Our Crew
Our farm is owned by John Tecklin and co-managed by Maia Lipkin, Cory Jones with our farm managers involved every step of the way. Mountain Bounty is a team farm, with our crew working together throughout the day. We are only able to accomplish our goals because our of crew and we deeply appreciate them. We are very fortunate to be a part of such a fun, talented, and hardworking crew! Scroll through our gallery below to see the many faces that make up Mountain Bounty Farm.
John tecklin
Beet lover John Tecklin grew up in the backwoods of Nevada County in a small log cabin with no electricity, phone, or hot running water.
In 1995, after careers as a chimney sweep, stonemason, and Outward Bound instructor, he became obsessed with gardening and got a job on one of the nation’s early CSA farms in Portland, Oregon.
In 1997, he moved back to his ancestral homeland and started Mountain Bounty Farm. He remains deeply committed to the CSA ideal — a community of eaters pledges their support for a local farm, and in return the farmers put all their heart and skill into producing the best possible food. More than anything else, he loves the physical act of farming: the challenge, the magic, and the beauty. John’s other enthusiasms include playing with his two sons, mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and surfing.
Maia lipkin - farm manager
Maia is enchanted with the physical nature of farming- hands caked in dried soil, her strength building with the season, and the ability to eat like a queen.
When she’s not farming, she’s usually thinking about food while out on long walks in the Sierra foothills, or crawling up and swimming down rapids in the Yuba.
This will be Maia’s 12th year at Mountain Bounty.
CORY JONES - Farm manager
Mississippi’s finest!!
Cory Jones is a calm and powerful force on the Mountain Bounty Team. Cory leads our Bircvhille irrigation and field preparation team and does an amazing job caring for our plants in the field.
Outside of farming, Cory enjoys snowboarding, college football, dirt biking and spending time tinkering with farm projects.
Cory started with Mountain Bounty Farm in 2010 and after a few years in New Jersey, he’s back! We’re very lucky to have him on our team.
becky ahmadi - csa manager
Becky started out at Mountain Bounty as a volunteer 8 years ago and just never left. Once her family got hooked on farm-fresh carrots, she knew she had to stick around! She also has a really cute and fluffy Great Pyrenees who periodically visits the farm. She also really likes heavy music and thinks farming is very metal.
abby nash - harvest manager
Back in college, Abby got hooked on the connection between farming and climate change, which led her to spend a summer on a farm. That was it—she knew farming was her future. Since 2014, she’s worked on farms in New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts before making her way to Mountain Bounty Farm two years ago. Now, as Harvest Manager, she keeps a close eye on the crops, leads the crew, and makes sure your boxes are packed with the best produce each week.
sean mooney - tractor and irrigation specialist
With 16 years of farming experience, Sean’s done it all. He got his start at farmers markets in the Bay Area, where local farmers and fresh produce sparked his interest. From there, he moved to his family’s 10-acre property in Lake County, growing vegetables and planting fruit trees.
After a few personal farming projects, Sean joined Mountain Bounty last season as the Tractor Operator and Irrigation Specialist, handling drip irrigation, field prep, and direct seeding. You can find Sean swimming in the river or entertaining the crew with his singing—and his dog Meesh, an expert gopher catcher, is always by his side!
bebo ruiz - barn and wholesale manager
Bebo manages our barn operations, ensuring that the beautiful produce coming out of the fields is washed, packed, and stored efficiently, and he’s the guru behind our wholesale accounts with grocery stores and restaurants. While he has perfected his pallet jack skills, Bebo is now diving into math and science courses, with plans to pursue a graduate degree in Ecology and Complex Systems Science, all while working at MBF. Bebo is as excited about learning as he is about farming!
aspen wells - greenhouse manager
Aspen is fairly new to Mountain Bounty, and she’s already running our massive greenhouse, seeding and nurturing thousands of transplants, as well as juggling a myriad of essential tasks on the farm.
Aspen’s journey began in Utah, where she was on a medical career path but found herself questioning the impact of her lifestyle on the environment. Trading in her medical aspirations for a life on the farm, she’s embracing the challenges of agriculture and learning the art of making real change, all while marveling at the magic of seeds and tiny insects.
mike berlin - box truck driver, mechanic and field hand
Mike Berlin is our local delivery driver, farmhand, delivery truck mechanic and overall farm handyperson. He is our very own R2D2 on the farm, always equipped with his array of tools and a knack for fixing anything that needs repair.
Lex cook - fieldhand and farmers market coordinator
Lex Cook, a biologist turned farmer, brings a unique blend of science, music, and DIY skills to the Mountain Bounty Farm community. Originally from Phoenix, she left the lab for a life of farming after traveling through Peru and working on various farms for three years. Now settled in North San Juan, she balances part-time farm work, caring for her mother, and fixing up her quirky, old house. When she’s not patching ceilings, you might find her plucking her guitar strings—no matter how tired she is, she never misses a day.
Lex also loves turnips. Come find her at the Nevada City Farmers Market almost any Saturday June through November!
Kale Riley - mountain bounty farm / little boy flowers fieldhand
After a childhood spent eating steamed broccoli and ketchup in the suburbs of southern California, Kale moved north in search of water.
In Santa Cruz she discovered a love for growing things that carried her all the way to Mountain Bounty, where no one ever seems to mind that she walks very fast. Hard work, long days spent outside, the ever-changing rhythm of the season, and endless tomato sandwiches have kept her passion for farming alive and growing.
KYLA RoesSLER
Kyla started working part time at the farm when she moved to Nevada City in 2020. It ended up being a pretty smooth transition from her past career in habitat restoration. She loves working with her hands, enjoying fresh produce, and spending time at the Yuba River.
