Before the sun is fully up, a row of heavy brown work hoodies hangs along the shed wall, waiting under a poster that asks What is Sustainability?. By mid-morning, those hoodies are out in the field as our high school students glean the season’s final poblano peppers and late season tomatoes. Two green harvest carts, stacked high with white produce boxes, roll down the path toward the coolers.
Their destination is the Avon Township Food Pantry. There, Michele Baumann (Avon Township Supervisor) meets the students and walks them through how her team will store and set up these exact vegetables for distribution to our neighbors.
For the students, the full cycle clicks into place right here. The seeds they started in trays earlier this year aren't just an academic exercise. They are fresh, healthy food sitting on a neighbor's dinner table. They learn that real work, time, sun, water, and soil come together to create something that matters deeply to families who need affordable, fresh food.
This is the core of our work at Liberty Prairie. When land is stewarded for the public good, young people build an understanding that the simplest items (like a tomato on a dinner plate) take immense care and effort, and that effort is what allows a people, plants and animals to thrive together.
That brings us to this weekend.
This Saturday, October 3rd, the Fall Farm Festival for Good tests a central premise: can we gather on the farm to connect with the land and each other, while directly supporting hands-on, experience-based student learning on the farm? We believe we can.
Every ticket and fundraiser dollar directly supports this mission: helping us model land stewardship, train the next generation of growers, and share with our community.
We’d love to welcome you to the farm this Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Come enjoy sheep shearing demonstrations, wagon rides, pumpkins, animal visits, and delicious food from the Mamma Mia Pizza Truck.
Please join us as a volunteer with the Fiber Cohort if you're interested in sharing hands-on experiences at the farm.
Thank you for supporting our mission, and we look forward to seeing you out on the land this weekend!
