Farm Educator's Roadmap® – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Episode 28: Starting Where You Are: Lessons from 7 Months of Farm Educator Interviews

This episode of the Farm Educator’s Roadmap is a little different—there’s no interview this week. Instead, host Christa Hein reflects on where she is right now in her own farm education work and what has emerged after seven months of weekly conversations with farm educators across the country.

Prompted by thoughtful questions from a past guest, this solo episode explores what it really looks like to start where you are—through common themes, unexpected surprises, and lessons that have shaped Christa’s thinking, priorities, and practices as a long-time farm educator and business owner.

You’ll hear:
🌱 Why this solo episode came together during a season of transition
🔄 A behind-the-scenes story about staffing, leadership, and learning when to shift
🧠 A recurring theme across nearly every interview: farm education is about far more than information
🌾 How many educators began with what they had—small spaces, one idea, and imperfect timing
💛 Examples of farms supporting connection, healing, and belonging
🐐 How real farm work—like daily animal care —builds responsibility and confidence
🤝 The wide range of partnerships that make farm education possible, from schools and health departments to restaurants and community organizations
🎶 A surprising diversity of backgrounds—and how those experiences shaped meaningful farm education programs
🌆 Proof that impactful farm education can happen anywhere: small farms, urban lots, raised beds, and even rooftops

This episode is a reminder that farm education doesn’t require perfect land, perfect timing, or a perfect plan. Again and again, these interviews show the power of beginning with what’s already there—and letting the work grow from that place.

Learn more
🌾 Bring the Farm to You: https://www.bringthefarmtoyou.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bringthefarmtoyou
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bringthefarmtoyou

Farm Educator’s Roadmap Links
🌻 Website: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
🎁 Free guide: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/farmeducatorsroadmap
👩‍🌾 Private FB Group for farm educators: www.facebook.com/groups/farmeducatorsroadmap

Farm to Table Kids: Betting on Yourself, Following Nature, and Rebuilding Again

Stephanie McDonough’s journey is a powerful reminder that farm education isn’t tied to one piece of land — it’s rooted in purpose, persistence, and heart. From childhood days in her grandfather’s flower garden to building thriving farm camps and school partnerships, Steph’s path has been anything but linear.

In this episode, Steph shares the deeply personal story behind Farm to Table Kids — including land loss, reinvention, and why she believes nature always shows us the next step, if we’re willing to listen.

You’ll hear:
🌸 How gardening with her grandfather shaped her lifelong connection to nature
🏀 Why she left a successful business career (including the NBA) to follow a deeper calling
🌱 How a simple moms’ garden class in her backyard unexpectedly turned into a movement
🍅 What restaurant gardens taught her about community, scale, and teaching kids through food
😥 How her son's stage 4 cancer diagnosis changed everything - and why staying close to her kids shaped her next business decisions
💔 The heartbreaking moment she lost her farm lease — and how she found the courage to start again
🌻 How she rebuilt Farm to Table Kids at new locations, including a Waldorf school campus and a partner farm
🏕️ The behind-the-scenes story of launching a summer farm camp during one of the hardest seasons of her life
🏫 How schools and organizations found her through social media — and what makes partnerships thrive
📋 Why she shifted from nonprofit to LLC, and how that decision helped her stay nimble
🌿 Her honest advice for educators navigating burnout, uncertainty, or major life transitions

This conversation is full of grit, grace, and reassurance that starting where you are — even in a backyard — can lead to something lasting.

Learn more about Steph & Farm to Table Kids
🌐 https://www.farmtotablekids.org
📸 Instagram: Farm to Table Kids
🌼 Personal account: Farmer Steph

The Farm Educator’s Roadmap
🎧 Podcast + resources: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
📘 Free guide: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
📘 Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap 
🤝 Private Facebook Group: The Farm Educator’s Roadmap Community

Gibbs Farm is an eight-acre oasis just outside St. Paul where farm education meets living history. Director Sammy Nelson and Youth Programs Manager Janie Bender share how they turn heirloom gardens, farm animals, and Dakota interpretation into meaningful, hands-on learning for kids.

