Zaid Kurdieh’s love for agriculture has led him down many paths and to many places throughout the United States and around the world.

He says farming, although a very hard profession to maintain, is a one he has dreamed of since graduating college.

Right from the start, Kurdieh had the opportunity to travel with his family and see various places, including years of education in the Middle East. While studying in Jordan, he met his wife Haifa. The couple traveled to the United States and settled first in Virginia. Over the years, the couple would raise two children and live throughout the states, in places such as Kansas, Texas, Wyoming and South Dakota.

Carrying with him a love for agriculture, Kurdieh says he worked full time while putting himself through college. He received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the University of Wyoming, followed by a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota. Although his dream of owning and operating his own farm was hard to reach, he says he focused his goal towards owning his own business. He worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and then for Cornell Cooperative Extension, which eventually led to him settling in Norwich.

“Everything I have done since college has dealt with agriculture,” said Kurdieh.