Cornelius Deppe brings diverse experience to his passion for forest farm ecology. His areas of expertise include tree care and cropping, plant propagation, soil microbiome husbandry, animal integration and husbandry, fertility cycling and the wisdoms of biomimicry. His passions for gastronomic adventure nourishes his excitement for preserving and sharing the fruiting arboreal gifts and traditions. Cornelius is an advocate of returning fire to the forest and prairie lifecycles and is a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager in Virginia. Cornelius’ emergence from a dutch settlement in the US informs his appreciation for the way that we are cultured by our context, and the need to bring intention to these habits to nurture what is good and repattern what is destructive.  

Jonathan McRay grew up in a small mountain town in East Tennessee. He has deep affection for Central Appalachia and its dark-green forests, hills, and hillbillies. He played in the woods a lot, stirred by stories of tree shepherds and forest outlaws. Jonathan worked overseas (in Israel/Palestine and Mozambique) before returning home to take responsibility for his life and history. He worked on diversified farms, studied conflict transformation and restorative justice, and was a founding member, mediator, and market gardener for an urban farm, education center, and supportive home.  He teaches classes and workshops on cultural ecology and restorative justice and co-facilitated Uprooting Racism in the Food System trainings with Soul Fire Farm. As a mediator and facilitator, he works with groups and organizations to transform conflict and power, grow trust, and shape participatory practices for decision-making and ownership. Jonathan loves the culture of land care and healthy community and supports that love with experience and education in agroecology and agroforestry, ecological design, soil health, plant propagation, watershed restoration, and efforts for land reform. He also likes writing, reading out loud, brewing Hickory milk, and well-placed puns and humanure jokes.