Recently, we welcomed Tamara to the OFT team as our Events and Community Outreach Assistant! We are super excited to have them on board. See the quick introductory note from Tamara below:
Hi OFT community,
I’m Tamara Brown, and I am the new Events and Community Outreach Assistant for the Ontario Farmland Trust. I’ve worked for non-profits as well as lived and worked on vegetable and livestock farms in southern British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and in Northern and Southern Ontario. Having seen first hand the important role farmers have to play in so many crucial ecosystem services, from supporting biodiversity to mitigating climate change, as well as the essential work of feeding their communities, I am excited to be part of an organization that seeks to both protect farmland for generations to come, and to connect people to their food systems and the reasons farmland protection is so important.
After working with sheep and poultry for a couple seasons, I embarked on raising my own small flocks of lamb and duck this past season. The experience of rotational grazing with daily livestock moves and chores gave me an intimate look at the livestock’s positive effects on the scrubby, thatched fields, their slow but effective invasive species management, and a window into the variety of flora and fauna that also call those fields home. When we discuss the importance of farmland protection and particularly how all land classes matter, those slowly regenerating fields with meadowlarks, monarchs (and mosquitos) galore are in the forefront of my mind.
Looking forward to working for OFT and to connecting with all of you at our future events!