Spencer Hardy (he/him)

Roles: Fruit, native plants, farm stand, bookkeeping

Growing up in eastern Vermont, I was obsessed with birds, which somehow morphed into almost a decade studying native bees. Through this work, I've thought a lot about bees and bee conservation, which provided the impetus to add a native plant nursery to The Farm Upstream in our third season (2023). The nursery continues to be a fascinating way to learn more about the native plants of our state and to connect with others looking to add biodiversity to their landscapes.

I still work part time for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, with a particular focus at the intersection of agriculture and conservation through the Vermont Pollinator Working Group.

As for the fruit, well I just really like to eat most any fruit, especially if it hasn't been treated with pesticides (which most commercially available fruit is).

I'm usually around the farm and always happy to chat about plants, bugs, perennial food crops, or just the weather.