Meet our team!
Kate Donald has been farming for just over 20 years, and was first was drawn to farming as a career while working on urban agriculture projects in New York City after college. She trained at the Farm and Garden apprenticeship program at the University of California at Santa Cruz and then worked on farms in California and Massachusetts before returning to New Hampshire, where she grew up.
When not at Stout Oak farming, Amber Walker Wilson’s busy family of six (4 teenagers!) tend a large scale home garden. “Since I began farming in 2016, as a way to work/live, I feel like I have found my happy place, my home away from home! My commitment to farming stems from the ability to stay physically active & strong, strengthening our ties with the local community by giving them the resource of honest, clean food, and to help steward the land we live on.”
Mekala Bertocci first caught the farming bug 10 years ago while apprenticing on an organic vegetable operation in the Berkshires. Since then, she has worked on several farms throughout Maine, MA, and NH. 2023 will be her fourth season at Stout Oak Farm! She’s the Field Manager and in that role you’ll see her heading up the transplant team, keeping an eye on the health of the plants, and taking care of the soil.
Sheryl Rome After being an active CSA and FSC member for more than a decade, Sheryl Rome officially joined the team at Stout Oak Farm in 2021. Sheryl was born in New York and grew up in the tristate area. She and her family have been part of the Exeter community for the past 19 years. With her extensive retail experience, Sheryl plays a key role in the Farm Store and at CSA pickups. She’s always ready to share her cooking techniques and resources.
Claire Veitch (bio coming soon)
Janet MacDonald joined the Stout Oak Farm team in spring of 2022. You’ll meet Janet in the Farm Store, and she’s often washing and packing veggies, too!
Janet first caught the gardening bug helping her mother in their home gardens as a young child. Over the years she has had a variety of home gardens. Janet and her husband have been part of the Brentwood community for over 13 years. She is mom to 3 grown children.
Janet joined the Stout Oak team because she was ready to leave the cubicle behind and work outdoors on a farm.
Jeff Donald grew up in East Kingston and after serving briefly in the Army, getting his degree from UNH, and teaching for a year in France, he landed back in New Hampshire. His interest in farming started with an interest in eating ethical and healthful food and led him to meeting his future wife at the Exeter Farmers’ Market. His early preference for Bibb lettuce has long since been replaced by a deep love for arugula.
J Kulp is a lifelong lover of plants and the magic that happens when people cultivate relationships to land. This love for plants and gardening led J to study permaculture and herbalism, seeking learning opportunities throughout New England and California. J’s experience is based in cultivating biointensive no till gardens for both production and education, specializing in growing medicinal plants. After years of installing and caring for medicinal herb gardens J developed a desire to gain more hands-on experience with annual food production and Certified Organic practices, and this led them to Stout Oak Farm.
Sara Zoe Patterson joined the Stout Oak Farm Crew in the fall of 2020, after 18 years of being a school librarian. She has a long interest and history working in local food and supporting farmers. Before helping to found Seacoast Eat Local (along with Kate and Jeff) in 2006, she farmed at diverse farms in Georgia, Minnesota, and New York ..