Aaron

Farmer, Get-it-done-machine

As a kid on a soccer field, Aaron would rather inspect the insects crawling in the grass than chase the ball. His deeply-rooted love of nature led him to pursue a biology degree and eventually become a high school science teacher. A perfectionist of his craft, he continually educates himself on farming best practices. His courses of study have included permaculture and intensive farming.

Full of humility and intellectual curiosity, Aaron is always the first to recognize when he’s made a mistake. The farm’s name is a result of Aaron’s natural tendency to embrace failure and learn from it.

Mary

Planner, Dreamer

Since before she lived on a farm, Mary found ways to grow and preserve her own food. Through her small-scale efforts, she developed a deep faith that even imperfectly planted seeds want to work their way up out of the soil, and things in general have a way of righting themselves. She can’t help but see the hand of God through her dealings with nature.

She requires frequent reminders from Aaron that every animal doesn’t need to live at Fail Better Farms, but she holds out hope for goats. And even more chickens. And if we’re gonna have all that, we’ll need a livestock guard dog. And who’s ever heard of having only one dog? Oh…and we should have bees too. And if you’re gonna have bees…

She’s the mother of a bright, witty 7-year-old girl and a sweet, giggly 3-year-old boy. Balancing parenting, a full-time teaching job, farm life, and creative aspirations has proven harder than she’d imagined, but the rewards are just as real as the struggle.