Madison Williams '23

Intern, Paradox Farm, Summer 2021

This summer I worked as an intern on Paradox Farm, located right outside of Lexington. After hearing of the farm from Laura Adams ‘21 who interned there last summer, I knew it would be a great opportunity to combine my environmental studies and geology backgrounds. Mitch Wapner, owner of the farm, and his nephew run a sales stand at the weekly Lexington Farmers Market and also supply produce to several local restaurants and the local CSA in town. The farm focuses on naturally growing produce and raising chickens and provided me with the perfect opportunity to expand my knowledge of farming in a way that is beneficial to the environment. As an intern, I worked with other farm hands to plant, maintain, and
harvest a variety of crops including chard, squash, and tomatoes. In addition, caring for the chickens and collecting their eggs was a very fun, and surprisingly exciting, task to look forward to each day. Certain days on the farm were devoted to simply weeding and mulching, while others involved planting and completing a variety of other tasks, including crop planning and bed maintenance. Tuesdays are always harvest days in preparation for the farmers market on Wednesday, and these were my favorite days as we could see all of our hard work in production pay off through organic farm products. Overall, working and learning on the farm this summer was a great experience that increased my respect for local agricultural production and knowledge of the land.