Megan Beveridge
Megan Beveridge – 2022 Graduate of the UBC Farm Practicum
Job Title
Field Supervisor for Sole Foods Street Farms
What is your occupation?
I am currently wrapping up my first season as the Field Supervisor at Sole Food Street Farms. This role looked like supporting and collaborating with a team of farmers to grow a variety of crops in rows upon rows of containers in the heart of the Olympic Village. Prepping, seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting in succession from spring through fall! I also led on farm cooking, mending and fabric dyeing workshops for the team in a wonderful combination of community, farming and art. I am currently looking for my first winter seasonal job, before heading back to farm with Sole Foods in the Spring. I also share a growing space in Burnaby for personal sustenance, sharing and selling, where I spend many evenings and weekends throughout the season.
What path did you take after your practicum to arrive at your current occupation?
During the practicum, myself and four other classmates started a small market farm business called Good Times Growers, renting a plot of land at Byrne Road Urban Farm, that is managed by our practicum instructor Chris Thoreau. We started to cultivate the land, invest in infrastructure and crop plans while we were still in the program and maintained a diverse 17 week, 30 person CSA for the 2023 season! In addition to this I worked full time as a support person running fiber arts programming for people with disabilities in North Vancouver and was able to explore and develop my love of natural dyeing and facilitation. I was able to bring flowers grown at the farm to the program, as well as come out to the farm as a group and merge together farming, art and community! Through co-building this business I learned a ton about the incredible opportunities and challenges of running a farm and how much work it is to build something from scratch. In 2024 I decided that I wanted to explore being employed on a pre-established farm and merge my many interests into one place, and began working at Sole Foods Street Farm in the Spring. After a big first year, Good Times Growers transitioned to a personal growing space in 2024 to support the group’s capacity and interest, where myself and Breagha continue to grow together the crops we love, like dry beans!
Are you currently involved in any other food or sustainability-related activities
Farming for work and a pastime have taken up most of my time these days! But in my spare time I am loving getting more involved in canning and processing all the bounty of the summer and hosting friends for home cooked meals.
What would you like to tell folks who are considering a career in land and food systems?
My journey to coming to this career has taken many twists and turns but at the end of the day everything we do is connected to land and food and following my curiosity to explore this field has only been positive. Farming has changed my relationship with my body, the earth and just really appreciate time. It is such hard work and not for everyone but I feel very grateful to be able to experience the seasons, build connection to space and place, and then connect with others over it all. It feels special and these day-to-day acts have tethered me deeper to the larger realities of climate change, human rights, food security and land sovereignty then I ever have before.