Annica Schultz is a CCOF Future Organic Farmers Grantee.
Meet Annica Schultz, a member of this year’s cohort of CCOF Foundation Future Organic Farmers. The CCOF Foundation is proud to support the 2025 cohort of 25 organic agriculture students.
Currently a 22-year-old student studying Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Minnesota, Schultz looks forward to a career in sustainable food production.
“To me,” Schultz says, “organic agriculture is a platform for social change because food is at the very basis of all human connections.”
As a student, Schultz seeks out farming experiences that will prepare her to cultivate a non-profit business of her own. She wants to develop her leadership skills to curate community-based projects that bring people closer together with each other and with the land. “At the root,” she says, “my goal is to feed the world with love.”
Through her Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems degree, Schultz explores production techniques and plant physiology. She combines a scientific mindset with a whole-systems approach. “I appreciate the duality of my major because I not only have a solid academic foundation in the science behind farming, but a clear understanding of the dedication it takes to make systemic changes in our society,” she says. “I recognize that this field has traditionally been taught through spoken word and experiential learning, passed down to young people like me through generational knowledge, but, given my lack of familial ties to farming, I will rely heavily on my academic background, for it has given me the tools I need to be a successful farmer.”
Schultz combines academic learning with a practical, hands-on approach. In 2024, she completed her first farming season working as a manager intern for Keewaydin Farms in Viola, Wisconsin, and looks forward to returning for the 2025 season. She has also completed a successful internship at the UMN Student Organic Farm and is planning and cultivating a community garden for a non-profit organization that will be in production this season.
“Farming is a lifestyle that empowers me to be my most joyful and generous self,” Schultz says. “Digging in the dirt and sweating in the sun come naturally to me. I know that this line of work will never totally exhaust me and will allow me to be an integral part of the communities that I work for. To me, the community should be at the basis of my mission, cultivating produce in a way that benefits the environment, nurtures connection between my neighbors and the land, and is accessible to all who need it.”
Schultz’s vision is to one day own a farm that produces mixed vegetables, fruit trees, and livestock and is open to the public. She says, “I hope that through the work I do, others feel inspired to make changes in their life, contributing to the greater social change we need to make our food system more sustainable.”
The CCOF Foundation is proud to support producers like Annica Schultz with the Future Organic Farmers grant, which gives $5,000 scholarships to college and vocational students training for careers in organic agriculture.
If you would like to contribute to the success of Future Organic Farmers grantees like Annica Schultz, please contact the CCOF Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Shawna Rodgers, srodgers@ccof.org to learn more.
