Mark Shepard, a certified Permaculture Designer with a background in mechanical engineering and ecology, is the CEO of Restoration Agriculture Development and Forest Agriculture Enterprises and runs New Forest Farms, a solar and wind powered 110-acre perennial, commercial-scale agricultural savanna, one of the first of its kind in the U.S. He is the author of the bestselling, award-winning book Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers.