Craig Floyd
Craig Floyd is a tenth–generation farmer from Stonington. Currently, he is the Farm Manager at the Giving Garden at Coogan Farm which is owned by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic. A social activist and regenerative no-till, no spray farmer, Craig is a Ted Talk presenter as well as a frequent speaker on regenerative farming techniques. He teaches a year-long course in regenerative farming and his volunteer-run Giving Garden has donated more than 65,000 pounds of produce over the last five years.
Rob "Digga" Schacht
Huntsbrook Farm owner and operator Rob Schacht (better known as “Digga”) studied natural resource management in college, which eventually led to his journey as a farmer. While rebuilding the original homestead on his current property, Digga often admired the beautiful fields across the street. He realized, by farming those fields, he could live his passions for good food and love of the outdoors. To support the farm’s development, Digga worked in special education and construction, eventually establishing and owning a contracting business.
Eunice Sutphen
Eunice is the director of the Eastern Connecticut Community Garden Association (ECCGA). ECCGA is a non-profit organization that helps other organizations and residents build raised beds for community gardens to grow fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables. All materials, plants, fencing, and seeds used to help establish the ECCGA’s gardens are either donated or purchased through grant funding. The ECCGA supports environmentally sound practices, such as rain barrel collection for water, composting, soil testing, soil amendments and gleaning. By encouraging small community gardens, the ECCGA educates the public on health issues and their relationship to food.
Bruce Cohen
Bruce Cohen, PhD is currently a small farm owner in East Lyme having retired from 34 years of oncology research and development at Pfizer Inc. His current passion is to expand his knowledge of regenerative farming to merge a scientific approach to a better understanding of how what we eat is directly linked to good health. He is currently on the Board of Directors at the East Lyme Giving Garden and serves as the Director of Education and Site Operations.
Sally Uden
Sally is a resident of East Lyme and serves on the Board of Directors at the East Lyme Giving Garden as the assistant garden manager. Sally is an accomplished beekeeper with several hives at her home and has given local seminars on the basics of bee keeping. Sally is a member of the Connecticut Beekeepers Association and a former member of East Lyme’s Pollinator Pathway group.
Jeff Swanson
Jeff is the superintendent of the Fox Hopyard Golf Course. He is a member of the Audubon Society and many other environmental organizations. Jeff previously worked at the Greenwich Country Club as well as at courses in Milford and Fairfield.
Eric Vukicevich
Eric is an agricultural scientist at Connecticut College in New London specializing in Soil Ecology, Organic Cropping Systems and Pest Management. His research and teaching experience range from investigating how cover crops affect soil microbial communities to the ecological management of soil fertility, pests, diseases, and weeds. He holds a BS from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and a PhD from the University of British Columbia.
Emma Sutphen
Emma has been the assistant manager at Mystic’s Coogin Farm for over six years. She is also the owner and operator of Odesa Farm in North Stonington, a regenerative farm which includes a Community-supported Agriculture (CSA) component.
Sally Ruggeri
Sally is a Master Gardener and a key member of the East Lyme Giving Garden. She has been instrumental in identifying good and harmful insects at the Garden and teaching volunteers.