Meet the Crew
Who runs this composting ship? Read below to find out how we stay smooth sailing with the help of each crew member!
Tucker Stevens
Worker Owner
Tucker has been a pirate since the beginning of time… Farmer Pirates time, that is. As a founding member, Tucker is our much appreciated equipment mechanic and manager. He finds, fixes, or fabricates whatever is needed. All the trucks and equipment that collect and process your food scraps stay in working order thanks to Tucker.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? That the crew all works together, utilizing personal strengths where needed most, to keep Farmer Pirates a thriving business.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? Being able to exercise my skills to keep a local business on the road.
Favorite vacation spot? Allegany State Forest in PA
On a Sunday morning, you can usually find me… Cooking breakfast and relaxing
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Wyoming County on a small farm
What do you like to do in your spare time? Going out to listen to music and playing musical instruments.
Josh Poodry
Worker Owner
Josh is a multi function member of Farmer Pirates Compost. With a diverse labor background, Josh tends to everything from food scrap collection and finished compost delivery to site maintenance and logistics; helping to make things operate smoothly for this compost crew.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? My favorite aspect of Farmer Pirates is collectively working with our group of worker owners to find solutions to our evolving challenges while remaining true to our values.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? The strong desire to see something good built within the city I love while helping others with something that I am passionate about is what motivates me in this business.
Which pick up route is your favorite? The route I enjoy doing the most is Friday 2 route. Good density makes for good finish time and it’s Friday!
Favorite time of year and why? My favorite time of the year is late summer into early fall. The weather is still nice and the Bills are back!
On a Sunday morning, you can usually find me… On Sunday mornings you can find me with Terra, a cup of coffee, and a crossword. (During the Bills’ season I anxiously await the game while doing these things!)
What’s something that always makes you smile / happy? My 11 year old American Staffordshire Terrier, Charlotte, always makes me smile. She’s calming down but she still has a little puppy left in her!
Terra Dumas
Worker Owner
Terra, one of the fearless founders and a seasoned compost slinger, has spent years turning food scraps into black gold. These days, you won’t catch her on the truck as often—but rest assured, she's still working hard behind the scenes. Her role is ever evolving to help keep operations running like a well-oiled (or well-rotted?) machine and Terra is one of unseen forces keeping the Farmer Pirates ship steady.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? I love that we are a worker cooperative. Over the years I have gotten to work with so many amazing, inspiring people who have brought their ideas and skills to the work we do. Working cooperatively instead of using a top down approach challenges me, inspires me and humbles me. I am so incredibly proud and grateful for everyone who has given their time to this business.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? It's gotta be the obvious answer, but my motivation comes from being a part of a business that does honest work with the intention of benefiting everyone. And there is so much hope each time a new person, business, school, municipality, office chooses to start composting. Like I am part of this growing community choosing to do something for the good of the whole, that's what keeps me going.
Favorite vacation spot? Anyplace near water whether it's the ocean, a creek, a lake or a pond.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Definitely tacos.
Favorite show or movie? Grey’s Anatomy - yes, I have watched it four times!
Any secret talents? It's probably not so secret but years ago I learned to make soap and have not had to buy a bar in a decade!
Bill Jackson
Worker Owner
Bill joined Farmer Pirates Compost in 2021. He currently manages the compost site and mixes the food scraps with horse bedding and wood chips to form long windrows of compost. Bill maintains and organizes the windrows and manages the flow of material on-site. He has a B.A. in Geography and is passionate about issues concerning the environment and sustainability.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? I get to work with like-minded people who I enjoy being around, trying to advance both composting and cooperatives in the Buffalo area.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? I am motivated by the fact that more than 20% of municipal solid waste (MSW) in America is food waste, and that composting brings about a myriad of benefits that touch on an array of issues that our society faces—as a method of solid waste management it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and finished compost improves soil health and can be used for urban agriculture and green infrastructure in Buffalo.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Eastern North Carolina barbecue
If you could live in a different country for a year, which country would you choose? Bhutan
What do you like to do in your spare time? Read, mostly nonfiction but occasionally novels
Favorite show or movie? High Plains Drifter
Tim White
Worker Owner
Tim joined the Farmer Pirates in 2023, eager to engage in local composting and with an appreciation for the worker co-op structure. They also serve as president on the board of Buffalo's Nickel City Housing Cooperative. As a Pirate, Tim spends their time as our map routing guru and on the road picking up your food scraps. If you see Tim on your pick up day, give them a friendly wave or an equally friendly, arrrgh!
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? Working outside with my hands every day!
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? Contributing to a worker co-op that is making a significant impact on improving our local food system and doing our part to reduce greenhouse gases coming from food waste ending up in landfills in our community.
Favorite on the road snack when on a route? A Lexington Co-op Tahini Cookie, an apple, and yerba mate get me through most days I'm on the road.
Which pick up route is your favorite? Friday's municipal route starts at our compost site on the East Side, and then spans North Buffalo, Elmwood Village, West Side, and Riverside. I feel like it's easy to end up spending a lot of time in our geographic bubbles and I really enjoy that in just a few hours I get to see and talk with Buffalonians from vastly different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
If you could live in a different country for a year, which country would you choose? I vacationed in Buenos Aires a few years ago and would love to re-visit the city and to explore the rest of Argentina, from Iguazu Falls all the way down to Patagonia.
On a Sunday morning, you can usually find me… Sleeping in! And then having pastry and coffee with a friend.
Jeana Franjoine
Worker Owner
Jeana joined the crew in 2023 after running a small compost collection company of her own. She is involved mostly in behind the scenes work where Jeana enjoys managing commercial customers, setting up neighborhood drop offs, beginning new municipal programs, tote management, marketing, and whatever else comes her way!