From garden “skits” that teach the Three Sisters to camps where chores are the favorite activity, we explore practical ways a historic site can teach modern stewardship—plus what’s next: winter sessions and a year-round barn for animals.

You’ll hear:
🌽 How a garden skit makes the Three Sisters unforgettable (kids are the corn, beans, and squash!)
🐓 Why live animals + small gardens are powerful entry points for first-time farm learners
🏫 Designing field trips (Pioneer, Dakota, Combo, and Kinder science) to fit age and standards
🧤 “Farm lab” show-and-tell: using historic tools safely while teaching modern care
🌾 Dakota partnerships: language, welcome, and framing land/food relationships with respect
🎒 Camps kids love: chores, early games, garden harvests, and tangible take-home learning
📊 Measuring impact with teacher surveys—and the ultimate metric: kids who come back with family
❄️ What’s next: winter PeeWees, plans for a year-round barn, and why unplugged outdoor time matters

Learn more:
Gibbs Farm (Ramsey County Historical Society) — www.rchs.com/gibbs-farm
Facebook: @GibbsFarmMN
Instagram: @gibbsfarm_mn
YouTube: @gibbsfarm6276

The Farm Educator’s Roadmap links
Website: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free guide: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap  
Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Private FB Group: Farm Educator’s Roadmap Community (join us!)

Montclair Community Farms’ Executive Director Lana Mustafa shares how a backyard beekeeper and homesteader became the leader of a thriving urban farm in Montclair, NJ. From a 10,000-square-foot site with raised beds, chickens, and a pollinator meadow, her team grows food, runs multi-age programs, and brings a mobile farm stand directly to seniors and neighborhoods without nearby grocery stores.

We talk about the coalition behind the farm, why connection is as essential as produce, and how to design programs—from preschool Sprouts to senior wellness—that invite people of all ages into the garden.

You’ll hear:
🌱 Childhood to Executive Director: how early garden magic (and motherhood) led Lana to teaching, beekeeping, and ultimately the farm.
🏙️ Urban farm, big ecosystem: 10,000 sq ft, 35–40 raised beds, compost, chickens, and a new pollinator meadow with 100+ native plants.
🤝 Coalition power: partners like Rutgers and Montclair State (fiscal sponsors), volunteers, and paid interns through service programs.
🚚 Mobile Farm Stand: organic produce to senior housing and “food desert” areas—plus why human connection keeps people coming back.
💳 Access in action: accepting SNAP, WIC, FMNP—and Good Food Bucks that effectively halve costs for shoppers.
👧 Sprouts & Sweet Peas: outdoor, multi-sensory early-childhood learning born during the pandemic (and away from screens).
🏫 School outreach: 45-minute after-school lessons, assemblies with an observation hive, and hands-on pollinator learning.
🧑🏽‍🎓 Teen Farmpreneurs: paid youth cohorts, value-added products (hello, tomato sauce), and perspective-shifting first bites of fresh veggies.
👵 Senior Wellness & Grow Your Own: rebuilding connection after isolation, practical garden skills, and sharing the harvest (and apple cake!).
💰 The “Robin Hood” model: using revenue-generating programs to fund food-access work while paying staff equitably.
🪴 Start small, start now: Lana’s advice on fighting imposter syndrome and beginning with the resources—and backyard—you already have.

Learn more:
Website: montclaircommunityfarms.org
Instagram: @MontclairCommunityFarms
Facebook: @MontclairCommunityFarms

Farm Educator’s Roadmap links
Website: farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free guide: farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Private FB Group: Farm Educator’s Roadmap

Hart to Hart Farm is a family-owned organic dairy in Albion, Maine where the barns double as classrooms and kids become caretakers. Director Linda Hartkopf didn’t grow up on a farm—she chose this life—and built a thriving education center from a tiny camp of six boys into full seasonal programs that fill fast.

In this episode, Linda shares how campers adopt animals, learn real farm skills, and even cook in Cassidy’s Kitchen, a three-season teaching kitchen built by the community in memory of a beloved camper. It’s a story of resilience, hands-on learning, and the kind of farm magic that keeps families coming back year after year.

