Can you tell us your background? What did you do prior to starting this company? 

Cory: I managed organic fruit and veggie farms for over a decade on and around Georgia. I learned how to grow food in a bunch of different climates and soils, and was fortunate to learn from some incredible farmers. I really got attached to the rhythms and patterns inherent in agriculture, and how incredible the people are that get involved in farming. 

Andrea:  Prior to working at Natural Born Tillers, I served two years in AmeriCorps FoodCorps – serving in my hometown of Marietta. I served in multiple schools in the Marietta City Schools district and taught lessons on nutrition and gardening. My position was housed under School Nutrition and therefore I had the support I needed to better understand the many challenges faced by schools with high percentages of students participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch programs. 

What services do you offer? What do you hope to accomplish by partnering with large corporations? 

Cory: We help companies, apartments, and institutions better leverage their property by providing gardening as a programmed amenity. Community gardens have been used with great success in creating gathering places and improving health in neighborhoods, we use an educational approach to offer those same benefits in the workplace, or in areas where management of a garden would otherwise be difficult. 

Why Delta Airline?

Cory: Delta is an amazing partner, I’m impressed with their commitment to work with small businesses up and down their supply chain. At heart, agriculture is a local act and from the start we wanted to partner with companies that were rooted in Atlanta. It has been amazing to work on such a busy and diverse corporate campus, it’s been great to see people connecting through the garden. 

Why the CDC? 

Cory: We are very honored to be working with the CDC, we all know how important they are from a public health perspective, but they also do a ton of work in disease prevention and wellness programming. We’ve been able to refine our curriculum with some incredibly talented health experts, and we’ve been able to translate that to all of our projects. 

How important is it to work the ground we stand on? How important is it to grow on local soil? 

Cory: That is really at the heart of what we do. Ultimately we want to help connect people to their environment and empower them to improve and change it. By gardening, you start to consider the soil and why it’s an important resource. That leads to cascade effects as you start to think about the waste you create and how you can recycle it back to your garden. It really is an act of mindfulness. 

Can you delve into the impact created by Natural Born Tillers?

Cory:  I think our biggest impact is allowing people a space to follow their own innate curiosity. We have 25,000 years of collective farming knowledge as a species, and less than 1% of us use it today. Most of our ancestors spent a lot of their time thinking about food, seasons, and the weather, and all of that is mostly dormant for us. We create an impact when someone chooses to start a relationship with their environment and make a hands-on connection with the place they live. It’s not something that you can readily quantify, but it changes people for the better. 

Andrea:  Creating the opportunity for people to have an escape at their workplace has proven to be very impactful.  Whether employees are taking a casual stroll through the gardens in between meetings, or have signed up for an educational gardening event, the impact is unmistakable through the questions asked and conversations had while in the gardens. People truly are at the center of our work and our goal is to reintroduce them to the idea of eating locally and its importance. 

Do you work with young people? If so, how interested are they in farming? 

Cory:  One of our clients is a local daycare, and it is amazing to see how connected and excited children are to garden. They never get tired of it. They want to participate in it because it is real. We also host an internship every summer, and there are so many people that have a longing to do this type of work. In truth, very few people will be able to farm for a living, but I’ve always maintained that people that learn to grow food, particularly in a farm setting, make better citizens and contributors. 

How do we make the work that you do more relatable for the next generation?

Cory:  I don’t see that as a challenge. Most young people get it. They understand that the impacts of climate change are going to fall on them, and they are really passionate about finding ways to connect to the environment and make an impact. Without the demand from young people for a more sustainable future, I’m not sure we would be in business. 

Andrea:  We have recently partnered with Smarties Academy in Decatur and are teaching weekly lessons with Pre-K groups. Children have an innate interest in everything new and exciting. With our hands-on lessons, we give the students an opportunity to explore and try new things! 

How do we make your mission more relatable for the next generation?

Andrea: As “far away” as the agricultural industry feels at times, nothing is more relatable and important than food. Much of the U.S. has the luxury of being able to go to the store and buy whatever they want – whenever they want. Educating all ages on the entirety of the process is crucial in creating more opportunities for equality, equity, and genuine connection. 

How important is it for this current generation, and decision-makers at various large corporations to relate to the work you do?  

Cory A good leader is an active listener and is conscious of what the future may present. We’ve been really fortunate to work with some open-minded, and forward-thinking individuals, from executives and developers to grounds keeping and maintenance. We’ve found that people are almost universally supportive of our programs and they are happy to help them succeed. I’m optimistic about the direction we are heading in recognizing the importance of environmental sustainability and its connection to human wellness. It’s going to get rocky I imagine, but the coming generations are inspiring and committed. 

