The Morris Farm Board of Directors is pleased to announce that John Affleck has been selected to be the new Program Coordinator.

With a background in farming, environmental education, project management and community garden coordination, Affleck brings a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and education to the Morris Farm. Having crafted a teaching garden and corresponding curriculum for K-12 students at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, Mass., he came to Maine in 2004 on a writing scholarship to the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

While in Portland, he worked for five years as the program assistant to a social services agency, educated hopeful horticulturalists as a master gardener volunteer, and served as head coordinator of an urban community garden where he was responsible for fund-raising, budgeting, event planning, facilitating educational opportunities, and promoting the garden’s role in the community.

After having spent the last year on a small farmstead in southern Maine, working as grant researcher while tending to a market garden, a mob of free-ranging chickens and a small flock of Icelandic sheep, Affleck and his partner Amanda are excited to join the Midcoast community.

Affleck will be introduced to the community at the Annual Meeting of The Morris Farm Trust on April 18. A potluck supper at 6 p.m. will be followed by a very short business meeting, the naming of new trustees, introductions of Affleck, the new Program Coordinator, and the new Outreach Coordinator, to be named next week. The current board members will give a brief report of the state of the farm. Please join us at the Learning Center at The Farm for an enjoyable evening. The Morris Farm Trust promotes the values of sustainable agriculture and stewardship of the earth through education, demonstration and community involvement.