Chuck Wooster,
Owner/Farmer
Chuck grew up far from the land and wandered around in exile until 1995 when, fleeing a desk job in Boston, he apprenticed for a year at Caretaker Farm in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Caretaker was one of the first organic farms and one of the first CSAs in the U.S., and by the time the harvest was over, Chuck was smitten. In 1999, Chuck and his wife Sue purchased Sunrise Farm, and in 2000, he started Sunrise Farm CSA with his brother Bruce (who has since gone on to start Picadilly Farm in Winchester, New Hampshire, with his wife Jenny.)
In 2012, Chuck dropped the last of his other day jobs and took up farming at Sunrise full-time. Since then, the CSA has expanded to 400 members and the farm produces chicken, lamb, eggs, maple syrup, and firewood and lumber.
Though Sunrise continues to grow and thrive, Chuck has maintained a variety of other interests, including as a freelancer for the Valley News, an advisor to Vital Communities’ Valley Food & Farm, and a board member for the Vermont Almanac.
India Noffke,
Vegetable Production Manager
It cannot be denied that India was born at some point. Her childhood and early adulthood, subjects of much speculation and rumor, almost certainly happened. The dawn of the last decade saw numerous confirmed sightings in central Kentucky: some claim India studied physics, others swear she was spotted teaching preschool, and still more assert she found her true passion farming. The latest rumors place India lurking around Sunrise Farm, where she seems to enjoy growing veggies.
Trevor Lohr,
Animal Manager
Trevor grew up in the Upper Valley, playing on the Connecticut and White rivers and working in the food industry. Coffee, sandwiches, and granola were his forte, until he expanded his picky palate and learned how to cook real fresh food! Moving across Vermont, from Burlington to Brattleboro, Trevor fell in love with high quality, fresh local meat, and produce. After studying philosophy and biology in college, he realized that the best course of action to address climate and environmental issues is to put the hands in the soil and learn to grow food for a local community. Sunrise Farm gave Trevor the opportunity to learn the trade, and every day he feels lucky to be a part of such a hard-working, fun-loving team!
Drea Emslie,
Farm Manager
Drea grew up a city slicker in Seattle, WA. While she loved growing up on the west coast she began to feel melon-choly about the hustle and bustle of city life and wanted to try and find inner-peas on new soil. She pulled up her roots, shook em’ off and decided to turn over a new leaf in North Carolina. She planted herself on a vegetable farm and even though the work made her beet tired she discovered that farming was radish! After her apprenticeship in NC she wanted to let the good thymes roll and continued her farming journey in Upper Valley, Vermont. Working at Sunrise Farm she is proud that folks lettuce grow their vegetables and that their customers are sage enough to know that local organic food matters. She hopes to romaine farming as long as her stems let her because her heart beets for playing in the dirt!
Colleen Klehm, Farmstand Manager
Colleen Klehm grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, in a family that loved the outdoors and food. She majored in Biology in college and fell in love with soil science, mycology, and growing food in the process. She has worked on farms on the side of other jobs ever since then. She moved to the Upper Valley in 2022 with her husband, who grew up in Norwich, to finally get to work on a farm full time. Outside of farming, she enjoys baking sourdough bread, hiking with her pup dog, and winter sports. She loves the Upper Valley and the joy of growing food for herself and others and can’t wait to do it for another season! Also, her mom says she is cool sooooo, yeah…