Meet the Farmily

I’m the Executive Director and one of the teachers at Flying Pig Farm. I’ve been around FPF since before we had the deer fence, and I feel so fortunate to have been witness to the incredible transformation and reawakening of the land into a community learning garden.

The students here call me Mr. Barak. The chickens call me Mr. BakbakbaRAAAAAK!

I love learning how to be part of this world. For me, that means learning the names and personalities of the plants and animals around me, so that whether I’m hiking, climbing, gardening, or just playing in the park, I can greet and be welcomed by all the diverse life of our ecosystem.

While working with the landscape is by far my biggest creative outlet, I also find time for many other art forms! I love to play music on the accordion, guitar, and most recently banjo, practice oil painting with my mother, write poetry and prose, and paint spontaneous murals whenever I get the chance!

We formalized roles at the farm in January of 2024 and that’s when I became our Operations Director, but before that I helped out with the newsletter, social media posts, and teaching. I came to the farm as the natural dyes garden manager in 2020 –– we grow dye plants for dyeing fibers and making pigment –– and gradually I increased teaching at the farm and helping out in general. I continue cultivating the dye garden, and we now use the materials we grow for our arts program!

I’ve been doing community organization and non-profit education work for over 20 years and I think we have something really special happening at Flying Pig. The land is providing what we need to do this regenerative work with our neighbors and community.

My name is Forrest Alvaerez and I am the Groundskeeper for Flying Pig Farm and have spent the last three years as the primary hole-digger and fence-mender.

When I’m not trying to keep baby plants alive I enjoy singing and writing songs about the end of the world.

My favorite farm animal is myself and my vow is “Seek, but do not find.”