You’ll hear:
🌱 How a non-farm kid became an organic dairy farmer & educator
🐄 What a “typical day” looks like at camp (circle time → chores → farm adventures)
🍼 The power of “adopt-an-animal” to grow confidence, empathy, and responsibility
🧪 Bringing science to life (ultrasounds with the vet, soil health, pollinators)
👩‍🍳 Junior Chef week + the Chopped Challenge inside Cassidy’s Kitchen
💙 The community barn-raising that created Cassidy’s Kitchen—and why it matters
🏫 School trips with rotating stations (milking, chickens, sheep/wool, simple cheese-making, goat yoga)
🧒 Why kids return year after year—and how parents describe the “magic”
🧭 Practical advice for starting camps/field trips on your own farm

Learn more:
Hart to Hart Farm — hart2hartfarm.org
Facebook: facebook.com/hart2hartfarm
Instagram: instagram.com/hart2hartfarm

The Farm Educator’s Roadmap
🌐 Website: farmeducatorsroadmap.com
📥 Free guide: farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/farmeducatorsroadmap 
👥 Private FB Group: Farm Educators Roadmap Community 

Wright-Locke Farm is a historic, certified-organic community farm just outside Boston. Education Director Sarah Doyle shares how her team of former classroom teachers aren't just producing food, they're taking care of historic buildings, hosting concerts, running events, sharing youth programs, and operating a fully-outdoors preschool.

We explore how the farm became a community oasis — and how they keep access front and center with tiered pricing, scholarships, and strong partnerships.

You’ll hear:
🌳 How a near-miss housing development turned into preserved acres—and what that unlocked for education & community
🎒 Sarah’s path from volunteer to Education Director (and making peace with “imposter” feelings)
🌲 Forest Friends: a fully outdoor, licensed preschool 
👶+👨‍👩‍👧 Engaging babies & caregivers, and why “dress for success” matters in outdoor learning
🧑‍🍳 The kitchen as classroom: youth cooking, family programs, Senior Teas & nutrient-focused classes
✅ Access in action: tiered pricing, scholarships, and transportation support
🌱 Farming on certified-organic acres—systems, volunteers, and what it teaches
☀️ Solar on historic barns 
🤝 Designing multi-age programs, and partnerships that ripple back to schools

Learn more:
Wright-Locke Farm — www.wlfarm.org
Facebook: @wrightlockefarm
Instagram: @wrightlockefarm
Pinterest: wrightlockefarm
YouTube: @wright-lockefarm3625

Farm Educator’s Roadmap links
Website: farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free guide: farmeducatorsroadmap.com/5simplesteps
Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap 
Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap 
Private FB Group for Farm Educators: Join

Bowers School Farm has been connecting students to land, animals, and food systems since 1967—right inside the Bloomfield Hills Schools. In this episode, Learning Expedition Leader Megan Isabelle walks us through how a district-owned, 93-acre working farm becomes a living classroom from preschool to high school.

You’ll hear how Bowers integrates farm experiences directly with curriculum across all age groups - from chick hatching in first grade to hands-on vet and ag science for teens - plus how community programs and even a ropes course build confidence, curiosity, and real-world skills on the farm.

You’ll hear:
🐣 Life cycles in real time: Chick hatching in classrooms, then a full-day “where do they go?” farm visit
🌱 Plants & production: Greenhouse/hoop house tours, succession planting, and selling harvest in the Farm Store
👧 Early childhood on the farm: “You, Me & the Barns” and “Pasture Pals” for toddlers/preschoolers with caregivers
🚌 K–5 to career pathways: Regular elementary trips, DK monthly visits, and high-school vet/ag classes on site
🤝 4-H & FFA in action: Volunteering, animal care, and sharing learning with the community
🐴 Animal interactions with intention: From grooming ponies to safe, respectful handling as training progresses
🥕 Taste the difference: A carrot-pulling moment that turns farm-to-snack into an “aha!” for kids (and parents)
🧗 Adventure education on a farm: Ropes course teamwork, confidence, and comfort-zone growth that transfer to class
🧭 Program design tips: Meet students where they are, follow their curiosity, and pivot to keep engagement high