Andrea: After being on corporate campuses for over 4 years, my hope is that we have made our way into conversations related to work-life wellness, sustainability, food service and even changing individuals’ habits surrounding healthy living. Being a part of these conversations is important so that the future of the companies remains relevant and in touch. 

What can we all aspire to grow, given a small footprint? How feasible is it, given our busy lifestyles?  

Cory It is true that we have less time and often less space than we would like, but our advice is to start small with something that you like to eat. You don’t have to have record-breaking tomatoes to be a good gardener. Maybe you just grow some herbs on a windowsill, maybe you just start a compost bin and improve your ornamental plantings. If you live in an apartment, look for community gardens near you, or volunteer on a local farm. The key isn’t how much you grow, it’s just engaging in growing something in the first place. Even if your garden fails, you still got to spend some time outside playing in the dirt, that is still a win to me. 

Right now, we’ve stocked up our beds with greens and hardy root vegetables, and they will function almost like living refrigerators that we will take from until spring. We are really fortunate to live in a mild climate, so we can grow food year-round with some pretty simple adjustments.

Andrea: Eating within the seasons is all about eating locally grown foods. If it isn’t growing in your state during that time of year, it’s coming from hundreds or thousands of miles away. A great way to know what’s in season in your area would be to locate the nearest local farmers market and check out what they have available. As of now, in early November, we have bok choy, lettuces, carrots, arugula, radish, turnip, broccoli, and more! We can grow year-round here in Georgia, just be careful of those nights below freezing – make sure to cover your plants. 

How difficult is it to teach farming in today’s fast food (and everything else!) society? 

Cory: If we can get someone to come to the garden, our job is easy. People are inherently interested in agriculture, so all we need is a window. With COVID, we were really challenged since everyone went virtual. We responded with a video-based gardening series where we teach organic production methods and visit various local farms as well as partner with some great local chefs for recipes. We’ve learned a lot about video editing and production, and we’ve had a blast taking our show on the road. So far, the response has been great! 

Andrea: Regardless of age, our audience is consistently willing to engage and ask questions. Hands-on experiences bring out genuine, no filter interactions and I think people appreciate that now more than ever.  

Andrea: THAT’S how you grow brussels sprouts? This type of question is often asked with asparagus as well! 

 As Thanksgiving approaches, and as we celebrate – with gratitude this bountiful holiday… describe your current bounty?

Cory: I really love sweet potatoes. They take forever to grow, and you have to cure them. They are humble and filling. They last forever and taste great. They are literally saved summer sunshine. 

Andrea: Collard greens, broccoli, fresh salads (arugula, kale, lettuce), radish, turnips, and carrots! 

Do you have any fun and unorthodox veggies you’d put on the table?  

Cory: We love growing weird stuff! People are attracted by the unorthodox, and so we scour seed catalogs and plant sales for new and unusual varieties. I love Hakurei turnips, which are small white Japanese turnips that you typically eat raw, they are delicious! You can usually find them at local farmer’s markets. 

Andrea: Kohlrabi – it’s a unique vegetable with great flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked! 

Do you have a unique recipe you could share? If so, please provide us with all the details? 

Cory: This time of year, I love cabbage, fennel, and apples together. A slaw with these ingredients and a citrus-based vinaigrette keeps well and goes with almost any meal. Delicious! 

Andrea: Beet, apple, and carrot slaw. Grate the fruits and vegetables and add whatever homemade dressings you like! I personally toss with a simple honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Awesome crunch and packed with flavor! 

What’s your playlist for Thanksgiving? What songs do you find to celebrate the earth? Give gratitude? What do you guys listen to?

Cory: I love my Discover Music playlist on Spotify. A song/poem came up on mine last week called “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” by Ross Gay and Bon Iver. Listen to it if you want a good cry/smile combo. Not a song, but I also find myself coming back to a poem from the great Wendell Berry called “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” several times a year. It’s always helped me find some direction in what I do. “Invest in the Millennium, plant Sequoias.” Good stuff. 

Andrea: Music from the ’70s and ’80s can be heard year-round during any of my family’s gatherings – Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Chic, Sister Sledge, Boston, Journey, and loads more! 

Closing remarks? 

Cory: Our company motto is “Maintenance is Love”. If you don’t take care of something, and work to maintain it, you don’t really love it. If people don’t have a relationship with their environment, how can we expect them to care enough to make lasting changes? We are really fortunate to be able to help people relearn a passion for taking care of the soil, and other people, by growing food. And we get to do it for a living! It doesn’t get any better than that. 

Andrea: I dream of the day when every person can look at their plate of food and know that it was locally grown and take pride in the fact that they have supported their local communities and combated climate change all at once.