RICHARD ANDRES is a farmer, philosopher and former carpenter who has developed one of the largest and most successful CSA farms in Michigan. Richard’s background includes employment on a farm as a teenager and 5 years at the Ann Arbor and Toronto Zen Buddhist temples. During Richard’s early career, he worked as a timber-frame carpenter. In 1993 he purchased the original 40 acre Tantré Farm property while continuing to work as a carpenter. He achieved organic certification that year and began growing staple crops like potatoes, winter squash, garlic, and melons for wholesale accounts. Richard turned to work as a full-time farmer when he and his wife, Deb Lentz, transitioned Tantré Farm into a full-fledged Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm with 30 members in 2001. Now with over 300 members, Richard and Deb have expanded Tantré Farm to 115 acres, where they grow many different types of fruits and vegetables annually, along with herbs, mushrooms, and flowers.  Richard has been quoted and interviewed by local publications as well as several nationally known ones including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, GQ, Imagine, and Rich Horan’s book “Harvest.”

DEB LENTZ is an educator, farmer and organizer who grew up on a 160-acre farm in Lake City, Minnesota. She graduated from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota with a BA in Elementary Education, and taught grades 1-6 throughout her 16 years as a school teacher. Deb is co-owner of Tantré Farm in Chelsea, Michigan, where she manages the communication and outreach for the farm, handles the finances, and develops educational programs. Since 2010 Deb has been a board member of The Agrarian Adventure, a non-profit organization which partners with K-12 schools to enrich students’ connection between the foods they eat, their health, the health of their communities and the environment.  She has led many Farmer in the Classroom presentations for elementary students in the Ann Arbor schools since 2008.  At Honey Creek Community School in Ann Arbor, Deb was a parent organizer of the PTO Wellness Committee for nine years, founded and coordinated the Farm-to-School program, and supported the School Garden committee. In addition she is currently on the Market Advisory Board of the Chelsea Farmers Market.