🖥️ Learn more: 
Bowers School Farm — schoolfarm.org
Facebook: @BowersSchoolFarm
Instagram: @BowersSchoolFarm

Farm Educator’s Roadmap®
Website: farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free guide: farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap 
Private FB Group: Farm Educator’s Roadmap Community

Treworgy Family Orchards in Maine could have ended before it began. When the family planted their very first 15 acres of apple trees, every single one was destroyed by pests. Instead of giving up, they started over — row by row — and grew into a thriving 400-acre farm and community hub.

In this episode, Education Director Ginny Nute shares how she went from leading field trips to building farm camps and year-round programs that connect thousands of kids and adults to farming and nature. The orchard's story is full of resilience, creativity, and inspiration for anyone dreaming of bringing people onto their farm.

You’ll hear:
🍎 How Treworgy Orchards rebuilt after losing every apple tree — and why resilience is still at the heart of the farm.
👩‍🌾 Ginny’s journey from camp counselor to Education Director.
🎒 A peek into farm camp life — from goat chores to jam making to Friday parades.
🐐 Why goat cuddling became one of their most popular programs.
💡 Practical advice for starting your own programs — even if it’s just inviting five people to follow you around the farm.

Learn more about Treworgy Family Orchards:
https://treworgyorchards.com

🌱 Stay connected with the Farm Educator’s Roadmap:
🖥️ Website: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
📋 Free Guide: 5 Simple Steps to Growing an In-Demand Farm Education Program
📸 Instagram
👍 Facebook
Private FB Group: The Farm Educator’s Roadmap Community

Anne Akers has woven together a life of fiber, education, and agritourism at Two Dachshund Farm, the 17-acre haven she and her husband Rodney have been building as they celebrate 50 years together. From alpacas and angora goats to llamas and sheep, every animal has a role in their farm-to-yarn story.

In this conversation, Anne shares how a former teacher and librarian became a fiber farmer and program designer—balancing real-world logistics (fencing, predators, money-paced building) with hands-on wonder for visitors of all ages.

You’ll hear:
🧶 How “farm to yarn” works—shearing cycles, sorting firsts/seconds/thirds, and the small-mill bottleneck
✂️ Why Anne DIY-shears her angora goats 
🧸 The farm-made pieces that fly off shelves 
🤝 Building community with local makers—low-commission consignment 
🚌 Structuring tours that work: public first-weekend tours, private groups, school field trips 
🕸️ “Nature as artist”: using bird nests and spider webs to spark fiber-arts storytelling
🌱 Anne's tips for what to do when you're just starting out

Learn more about Two Dachshund Farm:
🌐 Two Dachshund Farm: www.twodachshundfarm.com
👍 Facebook
📸 Instagram

Stay connected with Farm Educator’s Roadmap
🌐 www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
📥 Free guide: farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
📸 Instagram
👍 Facebook
👥 Private FB Group for Farm Educators: Join

What happens when you start farming at 65 for the first time? For Sandy Pond, it became a journey of healing, creativity, and connection. At Sacred Connections at Back Roads Farm in Vermont, Sandy blends organic farming, wellness practices, and art into a one-of-a-kind experience. From CSA shares and herbal remedies to yoga, massage, pottery, and camping under the stars, Sandy shows us what it looks like to truly listen to the land.

✨ In this episode:
🌱 Starting a farm later in life & letting the land co-design
 🎨 Creating sacred space with gardens, art & healing modalities 
🥖 Letting products evolve by showing up & listening
🏕️ Why farm stays help visitors slow down & reconnect

🔗 Connect with Sandy: sacredconnections.earth
🙂Follow her on Facebook: backroadsvt

🌾 Stay connected with Farm Educator’s Roadmap:
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
👍 Facebook: Farm Educator’s Roadmap
👩‍🌾 Private Group for farm educators: Join
🌐 Website: farmeducatorsroadmap.com
📖 Free Guide: 5 Simple Steps to Growing an In-Demand Farm Education Program