CASFS Apprenticeship Alum Wins Land Steward Award

Many of us college students, at some point in our college career, ponder about post college life and where we will find ourselves ten years from now.  Here is some inspiration that is an example of a UCSC alumni's great successes in the field of agroecology!

Celia Barss is a 2002 graduate of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food System’s Apprenticeship Program at UC Santa Cruz. She has recently become the proud recipient of the 2014 Land Steward Award. This award was presented by Georgia’s organic agriculture community, which held their 17th annual Organics Conference. The Land Steward Award honors an individual who has contributed greatly to the organic movement in Georgia both on the farm through environmentally friendly production, and off the farm through leadership, education, and outreach.  The awards ceremony brought more than 1,000 attendees to Jekyll Island to celebrate the coast and the myriad ways organic growers are essential to restoring natural resources in Georgia and beyond.

Celia Barss is currently the manager and grower at Woodland Gardens, a certified organic vegetable, fruit and cut-flower farm in Winterville, Ga., just east of Athens. She runs the farm with a focus on long-term sustainability, and is a leader in the field of small-scale agriculture.  We wish you a warm congratulations from the UCSC Sustainability Office Celia!