The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank has hired Mississippi based farmer Winston Bell as the new manager of the organization’s goat grazing program, according to land bank ecologist Julie Russell.

Mr. Bell will take up the mantle from former goat herder Zachary Jesse, who is taking over the Pilot Hill farmstead in Vineyard Haven.

“I always considered myself to be a farmer and I love farming much more than the sort of academic work I’ve been doing for the past couple of years,” said Mr. Bell, who holds a degree in sustainable agriculture.

“This job just seemed like a really perfect fit for my interests,” he said.

Mr. Bell has previous experience managing livestock, and was the “unofficial Sterling College goat milking champion,” he said.

Mr. Bell will take up this position this spring.