huge growth. Over 56% of farms have at least one female pro- ducer. National Geographic agrees. In their article by MaryEllen Kennedy Duckett, eliminating gender specific “crop gaps” in earnings can help women reach maximum economic earning potential and empower women farmers to help feed the world. According to research (by the Food and Agriculture Organiza- tion), “women in agriculture can be an important engine of growth and poverty reduction.” The new progress of farming is not just diversity in crops and


how they are grown; it is also diversity in the farmers themselves and how they farm. Women tend to farm differently, they are open to new ideas and are very conservation oriented and are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. (www.greensboro. com/blogs by Carl Wilson, News and Record). According to the USDA, more than 40,000 women are farming in the Piedmont and VA and over 1 million women are farming in America (https:// www.usda.gov/media/blog/2014/10/17/women-are-past-present- and-future-american-agriculture). These trends are being recog- nized and old stigmas and barriers to success in farming for women are being broken down, one female farmer at time…or two.


Let’s meet two Triad female farmers who are a part of this


exciting movement in North Carolina Piedmont Farming. Lilly and Jenny Emendy knew they wanted a rural, quiet,


sustainable and farming lifestyle. Wanting it and making it hap- pen…..there’s the crux of it. However, this couple is absolutely making it happen right in our backyard in beautiful Stoneville, NC. Both women are former educators; Jenny was in the school system and recently left teaching to live on their 37-acre farm full time as the “physic” in the “Fielder and Physic” farm name. Her dream, while leading a quieter lifestyle, is to focus on me- dicinal herbs, making tinctures and salves. This bore from per- sonal chronic pain and illness, and as she learned what herbs and natural medicines complimented her body’s needs “the old way”. She wants to share that healing knowledge with others. Two of the crops she will be nurturing and harvesting are


boneset and yarrow. Boneset has been known to help with urinary issues, fevers, help with constipation, and treat the flu and pneu- monia just to name a few ailments. Yarrow has been known to help to reduce bleeding, lower blood pressure and improve circulation. Jenny is the private one of the pair, while Lilly is the opposite. Lilly was also an educator in several settings, and in 2018


became the first ever Farm Manager of the Out of the Garden Project’s Urban Teaching Farm. If you have not heard of Out of the Garden Project, please look them up. They are not just col- lecting canned and boxed goods to give to those who are food insecure, they go beyond that need and are helping to reduce and eliminate the huge issue of food waste. They have MANY businesses that donate leftover food to them, and their over 800 volunteers help re-distribute this food to the hungry. This is food that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage because perhaps it stayed in the case three minutes too long. Half of all fruits and vegetables in NC go uneaten and 14.4 percent of North Carolin- ians are food insecure (12/6/18 article by Shelbi Polk News and Observer). America wastes 150,000 TONS of food each day, according to www.theguardian.com.


So here are two amazing women farmers, not just wanting to make a difference in people’s lives, they actually are making


a difference already and they are just getting started. Their gor- geous farm is a rural getaway with fields, pastures, a hardwood forest and complete with babbling brook with commanding, natural, large boulders spilling down its path. When you walk their property, deep breathing ensues as the highway traffic noise dissipates. All you will hear are birds, squirrels scampering from tree to tree, rustling dry winter leaves….and then there’s the magical stream (where their favorite spot sealed the deal to sign on the line and make it their own) that eventually feeds into the Mayo River. Their vision for their property is a big one and it is truly


exciting. Their farm will include grass fed sheep and beef, rota- tionally grazed, pastured chickens, pork, duck, as well as their herbs. Their goals include managing their land to add value to the land and to the lives of others, eventually branching into education including hikes, backcountry skills, a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture), selling at their local farmer’s markets, hosting educational camp events, overnight retreats, farm tours and so much more. Lilly and Jenny met playing rugby 14 years ago, their first


“date” was a 700 mile hike on the AT (Appalachian Trail) in 2009. Obviously they love the outdoors, and are up to the task. Lilly grew up in Greensboro and says her folks are the ones


who lit the passion for the outdoors, taking her on camping out- ings at Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock State Park. She is the “Fielder” in their Fielder and Physic farm name. Oh and did we mention they live in a yurt complete with wood stove and furry friends to compliment their farm family? Lilly explained it best as we sat on one of those ancient


boulders, listening to the regenerative energy of the water in the background, when she said “the Piedmont is not as flashy as the


PARTICIPATE IN PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH


Dr. Blair Wisco, a clinical psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is recruiting participants for a research study. This research study examines emotional and physical reactions to memories of traumatic experiences.


You must...


• Be age 18 or older • Be able to read and write in English • Complete the pre-screening


The study involves...


• 2 lab visits (5 total hours of participation) • Interviews and questionnaires about your emotions and life experiences • A cardiac monitor and saliva samples • Compensation totaling $60 upon completion of both sessions


INTERESTED? Contact wiscolab@uncg.edu or


336.256-0031 to receive the pre-screening. APRIL 2020


23


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