Jorgensen Farms: About Us

5851 East Walnut Street Westerville, Ohio 43081

Val Jorgensen has a passion for farming and for sharing the farm life with the people in her community. She is on a quest to provide the best possible food to the people of Central Ohio, to increase awareness of healthy, seasonal and sustainable food, and to educate children and adults to steward the land that provides it. Val has lived most of her life on a farm. She grew up on a Michigan dairy farm, graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in nursing, then returned to farming to provide a healthy place to raise her four sons. As the children grew, she became increasingly aware of her love for working the soil and founded Jorgensen Farms in 2002. Roger Genter has been a fan of agriculture all his life. Growing up on a family farm in northwest Ohio he became keen on life on the farm and the cycles of nature. He obtained both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the College of Agriculture at The Ohio State University. Following a science teaching career of 20 years, he pursued a life-long interest in painting. Roger has exhibited landscape paintings at several Columbus art venues. In 2005, he became an integral part of Jorgensen Farms. His farming background made the tractor seat a natural fit for Roger and he has been operating the tractors, plows, discs, planters and cultivators since the day he arrived. Each summer he plants thousands of sunflowers and other cut flowers along with a huge basil crop. Throughout the year Roger is a vital part of the management and care of the livestock and poultry flock. He also handles the construction projects at Jorgensen Farms. Amy Bodiker is on a mission to improve our food supply. Originally trained as a chef, she has spent the past twelve years with nonprofit organizations that promote the connection between good food and improved personal, environmental and community health. Amy was the founding Director of Chefs Collaborative in Boston and served as Development Director at Stone Barns Center outside NYC from 2006-2009. Today, she lives in Columbus and consults with food and farming organizations around the country, helping them increase their fundraising potential and build capacity. Recent clients include the Organic Farming Research Foundation, Buffalo's Field & Fork Network, Philadelphia Fair Food and the Franklin Park Conservatory. Amy, a Bexley native, is an avid gardener, enthusiastic cooking teacher and occasional wedding cake maker. Lynne Genter grew up in rural Northwest Ohio helping her mother preserve food and feed a family of thirteen. This is where Lynne learned first hand about the virtues of eating fresh and local food. In college Francis Lappe's 1970's classic Diet for a Small Planet became one of Lynne's favorite "reads". Lynne has been an active RN since graduation from The Ohio State University. As a nurse she has seen first hand the effects that healthy eating and lifestyle make. She is serious about fitness-she has completed 4 marathons and recently took on cycling. Lynne's interest in sourcing local foods was rekindled in 2001 when her then 19-year-old vegan daughter challenged her to pay attention to where and how food is grown. Lynne founded the Clintonville Farmers' Market in July of 2003. In 2005 Lynne met Val Jorgensen and the two formed a close friendship resulting in a partnership based on a mutual love of agriculture, family and life! On the farm, Lynne is the Market Manager for the First Sunday (of each month) Farm Market. She also helps in a major way with special events and preserving the garden's bounty.

WE’RE HIRING Jorgensen Farms is now accepting applications for the 2012 season. Contact us for details.