Local Fallbrook Farm Seeks Community Engagement from College, Partners with Campus Programs

Shannon Chanler and her daughter Melissa Hughes co-own Fallbrook Farms, which has been in their family since the early 1800s. The business is founded on transparency and regenerative farming. Chanler operates Geneseo acupuncture out of Fallbrook while Hughes focuses on The Little Fruit Stand. Chanler developed each formula that is sold and has several years of experience in the field.

After earning a three-year graduate degree in East Asian medicine in 2007, Chanler was licensed by the state of New York and nationally board certified in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Chanler has nine years of experience working in the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, and several more on her farm.

            Hughes is largely responsible for community outreach and public relations. She runs the farm intern program, a partnership with the Office of Sustainability at Geneseo, and the social media presence of Fallbrook Farms.

            “I’m just thinking about the farm and the direction we can go in, so I think I've kind of taken on more roles besides what we farm,” Hughes said. “What else can we do on this property to make it viable? We want to make it sustainable and regenerative, to make it also generate income to be able to pursue our farming and outreach program, because there's a big educational component to this farm.”

            While Hughes focuses on the future of the farm, Chanler’s current practices keep customers rolling in. Chanler considers herself an East Asian medicine practitioner alongside her work with acupuncture.

“[The medicinal practice is] very holistic, and that you're not just giving one herb, or one route to a person,” Chanler said. “You're generally coming up with a formula that has a multitude of different plants or medicinal herbs, working in conjunction with one another. I, it's not reductionist, and I think Western medicine tends to be very reductionist, —you have a headache we're going to give you this aspirin which is literally just aspirin.”

            Among the products sold by Fallbrook, the most beloved come in the form of medicinal teas.

“We have a metabolism tea that people really love, it has a great flavor, it's matcha based, and you know matcha lattes are delicious,” Chanler said. “But it also is kind of packed full of East Asian medicinal herbs that, you know, really jump-start your metabolism and energy and all that.”

In addition to their everyday tasks and responsibilities, Chanler and Hughes have formed many partnerships around the community and the college. One such partnership is with Geneseo’s Adopt-a-Business intern program, which provides businesses with assistance in social media and marketing.

Business administration major senior Emma Janusz explained that she and her fellow Adopt-a-Business interns handle a lot of email marketing, search engine optimization and social media marketing, such as posting content and reaching target audiences.

“Our role is that we’re helping them figure out how to reach their audience beyond that,” Januzs said. “Instagram was a really big emphasis for us, like making sure that they were following similar accounts because that's a good way to grow. Also posting a lot on their stories and posting regularly because people want to follow like active accounts.”

Adopt-a-Business intern and junior business administration major Valentina Chavez said that Fallbrook collaborates with many small, local businesses to promote and sell each other’s products.

“She's really big into having mainly women-owned businesses join with her,” Chavez said. “She sells other people's products as well, not just her own, and she's really big into women-owned or minority-owned or indigenous-owned businesses.”

            According to Janusz, Hughes works hard to create partnerships that attract their target audience—mainly college students.

            “I love that they have seasonal rotating products, so it's changing all the time,” Janusz said. “In the winter, they paired up with this woman who did these knit beanies … I got one, and it was so warm and nice for the winter. They're pairing up with this pizza place and they're gonna do pizza pop ups in the summer. I just really like how they keep adapting to the seasons, and they have a really strong understanding of their target audience.”

Other Fallbrook Farms partnerships with Geneseo include working with the Food Security Advocates associated with the Office of Student Volunteerism and Community Engagement and planning future initiatives with other Geneseo departments.

“We've been talking a lot with Garth Freeman, Dan DeZarn and Nicole Manapol over at the college for different ways that we can get more active participation with the students, whether it's saying, ‘here's an acre, [or] you know, do some kind of test garden,’” Hughes said.

Many volunteers and workers also come collaborating with the Rochester community, according to Chanler.

“We had some kids from the inner-city program in Rochester come down and participate in a program last summer,” Chanler said. “We're really interested in having people learn how we harvest these herbs, how we work with the land in a more productive and healthful way. So, we're very much about education, and Melissa has been really spearheading that for us.”

            Chavez said that Fallbrook Farms has another program with Rochester schools for interns.

“[Chanler] has another program which was another school...where they intern for her and they work for her, so they kind of see what it's like to work on a farm and stuff,” Chavez said. “The staff is always really nice... it's going to be mostly her this time but she is looking for people to hire, so if any Geneseo student [is] staying over the summer and interested in learning about the farm and like working with fresh foods, you could work there.”

While they have been expanding programs for interns and volunteers, Chanler and Hughes have also been developing more events and ideas at Fallbrook Farms.

Chavez explained they’ve been developing a vending machine that will be run out of the Little Fruit Stand.

