Questions? Comments? Please email us at solidground@uconn.edu.
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Our Team
Jiff Martin
Senior Extension Educator – Food Systems
| jiff.martin@uconn.edu |
Jiff has worked for years to strengthen agriculture and promote local agriculture and food systems in Connecticut. Her current work includes:
- Leading the development of new training and resources for beginning farmers
- Creating new tools and programming to help farmers sell to schools and early childhood centers
- Helping consumers discover local food and farms through outreach and marketing campaigns
Prior to joining UConn Extension, Jiff led farmland preservation advocacy efforts in Connecticut on behalf of American Farmland Trust, Working Lands Alliance, and Hartford Food System. Jiff received the White House Champions for Change Award in Sustainable Agriculture in 2015 and the Northeast Region Excellence in Extension Award in 2023.
Robert Chang
Program Co-Director
Robert Farms at Echo Farm in occupied Nipmuc Territory, now known as Woodstock CT, where he grows organic vegetables and cut flowers. He is a founding member of the New CT Farmer Alliance and works in policy and advocacy at the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust. He is a proud alum of past Solid Ground training programs and is grateful for the opportunity to serve the beginning farmer community in CT at UConn Extension.
Melanie Desch
Program Coordinator
Melanie comes to the Solid Ground team with a passion for food systems and farming. She recently worked at Mesa Comunitaria, a program focused on removing barriers to food access and redistributing existing food resources to the Windham community. Melanie became involved in CT agriculture by working on several diversified organic farms in Eastern CT, which inspired her to start her own. Nestled into Mansfield Center, Foliota Farm produces cut flowers and herbs with a focus on regenerative practices and the intent to convert as much turfgrass into ag production as possible.
At Solid Ground, Melanie will help coordinate the Ag Mechanic workshops and is helping to develop our Skill Shares, which will connect beginning farmers with key production skills through a series of immersive workshops. She is excited to give back to the program that was so instrumental in helping develop her own business and can’t wait to meet more farmers across the state!
Megan Herbert
Program Coordinator
Megan joins the Solid Ground team with deep-rooted enthusiasm for local agriculture. A UConn graduate, she received her BS in Agriculture and Natural Resources, and has since gained further experiences working in many agriculture sectors such as: greenhouse/nursery, dairy, cheesemaking, and orchards. A full-time farmer, Megan operates her family farm, Westview Farm in Woodstock, CT, where she produces grass-fed grass-finished beef, cut flowers, produce, hay, and a pick-your-own sunflower field. With Solid Ground, Megan will be focusing on the Farm Manager Summit, Climate Smart Workshops, and Ag Mechanics series. She is grateful for the opportunity to help serve and connect with farmers and educators across the state.
Shannon Raider-Ginsburg
Program Coordinator
Shannon has extensive experience aligning local agriculture, food justice, and education. As a farmer, Shannon has worked all manner of farms from larger certified organic CSA operations to 450-acre Christmas tree farms, to community gardens and urban agriculture. She has developed farmers markets, mobile markets, run her own small farm business and managed agricultural education programs. Shannon has worked with Extension on developing and implementing Farm to School procurement resources since 2017. Meeting the growing school market is a great way to scale up your farm business. Please reach out to learn more!
Nicole Davidow
Outreach Assistant
Nicole joined UConn Extension as the Outreach Assistant for the Vegetable IPM team at the start of 2025. She is excited to expand her responsibilities and increase her collaboration with Solid Ground. As a beginning farmer and having participated in many of Solid Grounds trainings herself, she is grateful to get to know and work alongside new and aspiring farmers who are eager to make their ideas a reality. She looks forward to supporting workshops that provide farmers with practical skills and opportunities for increased connection and collaboration.