Triform Farm: Kids on the Farm

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Kids on the Farm

For my senior project we are going to start a school year program for kids on the farm. We made some brochures to send to schools for children with special needs. We want to see if they will come on the farm for a field trip. When they come on a field trip they can do things like cleaning the barn, feeding the animals, working in the hay loft, walking the cows to the field, picking and drying herbs, wood working and carpentry projects, painting the barn and fences, camping, swimming, nature walks, and more.
We are also going to build a wooden wagon for the camp. We can bring the wagon for tea breaks, working down in the woods, and going down to the creek.
I like this idea because I like children a lot and work well with new people that come up to the barn, like students and trial visitors. I can't wait to do my senior project and graduate from Triform Camphill Community .
-Elijah Kent

2 comments:

Morgan said...: Elijah - Dad and I are so proud of you!!! What a wonderful project - good luck, we hope you get a lot of young people interested in coming to this. Mom; January 27, 2010 at 5:32 PM
Unknown said...: What a fantastic idea Elijah!!!
You'll be giving these kids a great opportunity. And sounds like you'll have fun too. How lucky for them to have someone like you to work with them!; February 7, 2010 at 9:05 AM

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About Triform Farm

Triform Farm is part of Triform Camphill Community. Triform, founded in 1979, is a residential and therapeutic community for young adults with special needs, located on 125 acres in New York's rural Columbia County. The mission of Triform is to build a vital community life that provides each person the possibility for healing, self-development and fulfillment of potential.

Triform Farm is a USDA Certified Organic and Demeter Certified Bio-dynamic farm. The farm consists of a hand-milked dairy herd, grass-fed beef herd, and heritage breed pigs. On the farm the young adults have an opportunity to gain practical work skills. Students come to the farm to experience working with the animals. They feed the cows, steers and pigs, muck out the barn, clean pens and provide bedding for the animals. They learn to use different tools and how to work as a team with the other members of the farm crew.

Some students go on to become farm apprentices. The apprentices work more full time on the farm and carry many of the daily responsibilities of running a small dairy. They learn how to milk the cows by hand, maintain the machinery, do building projects and repair work to the barn and animal pens, drive the farm golf cart, identify when animals are sick or in heat, and much, much, more. The apprentice program is about four years in length. In that time the young people gain a very broad knowledge of farming. Some go on to work on other farms. Even if they do not, the sense of responsibility, independence and empowerment they gain through land work carries over into other aspects of their lives.

The same can be said of many young co-workers who have come to Triform to volunteer for one year or many. They come with an interest in land work and leave with a very thorough training in biodynamic agriculture. Triform Farm is an exciting place to learn and gain strength and confidence through trying new things. Everyone soon finds that they not only know how to do a new task but have taken on the responsibility of making sure that job is maintained. They can each see that their contribution is vital to the running of the farm. In that way everyone shares in the ownership of Triform Farm.