“Follow your passion. Do something you love."

Some people raise crops; others help raise the people who will care for them. Jenn Barton Scarinza has devoted her career to helping young people and the educators who teach them gain a deeper understanding of the land

through farming, forestry, maple sugaring and her role as New Hampshire’s Project Learning Tree Coordinator.

Jenn believes a child’s connection to agriculture may begin simply: what matters most is that they learn to care by planting a seed, identifying a tree, gathering sap or spending time outdoors. Those experiences can become the foundation for lifelong stewardship, and she speaks of future farmers as stewards.

From 4-H and training oxen to 21 years of teaching agriculture and creating a life with a man who shared her passions, she now passes that same love of agriculture on to her son while helping other teachers bring trees and forests into their classrooms. Agriculture has been the foundation of Jenn’s life.

“I came to agriculture through my parents, especially my dad. He grew up on a farm in Pittsfield and carried this love of animals and farming on to his family. We were a 4-H family raising and training oxen—a lifelong passion for my dad—and spent our summers traveling from fair to fair for 4-H showing.

We started making maple syrup on the front lawn on a homemade barrel stove. This was the beginning of my lifelong passion for maple sugaring, which I have been able to share with my husband, John, my family, students, friends, the community and now my son, Ethan. My love of agriculture was enhanced by my first ‘real’ job working at the Jones Dairy Farm in Chichester. I loved the rhythm of the farm, how every season brought different duties and challenges. The Joneses saw me not just as an employee but as part of the team, the family, and several of the things that I learned there helped with teaching agriculture later on.”

Being a woman also opened one important door.

“When I was at UNH earning my degree, I received a scholarship for women entering non-traditional roles like being an agriculture teacher. It was a direct advantage that helped me.”

For Jenn, teaching meant watching knowledge take root.

“As an agriculture teacher for 21 years, I got to work with a lot of students on subjects I truly love. It is one of my greatest sources of pride that many of them carry those skills and experiences into their adult lives and have even passed things on to their children”—she chuckles—“and many students have gone on to make syrup. I vividly remember saying, ‘Please don’t put any more wood on the fire. I need to go home and boil sap there! We will go at it again tomorrow!’”

Asked what makes New Hampshire special, Jenn described its landscape and people.

“For such a small state, we have so many different environments and I also love the diversity of agriculture in our state. I admire small producers who work so hard at many different products or services to make a business work.”

Her female mentors came to mind immediately:

• Donna Gruesell Miller 

• Joyce Brady 

• Freda Jones 

• Marion Jones 

• Sarah Ward 

• Anne DeMarco 

• And now, so many different women foresters.

Jenn also opened up about the darkest chapter of her life.

“My hardest season in life so far has been the death of my husband, John. We met through sugaring and we truly loved doing all these things together and planned to do them with our son. We built our sugarhouse with extra space to be sure there was room for visitors to come in and see and hear what was going on, and we always prioritized visiting with people who came to the sugarhouse. His cancer and eventual death was the hardest season for me to survive, but what keeps me going is our son, Ethan. I just want to create the best life and opportunities possible for him. So far, so good with our six sap buckets in the front yard, the chickens he adores and the vegetables from the garden that make him jump up and down, clap his hands and say, ‘We grew CORN! We grew CORN!’ This still makes me tear up with pride and joy.”

Today, Project Learning Tree brings together Jenn’s experience in education, forestry and agriculture.

“The whole mission is to make it easier for teachers to include more study of trees and forests into their lessons. This work is perfect for me; it’s the best blend of my skills and experience—my passion as an educator and my interest and experience in forestry.

What I would like people to understand most about my work is how critically important it is to connect our next generation to the land. Whether it be through growing crops, keeping animals or enjoying nature, we need to keep finding ways to spark and encourage a love of the world around us because these are the decision-makers of the future.”

Jenn’s advice for young women finding their footing in agriculture:

“Follow your passion. Do something you love. Do it the very best you can. Take every opportunity that comes along and matches with your values and plans. YOU are the next stewards of our environment. Every job that you do will add skills and experiences that will help in the future, even if you don’t know the full value at the time.”

Asked what agriculture has given her, Jenn brought the conversation full circle:

“A foundation for my life.”