The Human Soul Is Not For Sale

The Farm

Greenhouse & Outdoor Gardens

The mission of THE FARM is to demonstrate, teach and promote sustainable, community-based food production. Open to visitors of all ages, it will offer a unique experience: a chance to learn about farming firsthand on a real working farm.

THE FARM is approximately 50 acres, but it is well diversified and extremely productive. Livestock and crops are managed in a symbiotic relationship, attempting to mimic nature's own methods. By working in partnership with our environment, instead of resisting its natural tendencies, food is produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The only amendments to the soil are compost made from humus-rich manure, minerals and organic material. There is an intensively managed rotation method in our garden and greenhouse beds, preserving the soil and locking in important nutrients.

Fresh, healthy produce is produced year-round, including in the winter, when we'll continue to harvest vegetables grown in the greenhouse, using very little heat aside from what the sun provides. Many of the farm's products are consumed in the shelter’s cafeteria, and used for the monthly GUEST CHEF DINNER in the outdoor dining area, with the surplus used to make jams & dressings and remaining products available to retail customers at farmer's markets and traditional food outlets.

Livestock

THE FARM’s livestock program is built on the same philosophy of environmental compatibility, and inspired by the working farm and model agricultural estate at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. Our animals will be raised on pasture that's kept healthy and productive through intensively managed rotational grazing. All will be grass-fed.

We will raise free-ranging animals (cows, poultry, sheep and hogs) at THE FARM that are suited to our own unique ecosystem.

Just as Joel Salatin believed, animals, like vegetables, should be grown in season, so they might develop naturally and more healthfully, without expensive artificial inputs. Point them in the right direction, he says, and they'll do much of the farmer's work for him. Cows can fertilize and pack compost in the barn through the winter; rooting pigs will gleefully aerate it in the spring. Grazing cattle will contentedly spread their own manure if they're kept on the move with the help of portable waterers, structures and fencing.

The strategies for maintaining the livestock include intensive paddock management, so grazed pasture has ample time to recover, and natural refuges for birds and other wildlife, essential for the maintenance of ecological balance. In this way, we not only get healthy animals and high-quality meat and eggs, but also a beautiful, sweet-smelling farm that can sustainability co-exist with the wild flora and fauna that surrounds us for generations to come.

In addition to the revenues & education the livestock will bring to the academy, the presence of animals will have a therapeutic effect on the kids.

Ecological

The Garden is designed and maintained using sound ecological practices that are reflected in all aspects of the project, from the way the food is grown, harvested and prepared, to the recycling of waste back into the earth.

Participatory

Staff and students who help plan, develop, and manage the garden reflect the multicultural and demographic diversity of the academy and community.

Products

Jams, dressings, sauces are produced organically and packaged by the youth. This is something we hope to co-label and distribute in a partnership with organic food markets across the country.

Community dinner night

Every 3 months a guest chef will host a dinner open to the public. Kids will help prepare and serve guests, and are able talk about their ‘home-made’ food products.