important skills and knowledge from a young age while doing a variety of different jobs. Grace has always had a love for the environment and enjoys working and learning new things while being outdoors which led her to furthering her education in Environmental Studies at the University of Laurier. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, long bike rides, creating art and doing yoga. Grace is beyond grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to get her hands and knees dirty with the Fertile Ground Team!
Mark Plourde
After more than a decade in the automotive sector, Mark packed his bags (and his bike!) to leave Kitchener and lead cycling adventures around Europe and New Zealand. Along the way, he solidified his passion for a few things: being outdoors, finding new physical challenges and connecting to his community. When Mark’s not learning the ropes at Fertile Ground Farm, you can find him jumping on his touring bike, backpacking, spending time with his dogs or looking for a good coffee.
Jessica Amacher
Jessica thrives in outdoor environments where she is able to learn from the world around her. In the past, Jessica focused on restoring lands through planting initiatives to aid in supplying habitat for local wildlife. With a background in City Studies and Geography from studying at University of Toronto, Jessica enjoys delving deep into urban social issues. The availability of fresh, locally grown food sources can be a challenge in urban settings and Jessica wants to be part of the solution. An advocate for the environment and naturalist at heart, Jessica is excited to get her hands dirty this summer. This journey within local agriculture at Fertile Ground will be the perfect place to do so!
Mats Van Kleef
Mats joins us 2 days/week to help with harvest & share packing for the Tuesday CSA. He's active with local community gardens, worked with Angie on Mike Morrice's Kitchener Centre Green Party campaign last year, is a CSA member….and his official self-written bio is coming soon!!
Back to top