Mary lives in Bayfield, Wisconsin with her husband Ted, and their five children. Mary is a chef, writer, and photographer and in 2013 she became a community organizer when an industrial hog operation threatened her community. Living on the shores of Lake Superior, Mary worked with community members and First Nation members to lead the opposition against the corporate hog farm. She co-founded the group Farms Not Factories, which is a citizen network that believes environmental stewardship, civic engagement, natural resource conservation, local control, and sustainable agriculture are inherently connected and vital to building strong, prosperous rural communities.