“It's like this really nice big vending machine,” Chavez said. “[It will be open] for after hours when they close the stand, and they'll have products in the vending machine. And you can just go and purchase [the products].”

Hughes said she hopes the community will enjoy the new vending machine.

“[We hope] people will be excited about being able to just drive up and grab something,” Hughes said. “We're hoping to have some, some fun things in the vending machine that are a little unexpected, so that you know you are encouraged to kind of keep checking back and get something that you never thought you'd get out of a vending machine before.”

Janusz said she was excited about the new picnics the four of them have been working on because picnics have become a popular activity as a result of the pandemic.

“We don't really know how we're going to frame it yet, but you rent out or book a little picnic area,” Janusz said. “We're going to have an option where you can rent a picnic basket. So, they'll make bread and a charcuterie board. If you're 21, you can get wine.”

Fallbrook Farms is also offering low-cost tours of Fall Brook Gorge in partnership with Trail Otter. Not only is the Gorge on private property, but it can be very dangerous when wet, according to Hughes.

“They're not super expensive, but [they’ll help] minimize the impact that has been felt in the Gorge in terms of trash, in terms of taking things out of the gorge that shouldn't be taken out and disrupting the natural habitat,” Hughes said. “Also, just from a danger standpoint. It's shale, and it's very slick and slippery, and it really terrifies us to imagine anyone coming to harm there.”

Other than occasional trips to the Gorge, the Geneseo community is largely respectful of Fallbrook Farms. Melissa was thrilled to see the community acclimate to the farms’ unique practices and products.

“It's great to see young kids and sixth generation dairy farmers and just all walks of life [at the farms] because [East Asian medicine] is different for this area,” Hughes said. “But I think people see a lot of a lot of value in it, and they see results. Aand so they keep coming back, which is amazing.”

Community members who are not yet familiar with Fallbrook Farms usually become introduced to the business through the “fruit stand,” which ironically doesn’t sell fruit.

  “The little fruit stand, which is kind of our most visible outpost on the farm, pivoted to more of a general store model where we sell our herbs and some other local products,” Hughes said. “We sell maple syrup and locally made soaps and sheepskin and that sort of thing. So I think it's been a little bit of a reeducation [for the people of Geneseo]. In general, I think the community's been really warm and we're really always looking for ways to partner more.”

            Geneseo students, like Janusz, are more than happy to nourish this warm community connection. Janusz said she’s enjoyed working with Chanler and Hughes because of their strong values, such as donating proceeds to Black Lives Matter, and they’re extreme enthusiasm for what they do.

“It's just really refreshing meeting with them,” Janusz said. “They're so sweet. I always look forward to when I have meetings. They're busy, so we do like bi-weekly, even like bi-monthly just because they have so much going on. When we do get to meet with them it’s so fun.”

The Little Fruit Stand will reopen on Saturday May 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 pm is open Fridays, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to their Facebook page. Follow Fallbrook Farms on Instagram to stay up-to-date on other upcoming events and new products.

New Netflix show Shadow and Bone highlights feminine-aligned cast of color, builds on fantasy universe

Despite the fact that I’ve only been a fan of the Grishaverse for less than three weeks, this fantasy world and its characters have quickly become my latest obsession. This extends to the cast of the Shadow and Bone television series on Netflix. As much as we love the series’ men, we must remember to stan its women, too.

Ben Barnes, pictured above, is a leading role in Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone” series. While Barnes seems to be getting a ton of attention for his appearance in the first season, other actors including lead Jessie Mei Li are equally talented but less recognized. (Courtesy of Gage Skidmore on Flickr).

Although I’ve already written about the book, I must talk about Netflix’s adaptation of this story. The show dropped on April 23 and quickly made its way to the top of Netflix’s rankings. The show is based off the hit young adult fantasy book series of the same name by author Leigh Bardugo.

It’s also important to acknowledge that the show incorporates characters from Bardugo’s other bestselling series, Six of Crows (which takes place two years after the end of the third Shadow and Bone book), giving them entirely new backstories that connect to the Shadow and Bone show’s timeline. 

Since the Shadow and Bone show was released, social media has erupted with TikToks, Instagram posts and tweets from readers and new fans. Many of them focused on our talented, very attractive male cast, such as Ben Barnes, Kit Young, Archie Renaux, Calahan Skogman and Freddy Carter—my personal favorite. Even Milo the goat has fans fawning over him and creating a Twitter account—though I think a cast member did it. 

I love our leading men—and goat—as much as any fan, especially since reading the books, but I think our beautiful, badass feminine-aligned cast deserves just as much attention. So, now I’m going to talk about the lovely Jessie Mei Li, Amita Suman and Danielle Galligan. 

