Executive Director

Farming is part of Jane’s DNA, and she brings a genuine love of the land to SilvoCulture. Her father, born in West Virginia, moved to New Jersey with his family and passed along his passion for farming – as well as sustainable agriculture and agroforestry – to Jane. She and her dad dreamed of starting an agricultural education organization, and in 2016 they purchased a 21-acre farm in Myersville, MD. SilvoCulture was created in collaboration with Michael Judd to further that dream and promote ecological and profitable small farming. Both a Ph.D. chemist and a lawyer, Jane is the Mercury Program Officer at the U.S. Department of State where she leads U.S. programmatic efforts to reduce global mercury pollution. At SilvoCulture, Jane helps with the overall vision and oversees the organization’s day-to-day operations. She lives on her Myersville, Maryland farm with Riley and Daisy, her two cats; and a discrete number of working chickens.

Technical Director

Michael brings a wealth of proven sustainable landscape practices to SilvoCulture. He has worked with agro-ecological and whole-system designs throughout the Americas for nearly two decades. A firm believer in permaculture and ecological design to promote and sustain local food systems, Michael has designed and implemented projects that increase local food security and community health in both tropical and temperate regions. He is the author of ‘Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist’ a popular how-to manual on creating productive – and beautiful landscapes. In addition to his current work with SilvoCulture, Michael is the founder of two non-profits: Ecologia Edible & Ecological Landscape Design and Project Bona Fide, an international nonprofit supporting agro-ecology research. He applies his teachings to his own property; Judd’s Long Creek Homestead located in the Appalachian foothills of Frederick, Maryland touts 25 acres of mixed woodland, food forests, gardens, and a nursery all designed to promote sustainable agriculture experimentation and education.