Foxtrot has operated with a pretty lean team in our first four - and our dear noa has been a pivotal part of our farm story. Though I have only had the pleasure of knowing noa for a little over a year, they have left a big mark on this operation and my heart!
noa approached me in January of 2025 about volunteering at Foxtrot 1-2 days a week to expand their knowledge of cut flower production while their own flower project was being incubated at Rock Steady Farm. I was sold from the start but invited them to do a working interview with me last spring, at which point there was no looking back! Having a payroll line item wasn’t apart of my initial budget for the year but Noa and I strategized and cobbled together enough money to turn their volunteer shifts into a paid apprenticeship at Foxtrot.
noa had the generous and patient task of being my first, day in, day out, employee - for this gift I will be forever grateful to them. Through their kindness and support they’ve been a guide and teacher to me as to how I, via Foxy, want to show up to be an ever upwards employer. Their commitment to Foxy this season has stretched my creative tension here, noting where we are, where we want to go, how we are going to get there.
But noa has also reminded me that farming can and should feel different. I was brought up in the farm school of stoic, do it yourself, unboundaried, don’t ask for help, you can do it better than anyone else, toxic masculinity. This school of thought has taken me to my physical and emotional edge. Noa sort of cosmically arrived in my life, it sometimes feels, reminding me about the power of collective vision. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” as the African proverb I was reminded of last week by my collegues at Wildseed, goes.
Noa embodies so many things — they are both heady & grounded, hardworking & boundaried, profound & hilarious, creative & pragmatic, ever curious & open to delight, adventurer & lover of rest, caretaker & teacher, world builder & sun lover, kind, thoughtful, reverent, supportive, dedicated, kind, focused. I will miss catching them hugging piles of flowers, talking about horses as a form of escapism, admiring their incredible farm fashions and waiting for their incredible smile to crack open, to name just a few.
They are on to big city adventures and big city jobs! This season Ainhoa is joining the team at Earth Matter on Governors Island. Earth Matter“seeks to reduce the organic waste misdirected into the garbage stream by encouraging neighbor participation and leadership in composting.” I am so proud of them and can’t wait to see what's next!
Wether you had the pleasure of meeting noa or not, join with me in sending them good vibes & safe landings as they embark on this new chapter!
Remember noa, you already know so much more than you think you do. Thank you my friend.