EMILY ZONDER
they/them
Farmer
Emily is a farmer at KGD, overseeing transplant, native plant, and high-tunnel production. Raised in Southeast Michigan, Emily has an affinity for the Great Lakes and aspires to build community rooted in our local food system. They are a farmer and an educator, and have spent several years working on small-scale farms, facilitating place-based youth programs, and working with students in the garden and in the backcountry. Emily has been connected to KGD since 2017 through the University of Michigan’s Semester in Detroit program, and helped facilitate KGD’s Youth Apprenticeship program during the summer of 2018. They received their BA from the University of Michigan in 2019 and are a 2024 graduate of MSU's Organic Farmer Training Program. Emily is also a proud member of the Garden Resource Program and stewards a backyard garden with their friends on the Eastside. When they’re not farming, you can find Emily biking around Belle Isle, playing in the Detroit Ultimate Frisbee League, and sharing food with the people they love!
Photo credit: Sarah Rypma Photography LLC for the 10 Cents A Meal For Michigan's Kids & Farms