Doug Cook on Clubhouse

Bio

I’m working on food system justice as a board member of the Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts
www.nofamass.org

I practice management intensive grazing with sheep for wool/meat/landscape management on a small scale family farm. We are in our first season of planting a pick your own chestnut orchard and starting a plant nursery focusing on nuts and fruit suited for temperate northern regions.

Notable experiences include (in no particular order):
- growing up in the woods, drinking from the headwaters of the Contoocook river
- 10,000 mile round trip of the current U.S. by motorcycle
- experiential education / backcountry living / Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician
- environmental / farm based education
- event hosting related to farming/gardening
-1.5 years living on la Isla de Ometepe designing / building a veterinary clinic and agroforestry focused farm system with my spouse
- fatherhood

I’m excited about:

- sharing stories
- contours and water
- plant roots and living soil
- growing food on trees with help from animals 🌰 🌳🐑🌳
- cooperative food growing and processing
- oak trees, specifically the cultivar ‘Manna’ white oak
- hazelnuts, hickory nuts and chestnuts
- perennial rice and wheat
- dam removal
- relationships and cycles

I’m learning about:

- grafting fruit and nut trees
- seed stewardship
- raising sheep and nuts holistically
- outdoor mushroom cultivation
- weaving on a floor loom
- Rematriation of land and life ways

I use He/Him/They/We pronouns.

My ancestors hail from the areas currently known as Germany, Italy, Hungary, England and for the past few generations, the northeast part of Turtle Island (N’dakinna). I support and honor the Massachusett, Pawtucket and Pennacook where I live and grow.