Joseph Benson joins the Big Muddy Urban Farm in 2023 as an Aspiring Farmer in the 7th Resident Cohort. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Joe has worked in many fields including automotive repair, videography, music promotion, and vinyl record sales. Joe worked at an Omaha based non-profit that focuses on land stewardship. There, Joe tended to the birds, worked the landscape repairing structures such as cold frame greenhouses, chicken coops, building raised beds, terracing projects, water capture structures, and many more. From 2016-2018, Joe led Tibetan Monks on a tour across the United States, starting from Long Beach to New York City and back. This tour raised funds for the operation of the Monastery in Mundgod, India. Currently, Joe works part time as a teacher assistant for special education at Loveland Elementary. On February 18th and 19th, 2023, Joe will be hosted at Rappcats for a Record Collection Pop-up in Los Angeles, California. Joe hopes to gain knowledge on new concepts of regenerative agricultural practices as well as conservation techniques during his season at Big Muddy Urban Farm. These skills will shape Joe’s future adventures across the US and beyond, as Joe plans to nurture his love for travel, learning about other cultures, and sharing music with others. In his free time, you will find Joe skimming through record shops, hosting record sales at local and national pop-ups, DJ-ing at his residency at the Cottonwood Hotel, and the Crescent Moon, as well as mentoring others that tour Big Muddy Urban Farm. This year at Big Muddy Urban farm will assist Joe in becoming a solid contributor to the Urban Farming community here in Omaha.