search by region
Pacific-West West Central Mid-West South-East North-East
  • Region
Pacific-West West Central Mid-West South-East North-East
  • Location
  • to search by radius, close this filter and enter a zip code in the search box above
  • Category
  • Type
  • Compensation
Paul Feenan
Food & Farm Director
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps
May 05, 2015

When did you know that you wanted to work in food?

I am not sure I have had an 'aha' moment.  It's nice I have that to look forward to!  I have had so many incredible experiences working in the field of food and farming.  Each one has stoked the fire in me.

I suppose I got my break as a young guy when I was given the opportunity to teach high school horticulture, agriculture and natural resources.  I was knowledgeable and ambitious enough to teach my charges, but the opportunity provided me a launch pad to really take off and develop my own style in agriculture and education.

How did you get your current good food job?

I am a born and bred Vermonter.  However, I left in the early 90s and settled in western Washington State. Over a twenty-year period I carved out a pretty nice deal for myself out there: vocational agriculture teacher, coach, farm owner / operator. I learned so much as a teacher. But my wife and I had started a family and we were looking for a change of scenery for ourselves and our two little ones.

We began looking around in 2010 and 2011 for opportunities, and a Farm Manager position at the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps popped up.  We explored the opportunity with the Corps but weren't able to make a deal happen right then.  It was early spring 2011 and we had to get our own operation in Washington State cranked up for the season. We visited Vermont in July for a family affair and coincidentally University of Vermont Extension had a position opening right in my wife's wheelhouse.  During our trip we visited the VYCC campus and farm and mutually agreed that the potential here was off the charts.

It was a long and winding road but to make a long story short we were both able to secure positions in Vermont and chose to take a huge leap of faith.  Our kids John and Ruby were so young at the time - what a gamble!

How did your previous work or life experience prepared you for a good food job?

I spent many years learning how to teach.  When I started, I knew kids but I was a punk when it came to teaching.  Luckily I was surrounded by incredible mentors.  I am talking giants in their field.  Superheroes!  I was smart enough to watch, listen and learn.  An unapologetic bandit.  If I saw someone else use something successfully I stole it and used it in my classroom.  I did the same thing in my coaching career. It is a pretty fool-proof strategy really.

Later on I left teaching and worked for Washington State University Extension managing a county Master Gardener Program.  I learned how to coordinate and collaborate with adults interested in sustainable gardening and composting. I honed the lessons I had developed as a high school teacher.

My coaching career quite possibly equipped me more than all others for what I do today.  I learned how to build and guide a team.  The subtle art and alchemy involved in the development of a group of individuals aiming on a common purpose is illusive to say the least.  It is not easy to find pre-training for this type of work.  Coaching really tested me in this way.  I didn't realize how much I was learning at the time.  I now call upon this experience on a daily basis.

Over the years I have developed some core values that I have come to rely on for success:

1. I always strive to be the most well researched person in the room.  My inclination to try and anticipate conversations and dynamics for a planned event drives me to study in great detail the players and factors involved.  I make their business my business.

2. I never stop working or thinking about work....Ever

3. "Burnout" is not in my universal vocabulary

4. I surround myself with talent first and experience second.  I feel as though I can train someone adequately who has the characteristics required for excellence.  Experience rarely, if ever, makes up for a lack of work ethic, opportunism, steadfastness and the like.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your good food job dream?

My formal academic endeavors were less than stellar.  I have had to try very hard and put more time into my work than if I had built a more stable foundation with my schooling.  I look around now and see young people with drive, ethic, smarts and the academic training I did not afford myself and I think, "Wow they are going to go places and I mean FAST and HARD."

Name one positive thing that a former employee taught you that you continue to appreciate?

I have been extremely fortunate to work with and for great people.  I am also proud that I have been able to take something away from folks who I didn't consider great.  The philosophy that no one is inconsequential has been helpful for me in this light.

One thing I learned from a supervisor that is worth sharing is a sequence about initiative and independence that he shared with me when I first started working for him.  He explained how our working relationship would mature over time and how this would affect how I made decisions and took action steps to complete my work.  Paraphrasing his message, it went like this: At first you will come to me often and ask "What should I do".  This phase of our working relationship will not last very long.  You will learn quickly how I approach decisions.  After that you will come to me and say "This is what I am thinking about doing.  What are your thoughts?"  This middle phase will take some time -much longer than the first and last.  Finally you will begin to come and say "This is what I did, how do you feel about it?" Now and again we will revisit an earlier phase but over time these occurrences will become few and far between.

I have used this theory in managing my program and supervising others.  It is an effective way to encourage initiative, independence, and innovation while providing guidance and maintaining oversight during the initial stages of employee development.

What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?

There are so many!  I think the most obvious is in food production and farming.  Of course care must be taken by those making significant investments, particularly financial.  Farming for profit is not for the naïve and/or faint of heart.  Those who get seriously invested in food production should be business savvy, understand the principal of sweat equity and must be willing to survive and thrive at a cost of living that seems antithetical to most. An off-farm job is almost essential for those who are not born in to a farm family or have a wealthy lineage.  For me this is ok.  The money will help with seed money and continued investment, and an off farm gig keeps you sharp due to the exposure of diverse viewpoints on many subjects.  Bring it all home and throw it in the hopper.

I am very interested in the burgeoning agriculture education sector.  High Schools and colleges are looking for well-educated, experienced and talented instructors as the industry realizes an awakening in many regions throughout the country.  Teaching is a fantastic way to continue learning and further develop a career in agriculture or procure a farm to run.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

I am working on a food access and justice project in my home state.  I am able to bring my experience to bear on serious issue on the margins of the local food movement.  Namely, how will the future of localized food systems development impact those not able to eat healthy today, when fresh foodstuffs are plentiful and relatively cheap?  To be helping Vermonters is really payment enough.

More stories in agriculture, education
Related Jobs