There shouldn’t be any major spoilers below for the show or the books, but if you want background on the first book and a rundown of the Grishaverse, check out the article I mentioned above.

First, we need to start with our beautiful Sun Summoner, Alina Starkov—played by Jessie Mei Li, whom many fans absolutely adore. In cast interviews, they’re always smiling and laughing. It’s obvious that Li is the embodiment of light, just like their character. Yet, Li is more than just a ray of sunshine.

Li’s openness to talk about her race, gender and ADHD diagnosis without holding back is an inspiration to many fans. One Twitter user, whose account was later removed, sums it up perfectly, writing, “the fact that an Asian, gender nonconforming, neurodivergent person is playing our Alina that many of us see ourselves in is so inspiring especially because they actively speak out on how these identities have transformed [them] and make us feel seen. I love them.” 

While there has been a greater effort in casting diverse individuals on the screen, it’s still not quite as common. Although the plot centers around Alina’s discovery of her hidden powers that could save the world, Li wanted to make sure that she covered all parts of the character, including the character’s humor and the importance of her race.

“When it came to the things about Alina's race, I just understood it, and I knew how I wanted to play it,” Li told Harper’s Bazaar. “I was so glad that her race is actually talked about, because it could have been a case of [the show] just wanting to up the diversity. But when your story takes place in a country that is at war and the story is about finding where you belong and identity, there is no better way to show that than what they have done.”

In fact, Bardugo discussed how her debut series isn’t as diverse as it should be, especially since many young adult fantasy novels usually portray white casts, something she hoped Netflix would address. 

“And that's something I've tried to improve on as I write, to write more authentically and reflect the people around me in the world, around me more realistically,” Bardugo told NPR. “And I said to Eric [Heisserer, Shadow and Bone showrunner], you know, you guys can do this better than I did. And we talked about how to build this into the story organically. And it really made perfect sense for Alina to be half- Shu because in the books she comes from a border town and the border is constantly shifting, depending on who's winning the war.”

Bardugo’s effort to include more diversity in her books is reflected in her second series, Six of Crows, from which the amazing Inej Ghafa—Amita Suman—is from. For some backstory, Inej is a stealthy spy and assassin for a powerful gang of thieves who holds tight to her faith; however, she’s still struggling to overcome her traumatic past of sexual abuse.

Obviously, Inej is an extremely complex character, and no one is better suited for this role than Suman. She has expressed she feels a responsibility playing this role, especially as a woman of color. 

"From an actress point of view and from a personal point of view, I learned a lot from [Inej],” Suman told Seventeen. “She is someone that always demands equality and honesty. And if she doesn't get it, she's so willing to walk away. And that's something that's really important to practice, no matter what age, skin, color, race, gender, sex, whatever you are. It's always important to fight for your equality. She's given me a voice to do that.”

Despite the seriousness of the role, Suman’s cast interviews portray a kind hearted and funny person. A personal favorite is when she grabs her castmate’s shoe after a frightening prank. Suman is definitely someone I’d love to be friends with, especially since she’s only one year older than me and was a guest star on Doctor Who.

Finally, Danielle Galligan, who plays the feisty Nina Zenik from Six of Crows, is someone that deserves more of the spotlight. Bardugo’s diverse cast also extended to body portrayals. Nina is a powerful, strong and curvaceous Grisha that had been kidnapped by a hot soldier from an enemy country before finding her way to the same group of thieves as Inej. Many fans interpreted Nina as plus sized. 

When Galligan’s casting was announced, many fans responded extremely negatively because they felt Galligan wasn’t curvy enough. Considering that society often feels that average body sizes such as eights can be plus-size, fans had no right to judge Galligan. Yet, she took the hate in stride.

“I’d never been talked about in the media before, at all, so I was just treading water. And of course, I can understand where they’re coming from,” Galligan told EVOKE. “We live in a society where the female experience, and the length and breadth and width of all the different women, aren’t fully represented on screen yet. I have felt restricted in my career and my life, and when I saw Nina I thought, ‘Oh my God, I feel some representation.’”

Galligan absolutely slays as Nina! She captures the flirty yet fierce character well. Due to the nature of Nina’s story, Galligan isn’t in the show as often as Suman and Li. It’s a shame she isn’t in more cast interviews, but one can clearly see how hysterical she is in the same prank video. 

 As much as I’d love to discuss Sujaya Dasgupta—who plays Zoya Nazyalensky—and Daisy Head—who plays Genya Safin, this article’s already gotten extremely long. So, I’ll share this interview from both of them that shows how amazing they are.

Clearly, there are many incredible feminine-aligned cast members of Shadow and Bone. If the brilliant actors haven’t convinced you to watch the show, check out a summary of the show in 60 seconds created by the cast. Then, you should still watch the whole series and can see the women work just as hard as the men to carry the show.

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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

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Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.