Gwyneth Harris

Faculty in Sustainable Agriculture & Garden Manager

Gwyneth Harris stands in a hoop house preparing the garden soil with a rake.

Gwyneth has been gardening for as long as she can remember, and got her first goat (named “Creamy”) at the age of 5. Forty years later, she still finds limitless opportunity for creativity in farming, and is honored to be able to work in a place where she can learn as she shares her knowledge and love of all things agricultural and food related.

At home, Gwyneth and her family produce raw milk from a small herd of dairy cows, raise rare-breed Clun Forest sheep for meat and fiber, and along with other miscellaneous garden and livestock products. Gwyneth has worked since high school at a wide variety of farms, and has coordinated several agricultural outreach programs, including the Vermont Pasture Program. She also ran the MOFGA Certification Program for Organic Dairies.

Gwyneth’s dream for Sterling College is to be able to inhabit a campus that doubles as a fully integrated agroecological system, providing at least 50% of our campus food needs, meaningful work opportunities, and a collaborative living laboratory for all our academic programs.

    • B.S. in Plant and Soil Science, Summa Cum Laude from University of Vermont

    • Garden / crop production management

    • Practical plant & soil science

    • Plant identification

    • Livestock management

    • Grazing ecology & management

    • Sheep production & management

    • Dairy science

    • Experiential Endeavor:

      • INT204a: Crop Production & Planning

      • INT382b: Agroforestry & Plant Propagation

    • Scaffolding seminar:

      • INT201a: Farm Management

    • Internships on Sterling Farm

      • INT300: Practicum in Environmental Stewardship

    • Keynote Speaker, 1st Annual Maine Grass Farmers' Association Lessons from the Vermont Grass Farmers' Association"

    • Horse Grazing Basics, 2005, UVM Cooperative Extension Workshop, Manchester, VT.

    • Vermont Grazing Conference, 2007, "Challenges and Opportunities of Grazing Horses"

    • Harris, G., editor. 2004. Vermont Grass Farmers' Association Directory of Grass Fed Products For Sale, 2nd Ed.

    • Harris, G., R. Gilker, B. Greene. 2011. Seeking Balance: Elements of a Successful Horse Grazing System. University of Vermont.

    • A Short History of the World According to Sheep, Sally Coulthard

    • The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Sam Kean

    • Botany for Gardeners, Brian Capon

    • Knitting & fiber arts

    • Foraging

    • Sheep production

    • Small dairy

    • Cheesemaking

    • Home butchery & charcuterie

    • Cooking

    • Food preservation

    • Singing

    • Drawing & painting

    • Walking & hiking

    • Draft horses

    • Border collies & herding

    • Human/animal interactions & training

    • Small farms

    • Cut flower production & flower arranging.

Email Gwyneth