Maggie Cheney

Co-founder · Rock Steady Farm

Maggie Cheney grew up growing & loving food. They have been involved with food and farming throughout their whole life, both urban and rural. In 2015 they co-founded Rock Steady Farm, a queer owned and operated cooperative vegetable farm rooted in social justice, food access and QTBIPOC farmer training in Millerton, NY. Rock Steady has a 180 person CSA, half of which are lower income members made possible through their sliding scale, and $70,000 in wholesale for low-income community partners. Rock Steady also trains Black and brown LGBTQ+ beginning and aspiring farmers through virtual and weekend workshops, and an exciting program called POLLINATE! which is a two week paid educational farm immersion specifically for LGBTQ+ farmers, which includes participation in an extended training via the HIVE for alumni. Prior to Rock Steady they moved to NYC in 2011, where they met many of the Rock Steady Community partners while working within a diversity of food justice and youth leadership programs, including The Bushwick Campus Farm, the NYC Youth Food Policy Council and Youth Food Justice Network. In addition they also started the North East Queer Farmer Network, which now has over 400 members. Maggie was also instrumental in the formation of the Food Sovereignty Fund, which funds food access projects across New York State by sourcing from specifically BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ farmers. In the off season they teach at Farm School NYC, an urban agriculture training program, as well as continue to support the efforts and inspiring work of Rise & Root Farm, which they co-founded in 2014.

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