Born and raised on the central coast of California, Dean Menigoz earned a BS in Bioresource and Agriculture Engineering from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). From there, he was on track with pursuing his MS in water engineering. Like many college students, Dean had two paths to choose from. If Dean had stayed at Cal Poly, he could have quickly gotten a job in water engineering, but he realized that wasn’t what he wanted. Although, when Dean received an online ad after showing interest in Transcendental Meditation, instantaneously, it drew his attention to the Regenerative Organic Agriculture (ROA) MS Program at Maharishi International University (MIU). Besides feeling a definite “yup,” one thing that guided his decision was the change he underwent in his relationship with the food he ate. Dean used to party and wasn’t eating well until a friend turned him towards organic food in 2020. Through this transition, he became more aware of how conventional agriculture negatively affected the land and his health—this elevated Dean’s desire to be a part of the solution to improve the health of the Earth!

Dean loves supporting his community by creating vibrant soils that help build the ecosystems that support the community through the local weekly farmer’s markets and the yearly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Believing in constructive thinking to implement regenerative agriculture practices globally and locally, he enjoys refining his management skills daily at work and home. Only recently did he envision himself being a farmer after falling in love with the symbiotic relationships between plants and animals. After realizing the power of livestock to grow soil, Dean decided to work part-time at Radiance Dairy Farm. He also enjoys occasionally tending to his friend’s grass-fed beef herd and will soon assist in managing 50 laying hens at the MIU Farm.

Unlike some people who don’t give much thought to the science behind growing plants, Dean, like an innocent and excited child, is still fascinated and driven by the magic after planting a seed. This excitement has inspired his projects, such as surrounding his home with house plants and growing fruit tree saplings. Dean’s favorite part about being a farmer is being in nature and working in a chill environment amongst plants; he says, “I love it; it’s so quiet and supernatural.”

Recently Dean graduated from MIU with an MS in ROA. Currently, he is a part of the MIU Regenerative and Organic Program team as the Crop Production Supervisor and Field Coordinator; here, he is a part of producing the market garden involving a considerable production of vegetables but on a smaller scale. Here Dean is responsible for cultivating soil health by tending to compost, making compost tea for planting, and maintaining the growth of vegetables and microgreens.

Come and spend some time with Dean to learn about the benefits of composting with worms and their castings, making compost teas, and understanding how to grow tasty microgreens for personal consumption or to sell at the farmer’s market