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President
Scott DeBuck, DeBuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

Scott DeBuck is the manager and owner of DeBuck’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch, Belleville, Michigan. He is a third generation sod farmer and first generation in the agri-entertainment.  The 550-acre farm includes 425 acres of sod farm and the sod business operates from March until December. Their agri-entertainment utilizes 125 acres which offers a 25 acre u-pick pumpkin patch , 13 acre u-pick sunflower patch, 5 acres of U-Pick Lavender,  13 acres of mazes, 17 acres of fun activities, donut bakery, and full kitchen.   He is a graduate of Michigan State University.  Scott has two young children and enjoys learning about the agri-entertainment business as well as teaching his own life experiences with others.



Vice President
Brad Gritt, Gritt's Farm


Brad is a fourth generation farmer on a diverse direct marketing and agritourism farm 
located in West Virginia. With a bachelors degree in finance and marketing and a working knowledge of horticulture and agriculture, he has applied both spectrums to grow and enhance the business growth as well as started new forms of growing and expanded other areas throughout the farm. Passion is the key to success in his eyes, so working in a family business that has been operating for over 90 years brings a level of dedication to seeing things through and continuing to build the good name the generations before established. In addition to his position at Gritt’s Farm, he also serves as the treasurer of the Putnam County Farm Bureau and Outdoor Farmers Representative for Capitol Market. As an avid learner he enjoy reading and studying business books as well as growing guides, and in his free time he likes to play golf, mountain bike, snowboard and run.



Vice President
Will Culler, Ph.D., Clemson University Extension

Will Culler is part of the Clemson Extension Agribusiness team where he serves as the Midlands Area Agent, Director of the SC AG + Art Tour, and Lexington County Extension Coordinator. He is responsible for supporting the expansion and growth of the agribusiness and natural resource base sectors in the midlands region and throughout South Carolina through development and implementation of programs targeted at agribusiness management and local foods systems development. He lives with his family in Chapin, South Carolina.

 


Secretary
Laura Skelly, Skelly's Farm Market

Laura joined the family business at Skelly's Farm Market in Janesville, WI in 2013.  Open June through October, the Skellys farm around 100 acres of fresh produce including strawberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, and other specialty summer crops.  Skelly's has strawberry picking in June, sweet corn and other summer produce in July and August, a sunflower season in late July, and a fall season in September and October.  The business also has an extensive bakery and retail gift shop open through all the seasons.

Laura manages the bakery, hiring, training, and scheduling employees, and all marketing for the farm.  Before finding her spot on the farm, she graduated with a Bachelors and Masters in Meteorology from Northern Illinois University and wanted to work for the National Weather Service one day.  But after meeting her now husband Scott, she fell in love with his family's farm and decided to build a life in Janesville.  Laura is happily married with a silly young daughter named Sarah and absolutely loves her life on the farm and with her family at NAFDMA.



Treasurer
Andrea DeJesus, A & H Farm

When Andrea says that farming is in her blood, she has four generations behind her inspiring change. Growing her business in the same soil where she grew up playing, Andrea and her husband Hugo have planted roots in Manhattan, KS.  A & H Farm has grown over the past 12 years, going from 4 weekends a year pumpkin patch to a full year retail store and more! Andrea joined NAFDMA years ago, and has been an active community member focusing on not only sharing knowledge gained and applying knowledge learned, but developing welcoming and lifelong relationships in the Agritourism community. She currently sits as the president of her local farmers market, as well as many community-centric programs focusing on hunger and youth. Growth and passion are two words often accredited to the farm, and Andrea herself. The operation equally balances both commercial farming and agritourism, but spread equally over almost 300 acres, and a handful of dedicated employees.


Tammi Packer, Packer Orchards, Bakery & Farm Place

Tammi Packer is a wife, mother, farmer, and business owner.  She describe herself in this order because it is essentially the order everything has occurred over the past few decades. She is part of an amazing family business that has grown leaps and bounds over the years.  The relationships and knowledge gained with NAFDMA membership has taken them to the next level.

Her passion for this business was family driven and now has a much more defined description, agri-tourism. She is passionate about the business not only within their family but also the community. She loves meeting new people every day and sharing what they love in a fun, educational, and challenging atmosphere.


