Meet Farmer Xandy:
Volunteer turned Farmer!
On Tuesday and Friday mornings, there is a 5th smiling face, that of Xandy Wells, riding on the back of the farm truck heading out to the fields. "Xandy brings humor, wisdom, and hands-on expertise to our team every week," commented Farmer Peter Crooke.
A native of Philadelphia, Xandy first came to visit Snipes Farm in 1977 after becoming friends with Susan Snipes on the lacrosse fields of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. Subsequently, Susan married Xandy's brother Tom Wells, and over the course of the last 50 years, Xandy has visited the farm hundreds of times but has become increasingly interested in the work of the farm in recent years. She commented, "I had been hearing about permaculture already and was excited that Snipes Farm was planning new methods of farming to ensure the land was being replenished, recognizing that more efficient and effective ways to farm were investments in protecting our earth."
This interest led Xandy to become a farming volunteer in the summer of 2023. "Soon after I retired from my job as a hospice nurse, I knew instinctively that what I most needed after years as a nurse was reconnecting with the earth, being outside, challenging my body, getting dirty... My spirit is indeed nurtured and strengthened whenever I’m here."
Since then, Xandy has become an integral part of our farm team. With a can-do spirit, she is always up for anything. And like any farmer, she has a favorite farming task! "I love to weed! Immediate gratification from seeing crops struggling for sun under an overgrowth of weeds become neat, clean rows of healthy, happy crops is the best. Plus harvesting!"
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