Samantha A. Reynolds

Biography

Farm Director Samantha Reynolds is committed to cultivating a working farm that serves as both a productive agricultural operation and a living classroom. She draws on her academic training, market experience, diverse farming background and Kentucky roots to guide The Farm's growth and its role within the broader campus community.

Prior to entering the agricultural sector, Reynolds worked as a natural gas energy broker, developing a strong foundation in market analysis, risk assessment and commodity trading. This background offered her a distinctive lens for approaching farm economics, particularly around diversifying income streams and building financial resilience for small-scale agricultural operations.

Over the course of her career, Reynolds has lived and worked on farms across a wide range of landscapes and growing conditions, gaining hands-on experience with diverse farming systems in Kentucky, Iowa, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy and Massachusetts. This firsthand exposure to such varied climates, soil types and agricultural traditions has shaped her adaptable, systems-based approach to farm management and deepened her appreciation for the ways small-scale farming can be tailored to a given region's resources and community needs.

Her work centers on soil health and management and alternative small-scale farming systems. She is passionate about building bridges between local agricultural production and educational institutions, helping students and communities alike understand where their food comes from and how sustainable practices can strengthen both local economies and food systems.

Education

• M.S., Sustainable Development, Agrifoods and Cooperatives, University College Cork
• B.S., Economics, Indiana University Southeast

Courses Taught

• Sustainable Agriculture