Staff spotlight – Amanda Curtis
Spending her formative years on a ranch outside of Sedalia helped prepare Amanda Curtis for her role at FarmBox Foods.
In many ways, she’s our secret weapon. Amanda’s extensive experience working with plants has brought a new level of expertise to our farm operations. From a young age, she helped her mom tend indoor and outdoor vegetable gardens, and Amanda even remembers planting orchards on her family’s ranch that are now producing delicious yields every year. Amanda, a student in Colorado State University’s master gardening program, was only 10 years old when she set her sights on a career working with plants. Her aunt introduced her to flower gardening, sparking fresh interest in horticulture.“I knew I wanted to do something with plants and the environment. I knew that was my calling,” she says.
Amanda has particular interest in medicinal plants, an area she wants to help FarmBox Foods build out in the future. She wants to help teach people about the medicinal properties of plants that have been used for millennia to treat a variety of illnesses. After she receives her master gardening certification, Amanda also plans to learn more about the nutritional applications of mushrooms.
“Ultimately, in the long run, I just want to make an impact on the planet somehow, and show people that it’s not that hard to grow stuff,” said Amanda, who’s favorite part of her job at FarmBox Foods is having the freedom to try new things.
When she’s not at work, Amanda likes to read, work out, cook, paint, draw, work with animals, and conduct independent studies on topics she finds interesting. Although she comes from a family with a rich agricultural history, Amanda has passions that go beyond the ranch; she’s trained in jiujitsu and muay Thai, massage therapy and she looks forward to a career based in continued learning.