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!

What does it look like to steward a place — not just for today’s programs, but for generations to come?

In this episode, Christa sits down with Melanie Douty-Snipes, Director of Education and Camp Director at Snipes Farm & Education Center, a multi-generational family farm turned nonprofit education center in Morrisville, Pennsylvania.

With more than 30 years as an experiential educator, Melanie shares how land, legacy, and community have shaped Snipes Farm’s approach to farm education, hunger relief, and programs that grow with children over time.

You’ll hear:
🌱 How Quaker values like presence, simplicity, and stewardship shape hands-on farm education
🌳 The role of place and legacy in teaching — including a 150-year-old oak tree that anchors camp life
👩‍🌾 How Snipes Farm balances education, farming, and fundraising as a “three-legged stool”
🥕 What seed-to-fork learning looks like on a working farm growing food for hunger relief
🔥 Why programs wax and wane — and how economic realities shape sustainable program decisions
👧 How farm camp has evolved into a multi-age community from young campers to teen leaders
🧠 Why leaving space for connection, reflection, and nature matters just as much as activities
💚 The power of gratitude, real responsibility, and embodied learning for children on the farm

Learn more:
🌐 https://www.snipesfarm.org
📬 Sign up for their newsletter, explore volunteering opportunities, or learn about camp and field trips directly on their site.

🌾 Farm Educator’s Roadmap Links
🎧 Podcast & resources: 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

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

Letting the Land Lead: Growing a Farm Education Business One Step at a Time at Heritage Creek Farm

Cindi Hughes is the founder of Heritage Creek Farm & Education Center, and in this episode, she shares the very real, very grounded story of how she built her farm education programs over the past 14 years — without growing up on a farm, without a formal education background, and without chasing constant expansion.

From a childhood garden and food preservation to a career in accounting, Cindi’s path shows how life experience, patience, and thoughtful systems can come together to create a deeply authentic, sustainable farm education business. This conversation is full of insight for anyone wondering how to actually start, how to pace growth, and how to stay aligned with your values along the way.

You’ll hear: 🌱
🌻 How a childhood garden and preserving food shaped Cindi’s passion for farm education
🍽️ Why accounting and restaurant work turned out to be powerful preparation for entrepreneurship
🏕️ What Heritage Creek looked like in the very beginning — just a few weeks of camp and lots of volunteers
🌾 How Cindi let the farm itself (not themes or lesson plans) become the driver of her programming
🤝 Why word-of-mouth and community connections have been her primary form of marketing
💰 How education became the farm’s “cash crop,” even when food production is part of the picture
🔄 What “Full Circle Learning” looks like on the ground — blending agriculture, history, art, and practical life skills
🧮 A powerful example of integrating math, farming, and business through a school Mobile Market program
🌳 Why unstructured free play is intentionally built into the daily rhythm of camp
📋 How advanced preparation (not expensive software) keeps the business side sustainable
🥕 How the CSA evolved into a farm-to-table experience directly connected to camp families
🌱 Encouragement for new farm educators to ask for help and lean into community

Learn more about Heritage Creek Farm & Education Center
🌐 Website: https://www.heritagecreekfarmcamp.com
📘 Facebook: Heritage Creek Farm Camp

Farm Educator’s Roadmap
🌱 Website: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
🎁 Free Guide: 👉 https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
📘 Facebook Page: @farmeducatorsroadmap
👩‍🌾 Private FB community for farm educators: Join us!

If this episode resonated with you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another farm educator who might need this encouragement.

Bloomsbury Farm School didn’t start as a grand plan — it started as one farmer, one child, one teacher, and a whole lot of listening to what the land and community were asking for.

In this episode, I’m joined by founder and farm owner Lauren Palmer and Director Shannon Wilhelm for an honest conversation about how Bloomsbury grew from a small outdoor experiment into a full farm-based homeschool program — and what it really takes to keep something like this sustainable.

🌱 You’ll hear:
🌾 How Bloomsbury Farm School grew from one family learning inside Lauren's home into a multi-program farm school serving over a hundred children weekly
🌿 Why the combination of nature-based learning and academics filled a real gap for families looking beyond traditional schooling
🐦 What "emergent, child-led learning" looks like in practice - including how teachers pivot lessons based on things like bird migration, seasonal changes, and student curiosity
👩‍🏫 Why hiring and retaining educators who can teach outside, in all weather, with flexibility and heart is one of their biggest ongoing challenges
🚜 The behind-the-scenes realities of running a school on a working farm, from delivery trucks and tractors to icy driveways and shared spaces
💛 The surprise blessings - from deep family trust to watching children grow up connected to land, food, community.

If you’ve ever wondered what it really looks like to build a farm school — beyond the dreamy photos — this conversation pulls back the curtain in the best way.

🔗 Learn more
Bloomsbury Farm School & Bloomsbury Farms
Website: https://www.bloomsburyfarms.com
Instagram: @bloomsburyfarmschool

🌾 Farm Educator’s Roadmap
Website: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com
Free Guide: https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps
Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap
Private Facebook Group: Join us!