Olivia Telschow, Helene's Hilltop Orchard

Some could say, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." The love for agriculture runs deep at Helene's Hilltop Orchard.  Initially established as a dairy farm in 1919, Olivia's parents, a couple of city kids, transitioned the small family dairy farm into an apple orchard in 1979.  Over time, various aspects of the family farm may have changed, but the passion and dedication to agriculture has remained the same.  Olivia purchased the farm in 2017 and has learned how to respect the family's legacy, yet make the farm a reflection of her own vision and values.  Olivia walked away from her first NAFDMA convention in 2016 knowing that she had met her "people."  She takes great pride in sharing not only her successes but also her failures in this crazy lifestyle we call agritourism! 



Amir Maan, Maan Farms Market and Estate Winery

Amir's love of farming started at a young age, as he remembers helping his father grow strawberries by learning how to operate machinery and apply pesticides in grade school. He continued to foster his passion by completing his BBA in Agriculture Management which provided the opportunity to participate in a 6-month long internship in Holland. As he studied agriculture, at the same time he heavily invested himself into nurturing his love for entrepreneurship. Now as an aspiring agritourism entrepreneur, he believes in leadership, empathy and innovation. These are the three core principles which he uses throughout his day and which help him plan his future. He enjoys traveling and meeting new people and often mixes traveling with work by visiting farms all around the world. He is always on the hunt for the next big agritourism experience. He is fortunate enough to love what he does and to share his love of agriculture with communities by creating experiences.



Judy Valachovic, Wickham Farms

Judy loves her job at Wickham Farms in Penfield, NY!  She has been with the farm since 2011.  As Judy’s 4 children grew up, Judy wanted a job with flexibility which brought her to Wickham Farms.  In 2011, Judy was hired as a member of the Harvest Crew and an Early Morning Cookie Baker.  The following year she was promoted to Store Manager.  Judy’s role grew as the farm expanded and she became the Agritainment Operations Manager.  Judy’s job has included almost everything agritainment over the years.  Currently, she oversees everything HR: interviewing, hiring, onboarding, orienting, and training.  She also does the scheduling and retail ordering and merchandising.  Judy oversees Admissions, the Bakery, the Retail Barn, and Animals. Currently, Judy manages a seasonal workforce of 250+ staff. 

In her spare time, Judy loves to be active and travel.  She is a ski patroller and mountain bike patroller, has coached Nordic skiing and cross-country running, guides for the Lake Placid Outing Club, and is an Adirondack 46’er.  Judy has her master’s in social work which is put to great use at the farm- the owner reminds her of the impact she is having on the young workforce on a regular basis. :)



Alma Galloway, Galloway Farm

Alma Galloway is a proud owner and operator of Maze Craze at Galloway Farm, located in Southeastern NC. Although Alma did not grow up in a farming family, she embraced the farming life when she married her husband Jason, a fourth-generation farmer in 1997 and began working with her husband on the working beef cattle and row crop farm.  Alma quickly fell in love with the farm and its way of life, and in the fall of 2011, she opened Maze Craze at Galloway Farm.

Since its inception, Maze Craze has grown and expanded under Alma's leadership, becoming a popular destination for families, school groups, and corporate team building events. Along with her husband Jason and son Walker, Alma's primary objective is to educate people of all ages on the importance and vital role farming plays in their everyday lives, while providing a fun and entertaining experience for everyone who visits.

In addition to running Maze Craze, Alma is actively involved in the agritourism community in North Carolina. She serves on the board of directors for the NC Agritourism Networking Association as the Southeast District Director and is a member of the NC Farm Bureau Agritourism Advisory Committee and the Columbus County Farm Bureau Women's committee. Alma also works at Evergreen Creations, where she helps agritourism farmers around North America incorporate kid-friendly stories, attractions, decorations, merchandise, and lesson plans into their on-farm education and fun.

Interested in becoming a NAFDMA board member?

Duties include, generally:

    • Attendance at web-based Board of Director meetings
    • Attendance at any other project based or special planning sessions for which you volunteer
    • Abide by organizational Conflict of Interest policy and Ethics policy (available for public review)
    • Review and maintain knowledge of organizational governance policies
    • Attend annual convention and other events as possible
    • Board members are not compensated for their time on the board but are reimbursed for any travel expenses they may incur as a direct result of travel related to board governance and volunteer efforts.



Call or Email Us
Office: 855-623-3621
info@nafdma.com

Address:

P.O. Box 30481

Indianapolis, IN 46220
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