Hawthorne Valley Farm

Ghent, New York

The Farm

Hawthorne Valley Farm is a biodynamic, non-profit farm with a variety of educational and farming activities onsite. The farm hosts a K-12 Waldorf school onsite, as well as farmer training programs, a farm store, art center, and an onsite ecology team (Farmscape Ecology). The farm produces vegetables, dairy, and meat products, and is a great example of a small-scale organic dairy, an increasingly rare farming business threatened by consolidation and industrialized farming.

The Team

Participants will learn from Spencer Fenniman, Farming Director, as well as various members of the vegetable, dairy, and farmscape ecology teams. Spencer brings deep knowledge of organic and biodynamic farming practices, and will share a holistic view of the operations taking places on the land as well as the land’s history dating back to pre-colonial times.

"This is the way to do it for anyone who wants to learn about Farming and Climate because this isn't a boutique experience. Instead, the time spent with farmers shows the real side of farming and how weather and climate affect the farms and farmers. In addition, Ryan and Laney were excellent facilitators who balanced educating the group with listening and learning."

-Jamilla Jones, Founder of Generational Seeds