🍃 Habitat farmers cultivate and tend to everything on their land—not just their crops and vegetables but also the switchgrass and wildflowers that attract pollinators and wildlife that is so critical to our food chain.

Farms with a sunflower plot, a field of clover, or a buffer of switchgrass attract birds, bees, and other species that live and forage on their land, making their soil richer and their crop yield more productive.

We call it “farming with nature”—and it’s what makes a Habitat Farmer’s impact so important.

That beneficial habitat that nature thrives on also serves a secondary purpose to the environment: It helps make farmland more environmentally friendly. Deep-rooted vegetation such as switchgrass acts as a sponge, removing chemical run-off before it gets to local waterways. Wild plants and flowers also naturally pull carbon from the air and make each of our farmers a productive environmental partner who is helping to mitigate climate change with each new acre of habitat we plant or leave untouched.

We believe there’s a place and a need for all farmers and all farming methods—from small organic farms in Pennsylvania to large acreage conventional farms in Iowa. The more farmers we support, the more habitat acres we are able to plant, the more positive environmental impact we are able to make across communities.

Alessandro Ascherio

Weavers Way Farm, Philadephia, PA

Alessandro (Ali) is a farm manager at Weavers Way Farm, part of Weavers Way Co-op, a natural grocery store with locations in northwest Philadelphia and Ambler. Weavers Way Farm operates two sites: Awbury Arboretum in Germantown and Henry Got Crops Farm in Roxborough. With 8 years of experience leading the farm, Ali brings over 15 years of expertise in organic, diversified vegetable farming across the Northeast. His holistic approach focuses on nurturing life in all its forms, from humans to microbes. Ali contributes to Weavers Way Farm's community-driven mission, prioritizing ecological stewardship and growing fresh produce for the co-op's stores, farm market, and a 270-member CSA.

Hunter Webster

Mercersburg, PA

Hunter is a conservation-minded farmer who balances the needs for his land, its animals, and the wildlife who call his farm in Mercersburg, PA home. He raises Black Angus cows in addition to growing corn and soybeans. Hunter was born and raised in the mountainous area of south-central Pennsylvania, an area with deep history and agricultural ties to his ancestors. A third-generation farmer who understands how agriculture impacts conservation, he is the perfect fit as a Habitat Farmer.