Angelica works a 13-acre farm called Wozupi (Dakota for “Garden”), a CSA (TSA) on tribal land in Prior Lake, Minnesota. A self-professed “non-educator,” she nonetheless conducts children’s programs for the tribe’s daycare. She wants to strengthen her teaching skills and reach out to school groups and homeschoolers.
Jackie stewards a ½ acre garden wedged between Interstate 95 and the Quinnipiac River in urban New Haven, CT. There, she offers wellness programs – in both Spanish and English – to adults with chronic disease, while her staff works with the children of these families. She wants more curriculum ideas, meaningful activities for kids, and ways to engage adults from many walks of life.
Twice a year, Shelburne Farms gathers people like this for our “ABCs of Farm-Based Education” workshop. Over the course of three days, attendees systematically (and leavened with a lot of laughter), add to their “backpacks” of activities, program ideas, and curriculum that will bolster their work. They also explore issues directly with our staff. Want to develop school field trips? Chat with Christie Nold, our School Programs Coordinator. Looking for creative ways to fundraise or address on-farm liability questions? Sit down with President Alec Webb.
The farm has years of experience to share. Yet in reality, the “experts” are already in the room. ABCs gives these folks the time, space, and encouragement to ask questions and seek answers from each other. It is invariably a fertile three days of cross-pollination, inspiration, and rejuvenation. (It’s particularly timely at the tail-end of a long winter, too!)
Ultimately, we’re building a community of people who care passionately and teach thoughtfully about the land we live on and farm, and the healthy foods that derive from it. In this way, we can reach kids in Prior Lake, and New Haven, and all across the country – far beyond the gates of Shelburne Farms. As Angelica from Prior Lake said at the end of her three days, “I showed up empty and left over flowing.”
Kelp growers. Hospitals. Chefs. Mental health agencies. Food shelves. What do they all have in common? These strange bedfellows are all important players in the Northeast’s ever-expanding farm to school programs.
Since we're not harvesting crops, rotating the cows through pasture, or leading them to and from milking, winter gives us a little window for maintenance, repairs, and improvements. And calving!
For most farmers, winter means planning. Shelburne Farms is no exception. But as an education organization, there's extra planning around sharing our gardens with students.
Agriculture and tourism are both vibrant contributors to Vermont. Now with new guides to support them, Vermont farmers can think creatively and realistically about how to engage customers in activities on their farms.
What happens when a boy with food anxieties is regularly exposed to new foods in the classroom? Dana Hudson found out as a Shelburne Farms educator for a "Dairy in the Classroom" program.
Hot, stormy weather threatened the early hours of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, but fortunately, the sun came out for a great event -- to showcase our own cheese and that of so many other artisanal producers.
Since participating in James Beard Foundation's Boot Camp here at the Farm, a three-day intensive training for chefs in policy and advocacy, I’ve been reflecting on the synchronicities between our organizations, despite our differing roles within the food sector.
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