Myroslav Bur, Slack Farms Fellow, Summer 2023

We first met Myroslav in July 2022 between his Sophomore year in Ukraine and his Junior Year at Middlesex School, Concord, MA.

Myroslav is always learning and sharing. Here we are one morning after moving the chickens to a new pen, when he spots “a young eagle, maybe two or three years old” in the pines behind us, then “look, a red-tail hawk gliding overhead!” Moments later he draws us to the sound of a Northern Mockingbird. “Listen to the different sounds. And the females sing as loudly as the males”.

Here is Myroslav again with one of the Rhode Island Red hens. Here’s a similar picture of him snuggling up to a 3” yellow fruit spider he found.

Myroslav and a twenty week old Rhode Island Red.

Myroslav finds a yellow fruit spider, and gently places it out of harms way as he continues pruning around the farm.

Ukrainians do not drive until 18 so Myroslav learned to drive our old Ford 150 to shuttle interns around the farm forest and barn projects. He’s taught several other Ukrainians how to drive with a stubborn stick shift. He’s the first Ukrainian we met, and we presumed they were all 6’6”.

He’s known as The Mayor of Woodlawn when in residence.