Apprentice Spotlight: Jonah Reynolds, UK ’17

You could say that Jonah Reynolds is the most fashion-forward of the DCF Apprentices. Like many high-fashion designers, Jonah pushes the boundaries of what can be considered “clothing.” Unlike most high-fashion designers, this is because Jonah’s ever-present “farm pants” are mostly a collection of dirt and some scraps of fabric loosely held together. But perhaps that’s just a part of his easygoing charm.

Jonah Reynolds is our token Southern Gentleman, joining the Dickinson College Farm from his hometown in Kentucky with a degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Kentucky. After graduating from UK in 2017, Jonah traveled and farmed his way from Florida to New Hampshire to Mexico.

At Dickinson, Jonah moved on from caring for goats to caring for our veggies. Jonah tends to our veggies’ needs behind the scenes, by building soil in our composting operation and ensuring that our veggies are hydrated with irrigation. This summer, Jonah’s arrival was often heralded by the roar of a weed-whacker, as he helped us fight through one of the weediest seasons in DCF history.

Although Jonah appreciates the veggies, his real love at Dickinson is spending time with the student crew and other Apprentices. Jonah says that he was initially drawn to Dickinson because he wanted to farm with people his age, and he cites meeting “so many wonderful people” as his favorite part of being an Apprentice. Crew members have been heard to liken farming with Jonah to a therapy session, because there is practically no secret that he can’t overturn through a few attentive questions. At the time of publication, we have yet to learn whether Jonah has compiled a Burn Book full of said secrets. Regardless, Jonah is always up for some good contra dancing, a game of D&D, or otherwise spending some quality time with his coworkers.

In his down time, Jonah ventures into different fields to attend weekend music festivals across Pennsylvania. As for his time after Dickinson, Jonah says “the future is unclear but exciting.” Perhaps it will include a foray into psychology?

Whether he ends up analyzing goats or humans, we are grateful that this Kentucky boy found his way to the Cumberland Valley!