Hidden Villa in Los Altos, California is one of the pioneers of environmental education in the United States. Founded in the 1920s, this 1,600-acre organic farm and wilderness preserve has spent more than a century helping people connect with the land through farming, nature exploration, and community learning.

In this episode, Senior Manager of Education Christina Emmett shares how Hidden Villa brings that mission to life today - from farm and wilderness field trips to family programs, camps, and a powerful volunteer program that helps them reach over 11,000 students each year.

You’ll hear:

• 🌱 How Christina’s early outdoor education experiences shaped her path into environmental education
• 🐑 The care → learn → act framework that guides Hidden Villa’s programs for students from preschool through high school
• 🥕 What a typical field trip looks like—from meeting newborn lambs to hiking wildlands and exploring ecosystems
• 🌎 The three pillars of Hidden Villa’s educational philosophy: active learning, reciprocity, and inclusion
• 🤝 How volunteers make it possible for Hidden Villa to serve thousands of students each year
• 🌿 The power of multi-generational connections that keep families returning to Hidden Villa decade after decade
• 🍅 How the working organic farm and CSA support farm-to-table learning experiences for students
• ✨Christina’s advice for new farm educators: learning from the wisdom of the larger community

Learn more about Hidden Villa:

• 🌐 Website: www.hiddenvilla.org
• 👍 Facebook: @hiddenvilla
• 📸 Instagram: @hiddenvilla

Farm Educator’s Roadmap:

• 🌐 Website: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
• 📘 Free Guide: 5 Simple Steps to Growing an In-Demand Farm Education Program
• 📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
• 👍 Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap
• 👩‍🌾 Join the Private Facebook Group: Join us!

Andrew Lombardi, Director of Visitor Education and Experience at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment, shares what it really looks like to design visitor education inside a working regenerative farm.

Wolfe’s Neck isn’t just a beautiful coastal farm in Maine — it’s a dairy operation, research hub, farmer training center, campground, culinary program, and public education campus all rolled into one. In this conversation, Andrew shares how their team bridges agriculture, education, and community in ways that feel welcoming, hopeful, and grounded.

You’ll hear:
🌊 How Andrew’s journey from summer camp to zoo education led him into farm-based education
🌱 What Wolfe’s Neck Center actually is — and how its programs work together
🐄 How they connect regenerative agriculture to everyday visitors without overwhelm
🌎 Why regenerative ag looks different in Maine than it does in Arizona
🧠 How asking questions (instead of giving answers) builds deeper learning
🍳 What they grow and raise — from pasture-based dairy to pork, lamb, vegetables, and eggs
🔬 How research projects support farmer viability beyond one farm
🔥 Why welcoming energy and contagious excitement matter more than perfect systems

Learn more about Wolfe’s Neck Center:
Website: https://www.wolfesneck.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wolfesneckcenter/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/wolfesneckcenter/

🌿 Farm Educator’s Roadmap
Website: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free Guide: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bringthefarmtoyou
Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/farmeducatorsroadmap

Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm with Jessica Ridgeway

What happens when a love of food, community, and sustainability grows into an 18-year farm education nonprofit?

In this episode, I sit down with Jessica Ridgeway, Executive Director and founding leader of Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm in California. From her graduate research in participatory action research to raising children in the fields and building a thriving education nonprofit, Jessica shares how food has been the steady thread connecting it all. You’ll hear how Farm Discovery grew organically from community need — and how it continues to evolve today.

🌱 You’ll hear:
🌎 How Jessica’s travels and anthropology background shaped her understanding of why food connects us all
🤝 What participatory action research really means — and how it shaped the founding of Farm Discovery
🚜 How she serendipitously landed at Live Earth Farm and helped build the education program from the ground up
📚 How 800 students came to the farm in the very first year
🏕 What farm school overnights look like — from harvesting eggs to cooking three meals a day
🧺 The Montessori micro-economy program where students run their own farm stand
🥖 Why adult workshops like sourdough, candle-making, and mushroom foraging are now expanding
💛 The social-emotional impact of kids thriving outdoors — especially those who struggle in traditional classrooms
🥕 How Farm Discovery pivoted during COVID to divert 75,000 pounds of produce into the community
🌿 Jessica’s advice for aspiring farm educators: know your land, know your climate, and know your community before you begin

Learn more about Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm:
👉 https://farmdiscovery.org/
📸 Instagram: @farmdiscovery

🌾 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 Facebook Group: Join us!