Stephanie Rzonca

Trained in sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship; seeking a farming opportunity! I'm into heritage breed livestock, heirloom vegetable production, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, and more!

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Location:

  • West
    • Alleghany
    • Ashe
    • Avery
    • Buncombe
    • Burke
    • Caldwell
    • Cherokee
    • Clay
    • Graham
    • Haywood
    • Henderson
    • Jackson
    • Macon
    • Madison
    • McDowell
    • Mitchell
    • Polk
    • Rutherford
    • Swain
    • Transylvania
    • Watauga
    • Wilkes
    • Yancey
  • South Central
    • Alexander
    • Anson
    • Cabarrus
    • Catawba
    • Cleveland
    • Cumberland
    • Gaston
    • Harnett
    • Hoke
    • Iredell
    • Lee
    • Lincoln
    • Mecklenburg
    • Montgomery
    • Moore
    • Richmond
    • Rowan
    • Scotland
    • Stanly
    • Union

Looking for the following:

Type of opportunity:

Lease (1 to 5 Years), Lease (5+ Years), Lease with Option to Buy, Internship / Mentorship, Incubator / Mentored Lease, Business Partnership, Employment. More info: I would like the chance to lease, apprentice, or work in an incubator setting. I want to grow my experience and knowledge base as much as possible while also working with the skills I already have to earn income via production of livestock or produce goods.

Equipment & infrastructure:

Barn, Fencing, Well / Pond / Other water source, Greenhouse, Livestock facilities, Farmer housing, Farm equipment, Processing facilities, Irrigation equipment, Cold storage (cooler/freezer). More info: Have lots of infrastructure and equipment? Great! Don't? Also great! I'm happy to help create more or discuss visions for scaling up.

Current production on farm:

Field crops, Hay or pasture, Herbs, Orchard, Poultry (Broiler/Layer), Sheep/Goat (Dairy/Meat), Vegetable production. More info: My production experience includes rabbit production, poultry production including laying hens and broilers, dairy goats, horses (riding and training), homestead vegetable gardening, flower gardening, using organic and biodynamic methods.

Current farming practices:

Transitioning to organic, Ecological production but not certified. More info: I use organic methods of pest control, farm-created compost used for fertilizing (rabbit manure is a dream fertilizer!) Soil health is very important to me, so crop rotation is a crucial practice. I tend to incorporate lots of different things planted together, like the three sisters method, or cover cropping with clover to fix nitrogen in the soil and inhibit growth of weeds. Rabbits and chickens were processed on-site for personal consumption.

Qualifications and goals:

Previous farming experience:

Volunteer, Employee

Number of years experience:

6

Other qualifications:

Higher education in agriculture or related field. More info: B.A. Sustainable Development, Appalachian State University class of 2015. Entrepreneurship minor.

Production goals:

Hay or pasture, Herbs, Poultry (Broiler/Layer), Sheep/Goat (Dairy/Meat). More info: Meat rabbit production, poultry production including layers and broilers, organic vegetable production of heirloom products, mushroom production (shiitake, oyster, and more) medicinal herb production (echinacea, dandelion, skullcap, etc.)

Personal experience and production goals summary:

Looking for an opportunity to create or contribute to a sustainable or organic farm in NC. I'm a 25 year old graduate of Appalachian State's Sustainable Development program. I studied sustainable agriculture, including agroecology and agroforestry systems, as well as getting my minor in entrepreneurship. I've lived on a communal farm experiment that led to the production of organically grown meat rabbits, poultry, goats, and countless vegetable crops. I grew up gardening and caring for horses, and I can't think of a life not being involved in agriculture. I want to grow my experience and work towards creating sustainable, localized food systems all across the carolinas. I have worked with all shapes and sizes of livestock, including little guys like rabbits and chickens, to big fellas like llamas, sheep, goats, horses, cattle, and pigs. I love growing gardens, and along with vegetables I want to contribute to the emerging markets for medicinal herb products and mushrooms.