Jake Tommerdahl’s experience as a 2015 intern and apprentice at TomKat Ranch served as the starting point for a career in agriculture.
Where are they now: 2015 Intern and Apprentice, Jake Tommerdahl
Jake and family at Jimmy Acres Farm. From left to right (all Tommerdahls): Anna (Jake’s sister) and Lance (the dog), Mark (Jake’s dad) holding Gus (Jake’s son), Chris (also Jake’s sister), Christy (Jake’s wife), Jake, Kathy (Jake’s mom) holding Otis (also Jake’s son), and Mabel (the dog). Photo: Christy Tommerdahl
11/18/2025
By: Isabel Toldy
Jake Tommerdahl’s experience as an intern and apprentice at TomKat Ranch in 2015 served as the starting point for his career in agriculture. Today, Jake, his two sisters, and their parents run Jimmy Acres Farm in North Carolina. At the farm, they apply the practices and values of community and collaboration that he learned and developed while at TomKat Ranch.
Jake’s interest in agriculture coincided with his family’s purchase of property in North Carolina in 2014. Jake was studying to become an environmental engineer when he took an agriculture course and was introduced to TomKat Ranch. Learning about TomKat got him excited about the opportunity to apply the principles he had learned in science and engineering to a hands-on experience at a ranch.
Jake Tommerdahl and his son checking out Jimmy Acres Farm cattle. Photo: Kathy Tommerdahl
Jake went on to spend two years working at TomKat Ranch, an experience that provided him with a solid base of knowledge, a robust network, and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence to run a farm. During his year, he learned how to work cattle, build fencing, move livestock, and drive the trailer. “It was a bit like trade school,” he shared upon reflection. He also had the opportunity to visit a variety of ranches and became acquainted with different approaches to agricultural operations. During the second year of his apprenticeship, the ranch was in a transition period in its programming. Consequently, Jake and fellow apprentices had a lot of freedom and a lot of responsibility. “We were allowed to make a lot of the decisions. We had this amazing landscape to work with, and got to move the cattle and try out all of our ideas.”
Jake Tommerdahl posing with his mom on Jimmy Acres Farm. Photo: Kathy Tommerdahl
After leaving TomKat Ranch, Jake was ready to try farming on his own. In 2019, following a brief stint at another ranch, he returned to his family’s farm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Now, he and his family produce fruit and vegetables, as well as pork, beef, chicken, and turkey, with a mission to provide healthy food to the local community in an ecologically responsible way.
For Jake, building community—whether between farmers and consumers or among farmers themselves—is of utmost importance. “My goal for this year is to build community with other farmers, and for all of us to be working towards a much more cooperative model.” He is also passionate about making his farm and community network as diverse as possible and helping those who are overlooked within the community to gain access to land. Reflecting on how his internship shaped his current values, Jake says, “The field trips, going to other farms, talking to people: all of the stuff I do now started [at TomKat Ranch].”
