The Real Story
Hi, I am Monica Pape, the lead agronomic consultant for The Accidental Agronomist, LLC.
I had no intention of ever getting into agriculture.
I grew up in and around it until I sold my cows at the age of 13.
I attended high school in Burlington, NJ, where I met my husband.
I decided to go to college and become a dog trainer.
After two years at Delaware Valley University, majoring in biology, and working on my dad's farm during the summer, I thought I needed to focus on more lucrative job options. So, I took classes in agronomy.
My advisor passed away, and no one knew what to do with me. I begged the head of the agronomy department for help, and with his guidance, I got a job doing what I now call- remedial agronomy. I worked as an agronomist for an environmental remediation company cleaning up Superfund sites.
I quit that, found out I was pregnant, and spent the next 15 years raising two kids.
An acquaintance told me about an opportunity at a local organic fertilizer company.
A week later, I started working there as a sales agronomist.
I stayed for almost three years, traveling up and down the east coast working with farmers and industry leaders. I loved my job and saw no end in sight.
One day while sitting at my kitchen table, I made the most challenging career decision. I left my job and went back to raising our kids.
I had concluded that even though I loved my job, I wanted something different. At that time, I wasn't sure what.
Again, I thought I had left agriculture for good. Little did I know my phone would keep ringing being asked to work with farmers I got to know over that short time.
One day, one offered to pay me for my time and expertise. When I told a friend how crazy I thought it was, they said, “Why don’t you turn it into a business? Why don’t you take everything you’ve learned and experienced and turn it into something people need and can benefit from?”
And that's how The Accidental Agronomist began...
I speak at conferences throughout the year and work with all types of growers nationwide, making soil fertility recommendations, product sourcing, and troubleshooting throughout their growing season.
