Passion and dedication for real food and food justice, preserving and expanding the draft animal tradition in the US and abroad, and the hands-on education of students led Elsa inexorably to one place– Sterling College.

Elsa graduated from the Air Force Academy with a BS in Humanities in 2005, and went on to serve for five years as an Intelligence Officer in the Air Force. Traveling across the United States, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Elsa saw that there was an urgent need for better access to agricultural information and education for people both in the US and around the world in order to improve their lives, the lives of the animals they cared for, and to reduce human impacts on the planet. This knowledge and passion led her to leave the military and complete her degree in veterinary medicine.

As a veterinarian, Elsa specialized in farm animal medicine hoping to provide that access to education, improve human and animal welfare, and contribute to sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices. However, her time working on large, commercial operations made her question the efficacy, sustainability, and morality of our industrial agricultural system. She decided to step away from veterinary medicine in order to contribute to the education of the next generation seeking a different way forward in food and agriculture.

Elsa believes that farming with horses and oxen and a return small scale farming in general will be critical components of our sustainable agricultural future, and is an engaged and vocal advocate for the employment and advancement of small scale farming using draft animal power both in the US and abroad. Whether she is working with a group of farmers in Burkina Faso, West Africa on school breaks or teaching a first year student how to harness a horse in Sterling’s Alfond Barn in Vermont, Elsa loves to share her passion and knowledge about these incredible animals and the techniques and applications that will play a critical role in meeting the food and climate challenges that will be faced by all citizens of our planet in the years to come.