Tanner (he/him) grew up amongst the citrus orchards and ephemeral creeks of Ojai Valley, near California’s central coast. Working with the land on a small ranch and adventuring through the native oak groves and orange orchards helped him foster respect and joy for nature—in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, and especially where they intersect. His degrees in Ethnic Studies and Environmental Planning and Management each supplement his history and his vision for creating businesses that are a source of food for people and the planet. As the Director of Mad Lands at Mad Agriculture, Tanner works with farmers to create resilient and productive farmlands and enterprises. With a view that agriculture functions best with consideration for the dynamics of soil, water, plants, and people—where all parts of the system work to support one another—he believes that by using ingenuity and planning to connect tradition and knowledge with modern technology and science, we can keep farmlands productive and profitable.

Clark (he/him) has worked deeply with natural resources over the last three decades in a multitude of diverse landscapes, cultures and ecosystems. Prior to joining the team at Mad Agriculture, he was a soil scientist for the USDA NRCS for 17 years, as well as the manager and caretaker of a land based business for another three years. Through his experiences, he has learned that by listening to the land, we can discover the answer to the question “What does this place want to be”? His role at Mad Agriculture as the Director of Stewardship is to help producers think holistically along their journey to answer the reciprocal question, “What does this land need me to be”?