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? The drive all of us on this crew share. Although these are our jobs, I feel we each have a genuine connection to the work we do and truly work for it to succeed. Being surrounded by a team like this makes hard times easier and good times even more rewarding.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? Growing up, reducing waste has always been something I wished to become involved in but wasn’t sure how or where I’d fit in. Farmer Pirates Compost was the answer! As a local, small and honest company who provides our community an easy, tangible way to reduce their waste while creating a valuable resource—all within WNY? Yep, that hits home for me.
Favorite time of year and why? Fall and the beginning of winter. I love the summer, but usually by the end, I am craving some cool, crisp air. I also don’t think I will ever get over the magic and beauty of both the leaves changing and the first snowfall each year.
On a Sunday morning, you can usually find me… On a walk, sitting on my porch or having breakfast at Berthas. I love how quiet and peaceful the world feels early morning on a Sunday and as someone who cannot sleep in, it’s my favorite.
What’s something that always makes you smile / happy? Ice cream, my dogs (Enzo, Leo, and Bruce) and walking around Buffalo
Favorite show or movie? Schitt's Creek and The Golden Girls
Cara Delaney
EMPLOYEE
Cara joined the Farmer Pirates team in 2025, after a few years working on compost education and community collection programs in her home state of Virginia and in West Virginia, too. Cara helps with all things customer service and also spends some time on the road doing pickups. If you send us an email, it's probably Cara you'll be speaking with!
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? I appreciate that I get to work alongside like-minded people to provide such an important and positive service to the Buffalo community.What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? Composting is something we all have the power to participate in that makes a meaningful difference for our environment and food system. I find composting to be incredibly empowering and hopeful, and so want all those interested to have the knowledge and tools to get involved, too!
Favorite time of year and why? Easy—summer! Long days, greenery, outdoor activities, fresh produce... what more could you want??
Favorite dessert? It's a toss up between tiramisu and cheesecake. Though, honestly, I'm happy with almost any sweet treat!
What do you like to do in your spare time? When the weather is nice, I love to be outside! Hiking, swimming, gardening, reading or chatting on the porch—these are some of my favorite things!
Favorite show or movie? Show: Gilmore Girls. Movie: La La Land.
Steven kuzara
EMPLOYEE
Steve is a pick up driver that joined in Spring 2025. When he’s not on a route with Farmer Pirates, you can catch him riding his bicycle through town or playing bike polo.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? My favorite part about Farmer Pirates is the awareness of food waste it brings.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? I am motivated to further benefit my community.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? It’d be a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.
Favorite show? Adventure Time.
On a Sunday morning, you can usually find me… on the polo court.
Favorite pizza topping? Don’t care, it’s pizza.
Katie Ebersole
EMPLOYEE
Katie has been composting with Farmer Pirates since the Buffalo Scrap It! Curbside program began in 2023. She has been an advocate of FPC for years, and now is part of the team! Katie loves composting and driving - which makes being an FPC pickup driver a perfect fit. She is an avid gardener and a strong believer in regenerative agriculture and waste reduction. Outside of her work with FPC, Katie also works on an ambulance and has done so for the past 8 years.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? I love all things regenerative; Farmer Pirates combines my love of composting and driving (to collect said compost) and being able to do these things and see the results of that work in the form of gorgeous complete compost is the coolest!
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? I love composting, waste reduction, farming, gardening, and driving. Compost and Farmer Pirates makes all this possible, what could be better?
Favorite pizza topping? Ham and pineapple, fight me.
What’s something that always makes you smile? Plants.
Where did you grow up? Mostly western New York, California in the early years.
Favorite show or movie? Show: The West Wing. Movie: Julie and Julia.
Akenzua Giwa-Osagie
EMPLOYEE
Akenzua was born and raised in Buffalo as the oldest of 5 siblings. He first got interested in waste management after noticing changes at his BMHA residence. Offering recycling and composting services felt like a natural thought to him, and so he decided to start with FPC so he can help make that happen! He’s wanted to do his best to live a sustainable, minimal-waste lifestyle since he was in high school, and this job was a way for him to take a step in that direction. He started his work here in January of 2026, and drives both Residential and Commercial routes for food scrap collection.
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What is your favorite part about being on the Farmer Pirates Compost Crew? There is a lot of trust placed in all the workers. We work as a team, but the work itself is very individualized. I start the route when I choose, as long as I can ensure that I'll complete my work by a reasonable time. We go long stretches of time without seeing our fellow workers, but it's always a pleasure when we get the chance. Everyone is very kind and has interesting hobbies or experiences. The work is harder on some days, but it's always fulfilling because I'm feeling the weight of our customers' collective action as I lift those bags and roll those totes.
What motivates you in your work for Farmer Pirates? Diverting food waste from the landfill into a material that enhances the houseplants and gardens that our supporters work hard to maintain. My work helps advance a system that benefits the city by creating a community of individuals & businesses that are all more mindful and intentional about their food waste.
What’s something that always makes you smile? Spending time with or talking to my loved ones always brings me joy. I enjoy playing board games and video games with them as well.
If you could live in another country for a year, which country would you choose? If I could, I would like to live in Japan for a year. I've loved watching anime since I was a child, and I enjoy most of the Japanese cuisine I've had the opportunity to taste. Saika Sushi is a restaurant I often frequent. It would be a pleasure to be able to authentically experience the culture and lifestyle.
Favorite snack when on the road? I don't really snack when I'm on the road. I always bring water and a lemonade or an aloe vera drink to stay hydrated. Occasionally, I'll bring trail mix on my route with me. Sometimes I make it myself at home.
Favorite show or movie? Avengers: Infinity War, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and The Book of Clarence are my favorite movies.
