Yatte Moore Selected as Farmer in the Classroom

Yatte Moore, Urban Farm Manager for the Roots Wings Farm & Garden, has been selected as Kane County Juvenile Justice Center’s first Farmer in the Classroom. Farmer in the Classroom is run through the Juvenile Justice Center's Farm to School Program and is designed to introduce students to experiences and careers in agriculture by learning from the professionals. Below is the application that Yatte submitted where you can learn more about him.
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​Meet Yatte Moore

I’ve been the Urban Farm Manager for the Roots & Wings program for 5 years. Currently I am farming on half an acre, which includes farming in two high tunnels. I also oversee a small Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) business and a large community plot where residents of Blackhawk Courts have access to fresh vegetables 24/7.  My farming experience has been great. I’ve enjoyed learning and working with people of all races and ages. 

I have a lot of experience speaking to various groups and leading farm tours. Roots & Wings has a youth leader program for participants who are between the ages of 10-18. My work with them includes speaking to the participants about healthy living, organic growing practices, proper harvesting techniques, and how to be responsible for a given farm task. 

I have participated in presenting to organizations and businesses about farming and the Roots & Wings program. I have done presentations with the Rotary Club, Rockford’s Women’s League, Williams and Manny, and recently completed a virtual video presentation with Rockford Housing Authority with students in the Life-force Development Institute (LDI) program.  I've also led groups of volunteers to work on the farm. These groups include; Rockford Work camps, Comprehensive Community Solutions (CCS), and the Chrysler Corporation. With the Chrysler Corporation I oversaw this volunteer effort along with the staff who were involved in the task of building the high tunnels. 

I've hosted tours of the farm with a lot of different organizations and groups such as residents of the Blackhawk community,  Funders of our Roots and Wings Program, and most recently the Principal of Beyer Elementary School. Beyer Elementary is a new partnership we anticipate starting this fall. Finally, I’ve hosted tours with the Mayor of Rockford, facilitated open houses for our CSA members, and even had the honor to host Will Allen who pioneered Urban Agriculture. 

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