Organic Grower: Jordan Tilley

Organic Grower: Jordan Tilley, 24, Hillsburgh. Photo by Pete Paterson.

Jordan Tilley possesses the quiet confidence you might expect from a farmer who spends many of her days communing with the soil. Jordan arrived at Everdale farm in Hillsburgh last winter and has made an outsized impression on her community.

She has trained more than 30 sustainable farming interns and helped organize the Erin District High School micro-farm, introducing high school students to their own green thumbs.

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Jordan says a high school environmental course in her native Guelph introduced her to key players working on urban and sustainable farming initiatives and made her realize she wanted to follow a similar path. A strong proponent of organic farming, Jordan believes it is essential to know that the food you are eating is good for you and the earth.

Her advice to anyone about rising to embrace an opportunity is to take it one day at a time, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Jordan should know – she encountered a set of firsts working on the farm, from managing the irrigation system during the drought of 2017 to learning to drive the 16-foot cube van to Toronto on market days. Like the flowers she hopes to grow on her own plot one day, Jordan herself seems to have found the right garden to grow in.

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