Eighth Day is more than a farm, we are a community of people who come together around growing and eating great food. We strive to be part of a diverse and inclusive group of people centered around local agriculture in the city of Holland. There are a number of ways to be part of the Eighth Day Farm community.
Visit the Farm
All are welcome to visit the farm and go on a self-guided tour at any time. We do ask that visitors walk only on the paths/aisles and be respectful of the plants and property.
Field Trips and Volunteering
Many different volunteer opportunities exist, no farming experience is necessary. Fill out the Google Form below to express interest in visiting the farm in any capacity.
Classrooms interested in experiencing the basics of garden ecology and discovering more about healthy food are invited to consider field trip opportunities. We want our farm to be accessible to all, but giving tours to larger groups does take some time and resources. For this reason, we suggest a donation of $2 per participant for field trips.
Questions? Reach out to John@eighthdayfarm.org.
Agricultural Internship Program
Rising out of a need for more young farmers, our internship program is designed for folks that are new to small-farming and have a curiosity for growing food, community health, agriculture, food sovereignty, and/or small business. While our hope is that our interns will continue on to be the next generation of young farmers, the ultimate purpose of the internship is to provide a clearer picture of what it takes to farm small and to farm responsibly, with the health of their community and planet in mind. Our interns have gone on to be agents of change in their communities, from advocating for access to healthy food to starting their own small farms.
Interns are paid a stipend of $4,000 for 13-weeks of full-time work (30-35 hours/week) on the farm, mid-May through mid-August. If you’re interested in interning at Eighth Day, please fill out this application by March 1, 2024.
Please reach out to brooke@eighthdayfarm.org for any questions about the internship.
Our Staff
Andy Rozendaal – Farm Director
Andy@eighthdayfarm.org
For most of his life Andy had been doing something with farming. As a child he grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa where his curiosity of the soil and the interaction of living things took root. Urban Agriculture has been Andy’s farming focus since 2010 when he was trained in intensive organic farming in inner city Chicago. He has a bachelors degree from Iowa State University in Agricultural Studies and a Masters of Divinity degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He has been with Eighth Day Farm since 2018 and currently serves as Farm Director. If you don’t find him working in the farm you can find him fussing with the compost pile.
John Puttrich – Farm Manager
John@eighthdayfarm.org
John gained an appreciation for nature and his first lessons in gardening at an early age. He remembers spending a lot of time with his eyes on the soil, watching little scenes unfold amidst the bugs, plants, and fungus. In 2012, he went to Hope College for a degree in environmental engineering, but switched to philosophy late in the game once he realized that growing food was his real passion. In 2016, John joined Eighth Day as an intern, where he solidified a love for the work. After marrying his best friend, he moved to Philadelphia and explored agricultural literature while working in an educational garden for a Jewish day camp. He moved back to Holland in 2018 and started at Eighth Day as a manager. John once heard someone say “the length of my green thumb is measured by my failures”. He takes this to mean that, while they still offer a lot, the best lessons in growing food don’t come from the content of knowledge, but from having a relationship with the soil and the people that one grows for.
Brooke DiCicco – Market & Distributions Manager
Brooke@eighthdayfarm.org
Brooke has been farming in urban settings and reclaimed spaces since 2015. She earned degrees in Social Work and Studio Art from Hope College in 2016 and went on to complete her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan in 2018. Brooke is grateful to work with soil, plants, and people, and to have found healing in the daily rhythms of growing in partnership with the Earth and one another. Brooke lives in Holland with her husband Phil and their cats, Mingus and Shuggie. When she’s not on the farm, you can find her cooking, wandering through thrift shops, swimming in Lake Michigan, or settled in with a good book.
Our Board
Daniel Luyk – Board President
Daniel joined the board after being a CSA member for a couple years. He studied Engineering at Calvin College. Daniel currently works as a Product Owner for SpinDance, a software development consultancy. When he isn’t working you’ll find him outside working in the garden, paddling, or skiing.
Avery Hanneken – Vice President
Avery Hanneken has been an active CSA member for the past 10 years. He and his wife Megan have three children; Ellis, Norah and Silas. Avery has run his own painting business for the past 20 years while turning his backyard into a mini homestead. These endeavors, along with Eighth Day Farm, supply the relationships, connection and conversations he thrives on.
Aaron Clark – Treasurer
Aaron grew up in Holland and graduated from Hope College. He is a partner at West Michigan Advisors and has been in the financial services industry since 2010. He also serves on the Board of Directors at the Holland Free Health Clinic. He is married and the father of two boys. They love being physically active and taking advantage of all that living in West Michigan has to offer. Health and nutrition are important to his family, and he is excited to help support the mission of the farm.
Chara Bouma-Prediger – Secretary
Chara joined the board in 2023 after being a CSA member for many years and an intern in 2014. After working in sustainable agriculture locally and abroad, she currently leads community food access programs at Community Action House. She’s passionate about promoting a local food system and ensuring that all of our neighbors have dignified access to the healthy, culturally relevant food they need to thrive. She and her husband Alex live in downtown Holland, and enjoy the good beer, delicious food, and outdoor adventures that the lakeshore has to offer.