Jesse learned to farm with Chip and Susan Planck at Wheatland Vegetable Farms in in the late 1990's, and with Tana Comer at Eaton's Creek Organics in The early 2010's. In the interim, he worked as a sustainable ag extension agent in the Peace Corps, and had a subsequent career working in international community development, agroforestry, environmental education, and disaster relief. Since 2015, Jesse has owned and managed Athena's Harvest Farm outside of Nashville, TN. Jesse has a Masters degree from the Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning program at the University of Vermont (2008).