"Jeff was super informative, inspiring, and enlightening.
We're so appreciative of him sharing his skill, experience, and passion with us."
Consulting Services for Medicinal Herb Production and Marketing from Jeff Carpenter of Zack Woods Herb Farm
Experience: Jeff Carpenter has over 25 years of experience in the medicinal herb industry. His herbal education began in 1994 when he apprenticed with Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar at Sage Mountain and partnered with his wife, Melanie, to own and operate Sage Mountain Herb Products. From there, Jeff went on to become Nursery Manager at Evergreen Gardens in Waterbury, Vermont while specializing in the propagation, production and sales of ornamental, edible and medicinal trees, shrubs and plants. In 1999 Jeff and Melanie sold Sage Mountain Herb Products to purchase and establish their farm, Zack Woods Herb Farm, where they have been growing and marketing certified organic medicinal herbs and live-potted medicinal herb plants for wholesale and retail markets. Jeff partnered with Rosemary Gladstar in 2013 to host the International Herb Symposium and took over ownership of this event in 2015 with Melanie. In 2015 Jeff and Melanie wrote The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, a comprehensive illustrated book published by Chelsea Green Publishers that details medicinal herb production and marketing. Jeff then served for three years (2015-2018) as the President and one year as Vice-President of the Vermont Herb Growers Cooperative. Jeff has traveled extensively throughout the US, as well as internationally, teaching about herb farming and consulting with farmers to assist them with starting up and/or improving their own operations. References are available upon request.
Services: Jeff’s consulting services cover all aspects of sustainable business planning, medicinal herb propagation, soil health and fertility, field production, harvesting, post-harvest processing and marketing. Jeff’s expertise is primarily centered on small to mid-scale farming operations (under 50 acres) that are focused on producing high-quality, high-value botanicals rather than large-scale, highly-automated operations focused on high-volume, lower-price point markets.
Fees and services*: There are four ways Jeff offers consultations in order to provide meaningful, efficient and affordable services to clients. Any of the services described below can be combined. It is recommended that clients email or mail Jeff as much introductory information as possible prior to the actual consultation meetings in order to provide the most efficient and affordable services to clients. It should also be noted that Jeff’s availability may be limited during the growing season which runs from May-October here at the farm.
On-farm consultations at Zack Woods Herb Farm. Clients travel to Zack Woods Herb Farm to meet with Jeff and tour the farm in order to see a fully operational herb farm and its infrastructure and equipment. Tours are usually followed by a sit-down session for Q & A and further dialog. The fee for this service is $75.00/hour*
Off-farm consultations at the client’s farm or future farm site. Jeff travels to the client’s farm or potential farm site to view their land and operation to assist with planning and make recommendations on establishing new or improving existing operations. The fee for this service is $75.00/hour* plus travel expenses.
Phone consultations. Jeff calls clients at a pre-arranged time to offer consultations via telephone. $75.00/hour* with a one hour minimum.
Email consultations. Jeff and clients dialog via email. $75.00/hour* with a one hour minimum. This can be an ongoing conversation as new questions or ideas materialize and can be used to supplement any of the above services as-needed.
*These fees represent what Jeff feels is an affordable, well-represented cost for his knowledge and experience with regard to the services he provides. However, he doesn’t want cost to be a limiting factor for those in need of these services. Jeff is willing to work on a sliding scale basis for those unable to pay full-price and is also willing to provide free or reduced-fee consulting services to non-profit organizations as well as BIPOC farmers.
Scheduling an appointment: To inquire about setting up a consultation or for any additional information regarding consultation services, please email Jeff directly at zackwoodsherbfarm@gmail.com . Please include the words “Consultation Request” in the email subject line.
