Shelburne Farms
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34th Annual HARVEST FESTIVAL!

Saturday, SEPTEMBER 15, 10-4
Don't miss this celebration of Vermont farming, food, and forestry traditions. $8/adult, $5/child, FREE to Members and children under 3. Program.

Fall CalendarFall Programs & Events

You'll be seeing our printed calendar any day now. In the meantime, you can find all listings online.

Choral Celebration of the Earth

Sunday, SEPTEMBER 16 4:00 pm
Free-will collection. INFO: All Souls Interfaith Gathering, or 985-3819

Gather in the magnificent Breeding Barn for uplifting music and remarks on peace and healing by Middlebury professor John Elder. More info.

Current Inn Menus

Farm-fresh, local, and delicious. Call for a reservation today! 802-985-8498.

And here's a Restaurant review, "Alice Eats" from Seven Days.

Fall is Family Portrait time!

Orchard Cove Photography savingsWhen you schedule a portrait in October through Orchard Cove Photography, $75 of the session fee will be donated to benefit the Farm’s education programs. It's a great chance to capture your family in photographs for the holidays, while benefiting a great cause!

$40 for our 40th
We hope you'll consider making an extra gift this year, perhaps $40 in honor of the 40th to support our education programs. Thanks for all you do to make the Farm what it is today.

Order Farm Products

Geology for Educators

Friday, OCTOBER 5, 2012
Science comes alive with Colleen Cowell, Burlington School District’s science coach (and geology enthusiast), and our own educators. Explore how geology shapes our landscape--from beaches, to forests, to gardens. Take great learning tools and activities back to your classroom! More info.

new alpacas in Farmyard
New Alpacas

Two new Alpacas have joined the Farmyard. Yearlings Aiden (back), and Lancelot (front) are the gift of Les and Jenny Foshay of Champlain Valley
Alpacas
. The Farmyard staff is getting them settled and working on their social skills. Emily Post for alpacas!

Rachel C-S Interview
Speaking of the Farmyard..

Watch this video of Rachel Cadwallader-Staub, who coordinates programs in the Children's Farmyard. She was interviewed last spring by FoodCycle. Rachel does a great job sharing the purpose of the Farmyard, despite the upstaging of "James Bond" the sheep. (Farm rap song included.)

Annual Financial Report


We're marking our 40th year as a nonprofit with a series of articles from people who've been part of that milestone. This month we hear from Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross. Chuck served on Shelburne Farms' Board (1987-2008) and was its Chair (1993-1996).

Chuck RossAs Secretary of Agriculture, one of my greatest pleasures is to work with a new generation of inspired and innovative young farmers who are dedicated to the land, their communities, and to healthy food systems. From my service on the Farm’s board I understand how instrumental Shelburne Farms is in supporting this movement.

Over the years I have witnessed firsthand the Farm serving as a food center committed to sustainable farming practices and to sharing stewardship experiences and ideas. Even more importantly, I’ve watched Shelburne Farms cultivate and educate a new generation of young people who fundamentally know their connections to the land, and who assume responsibility for it.

What Shelburne Farms does so magically is to use its landscape and incredible sense of place to help people understand the importance of the environment they live in--the place that they call home. Whether you become a farmer or not, that understanding is what will help move us to a sustainable agricultural landscape in Vermont, and a sustainable society around the globe. Shelburne Farms continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity and I greatly appreciate what they add to our community as we move forward in the 21st century.

Chuck Ross

Chuck Ross

Vermont Secretary of Agriculture and former Shelburne Farms Board Member

Chuck Ross was recently interviewed in Vermont Life about "The State of the Farm." (Vermont farms in general.) See an online preview of the article here.

100,000 pounds of cheese!Celebrating 100,000!

In late August, our cheesemakers passed a milestone: they've crafted 100,000 pounds of cheese this year. That's two-thirds of the way towards their 2012 goal of 150,000 pounds. (Our cows deserve some credit, too.)

Left to right, Zak Schafer, Tom Gardner, Megan Holt, James Hanley and Nat Bacon.

National Farm to School MonthOCTOBER is Farm to School Month!

Keep an eye on the National Farm to School website for events, resources (stickers! posters!), and ways to get involved in your area. Are you part of a farm or school? Sign up for the Farm to School Counts program.

And not to sweep September under the rug: September is: Hunger Action Month; National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month; and Fruits & Veggies - More Matters Month!

Also in October: ABCs of Farm-based Education

A workshop for farmers and educators

Sunday–Tuesday, OCTOBER 21-23 at Shelburne Farms

Learn how to connect farms to schools during Farm to School Month! It's perfect timing. If you are just starting to explore the possibilities of opening your farm for education, or looking for new ideas for your existing program, this is a workshop for you. Find out more at our calendar, or by downloading the flyer.

The workshop is part of a a multi-year collaboration between Shelburne Farms, Vermont FARMS! and the VHCB's Farm Viability Enhancement Program to enhance the viability of agriculture statewide.

Burlington Ensemble supports VT FEEDBurlington Ensemble supports VT FEED

Burlington Ensemble recently presented a check for $3,000 to Vermont FEED. The gift is a portion of the proceeds from two concerts at the Coach Barn in July and August. BE's Making Music With A Mission program this summer supported many local nonprofits. Thanks, BE!

We look forward to three more BE concerts at the Farm next summer. In the meantime, check out their winter series at their link above.

Left to right: Michael Dabroski of BE, Anne Bijur of VT FEED, Sofia Hirsch of BE, Megan Camp, Alec Webb. VT FEED is a partnership of Shelburne Farms, NOFA-VT and Food Works at Two Rivers Center.

Schooling for Sustainable DevelopmentCo-authors of chapter in "Schooling for Sustainable Development"

Jen Cirillo and Anne Tewksbury FryeOur Director of Professional Development Jen Cirillo, co-authored "Teaching and Learning Toward a Sustainable Future" in the new book, "Schooling for Sustainable Development in Canada and the United States." Jen and Anne Tewksbury-Frye of the Sustainability Academy wrote about the experiences, evolution, and lessons of The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes. Preview the chapter.

And here's an excerpt:

"Today, the school is sustained by a collaborative partnership between families, many local community partners, Shelburne Farms, and the Burlington School District. The school engages young citizens in making a difference in their community by exploring social, economic, and environmental issues through integrated, hands-on curriculum steeped in service-learning."

Anne Tewksbury-Frye (L) and Jen Cirillo (R).

 

 

Shelburne FarmsTwitterFacebookFlickR Shelburne Farms cultivates a conservation ethic for a sustainable future. We are a nonprofit
education center, 1,400-acre working farm, and National Historic Landmark.
1611 Harbor Road • Shelburne, Vermont • 05482 • www.shelburnefarms.org • 802-985-8686