Living Medicine: The agroecology of medicinal plants
Friday, March 10, 1:20-2:20pm
Medicinal plant grower and researcher, Amy Kousch, grew up in the hills of western Massachusetts, surrounded by a family of dairy farmers, vegetable growers, and florists. Amy Kousch has been cultivating beyond organic herbs, flowers, and vegetables for over a decade in both Colorado and New England. Having owned and managed several diversified operations, she founded Berchta Botanicals three years ago as a medicinal plant nursery and herb farm – and now, education center. Along with propagating native, at-risk, and geographically far-flung plant medicine, Berchta Botanicals serves the community as a medicinal plant cultivation education center. In this capacity, Amy runs a farm school for adults and teaches workshops all along the front range of Colorado. Amy has a Bachelor’s degree in natural resources and a Master’s degree in agricultural sciences with a concentration in sustainable agriculture education from Colorado State University. Her true education has been in the capitulating passion to grow medicine that makes people smile – and she is forever a student of ecosystem design, soil science, and the expansive nature of habitat resilience and growth. Amy, along with Berchta, strives to help plant lovers connect to the wellness that they desire via working with soil, seeds, and plants.