History

In May 2006, eighteen representatives from eleven farms and organizations met to establish the Farm-Based Education Association*. The lively 2-day meeting was held at Shelburne Farms. Participants included farmers, founders, and directors from organizations that use farms as the rootstock of their various educational initiatives. 

 

The idea for the association had brewed for quite some time. Brooke Redmond, a consultant to farm based education programs, visited farm programs in the spring of 2004 while researching her masters thesis, A Return to the Farm: Educational Theory and Program Development in Alternative Learning Environments. In talking to farm based educators, board members and teachers, she realized that everyone had the same idea – to start an organization that would support and nurture farm based education programs.

 In 2003, while working on her thesis, Brooke met Ben Holmes, founder and director of The Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts. Ben too had considered the idea of a resource for farm based education programs and directed Brooke to Sam Feldman, the founder of The FARM Institute on Martha’s Vineyard. Sam, with Ben, shared Brooke’s enthusiasm for an association of educational farms. Over the course of the following year-and-a-half, Brooke stayed in touch with Sam as a consultant to the FARM Institute. They kept the idea of a farm based education association alive by speaking with other people with the same interests amd waited for the right time to take the next steps.

In November of 2005, Brooke co-presented a workshop with Dana Hudson and Susie Marchand of Shelburne Farms at the 2nd Farm Education Symposium. This symposium was held at the Delaware Nature Center, co-hosted with ANCA (The Association of Nature Center Administrators) and coordinated by Michele Wales of the Delaware Nature Center. In workshop discussions and during casual networking sessions, it was clear that the symposium participants (professionals in the field of farm based education) were hungry for a formalized outlet for information and resources. Additionally, Dana shared with Brooke that Shelburne Farms, long a resource for farms offering public programming, had been considering ways to formalize the consulting they were doing for programs seeking counsel on business, farm and education issues. It seemed that the time was right to take some next steps. Dana coordinated a meeting with Brooke and Megan Camp, Vice President and Director of Programs at Shelburne Farms.

On a snowy, January day in 2006, Brooke, Megan and Dana met in a Montpelier, VT coffee shop to answer the questions, “Is the time now?” and “What would it take to make this happen?” The conversation led quickly towards the idea of gathering leaders in the field for a discussion. Upon hearing the plan, Sam Feldman generously offered to sponsor the meeting. Shelburne Farms generously offered their farm for the location including accommodations and meals at their award-winning Inn on the shores of Lake Champlain.

Invitations went out. An agenda was set. And the stars aligned when all but two of the invited attendees were able to make it to Northern Vermont during a busy time in the farming season. The rest, as they say, is history.

Click for photos of the Inaugural FBEA meeting at Shelburne Farms in May 2006:  Album 1 and Album 2 .

Above Photo from May 2006 meeting from L to R (back row): Betsy Rosenbluth, Patrick Connors, Grey Lee, Daphne Derven, Wayne Castonguay, Marci Birkes, Kathy Harrington, Dana Hudson, Ben Holmes, (1st row) Megan Camp, Boo McDaniel, Sam Feldman, Matthew Goldfarb, Michele Wales,Tia Pinney, Erin Cinelli, Brian Donahue, Jill Crovitz

Farms & organizations represented at the May 2006 meeting: The Farms of the Trustees of Reservations, The Delaware Nature Center & Coverdale Farm, Drumlin Farm, The FARM Institute, The Farm School, Land’s Sake, Shelburne Farms, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, Stonewall Farm, Pony Farm & Horse Power, & the Spannocchia Foundation