MEET THE FARMERS
Co-Owner John Dindia grew up in Wisconsin, but spent his summers on Walloon Lake, just down the road from where the farm is now. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture (concentrating in Sustainable and Organic Horticulture), a minor in Entomology, and a minor in Environmental Studies. As a student, John was employed in various agricultural campus projects, including the Student Organic Farm, Bailey Greenhouse, the Vermicomposting Facility and the Horticulture Demonstration Gardens.
John has spent recent winters traveling abroad, visiting regions of Central and South America where he can explore and learn more about traditional agriculture. When not farming, John enjoys snowboarding, swimming, hiking, and adventuring.
John is currently attending Graduate School at the University of Montana in Missoula, working towards a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on Sustainable Farming and Food. He aspires to assist organic farmers in becoming profitable while maintaining environmentally sustainable practices, educated in the complex field of horticulture, efficient in time/labor use, and competent in business management. John has a passion for small scale vegetable production systems and appropriate technologies, and enjoys focusing on the development and implementation of productive systems and tools.
Co-Owner and Farm Manager Rachel Cross was raised in northern Michigan and graduated with honors from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture, concentrating in Sustainable and Organic Horticulture. As a student, she worked at MSU's Student Organic Farm, and in research labs studying weed ecology, sustainable vegetable production, and compost tea production and use. As an upperclassman and after graduation, Rachel owned and operated Giants Farm, a certified organic specialty vegetable farm and CSA in Lansing until joining John as a farm partner in Spirit of Walloon.
On or off-farm, Rachel enjoys reading about good food, cooking good food, and eating good food, especially with friends. She also loves long foraging hikes, movies that require subtitles and novels in translation, and crafting knitwear for her family and friends, whether they like it or not. She is passionate about creating ecologically-based agricultural systems that prioritize the health of the local community and natural areas. She is also interested in exploring and maintaining crop diversity, and has grown hundreds of heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers over the years.
On or off-farm, Rachel enjoys reading about good food, cooking good food, and eating good food, especially with friends. She also loves long foraging hikes, movies that require subtitles and novels in translation, and crafting knitwear for her family and friends, whether they like it or not. She is passionate about creating ecologically-based agricultural systems that prioritize the health of the local community and natural areas. She is also interested in exploring and maintaining crop diversity, and has grown hundreds of heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers over the years.
Crew Member Karri Tomich-Baylis graduated with Honors from from Michigan State University in 2014 with a degree in sustainable and organic Horticulture and a minor in Entomology. Previously she interned at Earthkeeper Organic farm near Grand Rapids and worked a summer at Ware Farms, an organic strawberry farm near Traverse City. While at MSU she also worked at the Student Organic Farm and the on campus Bailey GREENhouse. When not busy frolicking through the leek beds, and working on her farmer tan, she likes to adventure via bike and foot and explore her creative spirit in any medium she can get her hands on. Over the winter she has been studying yoga and is hoping to bring that practice into the farm this season.
Crew Member Allison Stawara graduated with honors from Michigan State University in May 2016 with a Bachelorsof Science degree in Horticulture, with a concentration in Sustainable and Organic Horticulture, and a minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. During her time at Michigan State, Allison wasemployed at the Student Organic Farm as a crew member; in addition, she worked at the Bailey
GREENhouse & Urban Farm for the entirety of her undergraduate career, with two of those years as
the student manager. Off the farm, Allison enjoys being outside in beautiful Northern Michigan as much as possible, whether that's running in the woods, hiking, or swimming. She also has a strong passion for learning about alternative medicine, attending concerts and cooking with her friends and family.
Born in Northern Michigan, Crew Member David Chickering has had a love for the
outdoors since an early age and constantly receives fulfillment through camping,
hiking with his dog, and sporting activities. Brought into existence by a Nurse and a Chef, David was bred to nurture quality foods and naturally attracted to the art of artisanal food production. He is a graduate of Petoskey High School, and contniued on to recieve an Associate’s
Degree in Arts. Following a long tenure as an artisinal baker David enrolled and graduated with honors from Michigan State University's Organic Farmer Training Program in 2013. All of these powers combined into a desire to work manually with the earth and the elements to elicit high quality, and highly rewarding produce. This will be David's first summer with Spirit of Waloon and he looks forward to meeting the whole farm family.
