559 Carpenter Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19119    
215-843-2350    

8424 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
215-843-2350

2129 72nd Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19138    
215-276-0706
Co-op hires new farmer to manage and expand our urban farm

Weavers Way has hired horticulturalist David Zelov to manage the Co-op’s newly expanding urban organic farm at Awbury Arboretum in Germantown. Named after a member who was instrumental to the Co-op’s early success, the Mort Brooks Memorial Farm was founded in 2000. Since then, the harvest and the participation of students and volunteers has grown each year, as has the farm itself, which now occupies three-quarters of an acre.

With a degree in natural resource management and experience as an organic farming consultant and manager of a community-supported farm, Zelov is ideally suited to guide the farm through its upcoming expansion. As manager of the farm, his job will include turning the farm into a viable, profitable, community-based business in the next three years, all while furthering Weavers Way’s educational mission and working in conjunction with Awbury Arboretum’s educational programs, as well.

“I’d like to take my experience in education and bring people out to the farm, show them how we do things here and how they can then do some of these things at home,” he says. “It would also be great to educate people about the benefits of farming in an urban environment.”

Weavers Way General Manager Glen Bergman, still somewhat amused at finding himself seeking to fill the position of “farmer,” is enthusiastic about the addition of Zelov.

"We are excited to have David join the management team as the Weavers Way Farmer,” Bergman says. “It is the start of something new for us, urban farming. It is our goal to expand it into the community and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We are looking forward to David helping us reach these goals."

Zelov has experience not just with buying local, but growing local, too. As a consultant to The Vinegar Factory, a high-end food store and restaurant in New York City, he got a first-hand look at a successful urban farming environment – the store grew much of its salad greens and tomatoes on six rooftop greenhouses in the city.
“That’s something I’d be interested in doing at some point, “ Zelov notes. “Growing food as close to your market as possible reduces your costs and usage of fossil fuels, and it adds greenery to an urban environment.”

Zelov sees the Weavers Way farm as an almost ideal situation. “I’m a big supporter of co-ops, and the relationship with Weavers Way is a great relationship for a farmer to be in,” he says. “You have a guaranteed market, and you have the plus of urban agriculture and of being able to do something good for the city and the environment.”

For more information about the Weavers Way Farm, e-mail David Zelov at farmer@weaversway.coop.