International Year of the Woman Farmer: Emily Lavery
Behind the Scenes: Cultivating Experience and Community in the Flower Fields
As part of our celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, we’re highlighting the women of Pineland Farms whose work helps shape the experiences visitors enjoy every season. From planting the first seeds in the soil to ensuring the final product ends up in a shopper’s basket, it takes a dedicated team to bring local agriculture to the public.
At the heart of that connection is Emily Lavery, the driving force behind the Cut Your Own (CYO) Flowers program at Pineland Farms. Moving back to Maine in 2022 after a decade in the tech sector, she has made it her mission to design and grow a vibrant, immersive agricultural experience—bridging the gap between a greenhouse seed and a custom, hand-picked bouquet.
From Tech in Texas to the Maine Fields
Emily’s journey to agriculture began with a desire to reconnect with her roots and work under the open sky. After spending ten years working in the fast-paced tech world of Austin, Texas, she returned home to Maine in 2022, originally joining the Pineland Farms Produce team as a delivery driver. It wasn’t long before she shared her dream to grow flowers professionally with Farm Manager Justin and Assistant Farm Manager Ariel.
“I was given a little bit of land, a small budget and the freedom to create a new CYO Flower program that would complement the existing PYO offerings.”
While her mother had grown extensive gardens and sold blooms at the Portland Farmers Market, running a larger-scale farming operation was a brand-new landscape for Emily.
“I seemed to always be surrounded by flowers in one way or another throughout my life,” she notes, “but didn’t fully realize my dream to grow them as a career/profession until a few years ago.”
Now in her fourth season growing flowers at Pineland Farms, Emily manages everything from seed to pricing. Each season since the initial launch has been about homing in on the details:
- Making edits to what I grow: Adding varieties to keep things new and exciting, while cutting varieties that don’t work well—whether it’s because they’re high-maintenance and require too much care, or because people just don’t really cut them.
- Changing the pricing structure: Looking closely at the logistics in the second year to adjust how the pricing was set up.
- Adding flower-focused events: Improving upon the visitor experience by starting up fun community events like Sips & Snips.
“I am responsible for everything CYO Flowers from planning what we grow, how much of everything we grow, pricing, event planning, etc.,” she says. “I also do all of the growing; starting everything that ends up in the field from seed in the greenhouse, caring for young seedlings until they are ready to be transplanted, transplanting and on-going care.”
Managing a field with over 45+ Varieties
Today, the flower fields boast over 45 distinct varieties of flowers and foliage. Emily balances iconic fan-favorites like sunflowers, zinnias, and cosmos with unique additions like herbs (basil, sage, and dill) for fragrant filler, and “everlasting” varieties perfect for drying, including celosia, strawflower, statice, and gomphrena. But keeping a public-facing field beautiful is an immense, non-stop physical grind.
“The biggest challenge is keeping everything clean, healthy and producing all season long. It’s so much work!” Emily explains.
Varieties must be constantly deadheaded to produce new blooms, walkways must stay pristine, and surrounding areas must be kept beautifully mowed. Growing for the public means there is no hiding the natural messiness of agriculture, and things can quickly feel overwhelming. She compares the pressure to hosting a dinner party with a beautifully set dining room but an uncleaned living room right next to it.
“Things will get messy, plants will get knocked over, bugs will nibble on flowers, weeds will take hold.” Thankfully, she doesn’t do it alone. “Once the season gets to this point… our PYO staff is back for the season and are a huge help. It really is a team effort that makes it possible.”
Premium Cuts and the Summer Progression
The CYO flower season opens around July 10 and plays a major role in extending the farm’s broader pick-your-own season. The strawberries are incredibly busy, and things slow down a bit during blueberry and raspberry picking. The addition of flowers helps boost and extend the farm’s summer season as a whole, keeping the fields active through Labor Day weekend and accommodating special autumn wedding requests well into September.
The experience within the rows changes dramatically week-by-week, shifting from shorter early-summer stems to an absolute explosion of diverse textures and long, strong stems by mid-August. To reward returning guests, Pineland introduced the Flower Friends rewards program this year, where visitors earn a punch on their card for each harvest, making their sixth visit free.
While most varieties are included in standard bucket pricing, the farm’s specialty sunflowers are sold as standalone premium stems. Because they are single-stem plants—meaning they produce one large bloom and don’t grow back once cut—they require months of individual care and expensive specialty seeds for a single harvest. However, Emily notes that sunflowers are included at no extra cost during special Sips & Snips events!
Connecting Visitors to the Magic of Nature
One of the most rewarding aspects of the role for Emily is observing how visitors interact with the crops. Watching guests select their stems reveals individual preferences and personal styles.
“The variety of arrangements are truly endless and every one is really unique,” she says. “We see everything from big, bright arrangements with a little bit of everything from the field to very subtle arrangements featuring maybe 3 or 4 varieties in 2 colors and everything in between.”
Ultimately, she hopes the physical act of walking the fields and assembling a custom bouquet provides visitors with a meaningful mental break. Her goal is for guests to take home a sense of peace, inspiration, and a deeper respect for the natural environment. “I hope they recognize the beauty of the natural world that is all around us all the time – not just out amongst the flowers,” she reflects. “I hope they surprise themselves with their creativity and ability to create something beautiful.”
Women in Agriculture
As part of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Emily emphasizes that entering the agricultural field requires resilience, hands-on participation, and a willingness to embrace mistakes as teaching moments.
For the next generation of women or young people looking to build a career in floriculture or farming, her advice is direct:
“Just start!”
“Get your hands in the dirt, start working with flowers and designing, read everything you can get your hands on, connect with others in your community and beyond,” she advises.
She underscores that the floral and agricultural communities are highly welcoming and supportive resources for newcomers. “Learn by doing. Learn by failing. Just learn, learn, learn. You’ll start to shape a picture of what you want your experience and contribution to be as there are endless opportunities.”
A Lasting Impact
Looking back on her seasons managing the program, Emily’s favorite memories center on moments of validation and community connection.
Opening day of her very first season stands out as a core milestone. Facing the normal anxieties of a new grower, seeing the immediate enthusiasm of the first visitors provided an essential confirmation of her path.
“Once we opened and the first few visitors started coming through and hearing them excitedly talking about the flowers and seeing what they created from the flowers I grew in the field, I was so surprised, so relieved,” she recalls. “It really was a confirming moment for me that growing and sharing flowers with others is what I wanted to do.”
That same sense of shared community defines the farm’s Sips & Snips events, where guests spend two hours slowing down, picnicking, and designing arrangements together. “No one is in a rush. Everyone is present in that moment. It’s simple and lovely and honestly one of my most favorite times on the farm.”
Whether it is a child proudly presenting a hand-picked stem or a returning visitor discovering an unfamiliar plant variety, these daily interactions are what sustain her dedication to the field. What keeps her passionate about farming year after year?
“Seeing people experience flowers with such excitement and joy,” Emily shares. “If I can share a little bit of beauty with someone every day, then I will stay a happy lady.”
Interested in experiencing the harvest at Pineland Farms this summer? Stop by the Market & Welcome Center to explore our freshly stocked local produce, or head out to the fields for our Cut Your Own Flowers season. The flower fields are open Friday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM through Labor Day weekend. We’ll see you at the farm!
