Stephanie Hancey

Biography

Stephanie Hancey is an urban farmer and modern homesteader. She is so excited to be serving as the USU Permaculture Initiative Assistant for 2021. Accessible, and abundant nutrient dense food, not only for now, but for our future generations is her top priority. Stephanie hopes to provide new thought for rebuilding topsoil to ultimately provide a framework for sustainable and simple methods of growing local food.

Stephanie was able to use simple, no nonsense methods of gardening to maintain supplemental food for her own family, and to also create a duplicate garden that was used in a service project feeding intercity homeless populations and struggling families in need.

As a recent caretaker and teaching assistant of an off grid, land conservancy in the Oregon rainforest, she gained valuable experience in permaculture practice, such as the importance of layout (zones), plant/ animal relations, and pollinators. She oversaw the design and implementation of additional gardens, experimented with both traditional and new methods of herb spirals, vertical gardening, no till soil care, seed propagation and food preservation.

Stephanie’s love for food growth and preservation is lifelong. She was raised on a dairy/ grain farm in Southern Idaho and is so happy to be able to bring her studies of soil science and natural systems back to the area where she began.

Stephanie is an avid hiker who stalks mushrooms and medicinal/edibles in her free time. Foraging and propagation fill her cup. Her husband and two young boys share her love of this beautiful earth, and drive her everyday to create a better place for them and future kin to grow.