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Education Center

Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center:
Active organic farm with a public education mission

Our mission is to raise public awareness about the importance of local organic agriculture, increase access to quality organic produce for low-income people, and establish models for farm-appropriate alternative energy strategies, and train next-generation farmers.

Raise public awareness about the importance of local, organic agriculture

The public is becoming increasingly aware of potential health hazards from conventionally produced foods. Concerns are growing about pesticides, hormones, genetically modified organisms (GMO), antibiotic resistance, mad-cow disease, and other adverse consequences of industrial farming. As a result, organic is the fastest growing sector in the food economy.

Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center aspires to be a source for healthy organic produce, as well as a source for information about organic food and farming for the local community through:

Increase access to organic produce

One of the common criticisms of organic farming is that organic food is only affordable for the wealthy. Because organic production costs are higher, the price of organic food is generally higher. In addition, health problems that result from a diet of fast food and poor nutritional quality of school lunches are becoming increasingly common in the general public and especially among low-income people.

Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center aspires to find ways to create more opportunities for low-income people to have increased access to quality, organic produce through the following programs:

Create models for farm-appropriate alternative energy strategies

It has become increasingly clear to farmers that they must develop alternative energy strategies in the face of rising oil prices and diminishing supplies and the impact of the energy use on the environment. Farmers are experimenting with using biodeisel, used vegetable oil, woodchips, corn, geothermal heat, solar and wind as alternatives to propane, electricity and oil.

Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center has made a commitment to explore alternative sources of energy so that other farms can learn from our experiences. Visit On-farm energy for details.

Training for next generation farmers

It is difficult for aspiring farmers and students to find a facility that provides them with the skills necessary to start a farming business or to participate creatively on organic farms. The long-standing opposition to organic techniques and the demise of technical agricultural education at universities has created a vacuum that farms like Cedar Circle Farm can help fill.

Our aim is to create educational and practical programs on the farm and in the community to address this heightened interest. We partner with schools and universities to create opportunities for students to engage in agriculture through hands-on field work, farm administration, management, and involvement in community education programs. We do not offer farm apprenticeships; we do welcome young farmers to return to work on the farm each season. Our staff is encouraged to implement new ideas and to further their knowledge through research, practice, and professional development opportunities.

Learn about our Beginning Farmers Series  |  Find other Beginning Farmers

Outreach Programs

Community Gardens

We believe it is important that people know how to grow food. We are committed to helping our neighbors start community gardens and help to keep them going.

If you have a plot at a community garden, you may be eligible for a discount on bedding plants at our farmstand. Ask us about it when you come by the farmstand.

The Community Gardening Series
Our education director Cat Buxton, offers a series of free gardening talks at two community gardens in the Upper Valley. The talks are open to the public. Cat also runs advanced gardening classes at the farm: learn more.

At the White River Community Garden at Ratcliffe Park
Sundays from 3-4 pm

May 2, Plotting to Plant (weather permitting earlier or later in the season)
Design logic, preparing a space, amending soil, crop rotation, frost and
sun protection, seeding tips, timing, and thinning.

June 13, Staking and Training Plants
Basic staking and training, pruning and pinching for better fruit and
stronger plants, thinning seedlings.

July 25, Succession Plantings and Planning for Fall Crops
The last succession planting, late pruning, prepare for garlic, & cold hearty crops.

September 5, Cover Crops and Green Manures
Fall cover crops, fall season extension, and overwintering crops.

At the Thetford Garden on the Town Common
Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 pm

May 19, Plotting to Plant
Design logic, preparing a space, amending soil, crop rotation, frost and
sun protection, seeding tips, timing, and thinning.

June 16, Staking and Training Plants
Basic staking and training, pruning and pinching for better fruit and
stronger plants, thinning seedlings.

July 14, Garden Guests and Pests
Attracting beneficials, common insects, assessing plant health, companion plants,
knowing and eating weeds.

August 11, Feeding the Garden
Basic soil composition, mulching, watering tips, practical irrigation choices,
foliar feeding and top dressing with compost and compost tea.

September 15, Harvesting and Curing for Storage
Harvesting tips, planting garlic, protecting the soil, overwintering crops,
season extension, pest management, and more.

Farm-to-School Program

As a part of our mission of educating the public about the importance of local, organic production, Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center conducts outreach to local schools to establish self-sustaining farm-to-school programs to:

  • promote a school-wide culture of health and nutrition;
  • expand and deepen connections between classrooms, cafeteria, and community; and
  • establish methods of assessing the success and value of these programs.

Our education coordinator Cat Buxton works locally with Thetford Elementary School as their school garden coordinator, with the local high school Thetford Academy as a farm-to-school advisor, and with citizens’ groups to promote a farm-based education system and economy.

She is a member of the Valley Food Council, NOFA’s Farmer Correspondence Program, as well as a steering committee member of Upper Valley Farm To School. She is happy to advise and inspire new farm-to-school endeavors. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Thetford Elementary School. Since 2007, Cat Buxton has helped the Thetford Elementary School integrate garden-derived and local foods into its cafeteria. Each spring she helps the K-2 schoolchildren start seeds and plant the garden in their seven raised beds, and then harvest in the fall. Cat hosts each class for curriculum-related farm tours each spring and fall. She also works with volunteer parents, students, and communty members to maintain the garden over the summer.

Cedar Circle Farm staff built a small hoophouse over a raised bed from which the food service director now harvests her first and last greens of the year.

Thetford Academy. Grade 7-12: Cat helped Thetford Academy faculty to coordinate a farm-to-school program and increase the use of local foods in the school cafeteria. She has taken students on farm tours focusing on annuals and perennial plants, alternative energy on the farm, and types of jobs on a farm. The school was one of many Vermont schools to receive grant funding for the planning and implementation of farm-to-school programs in 2007 and 2008.

Farmer Correspondence Program. Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center is a proud participant in this free program that matches classrooms with farmers based on interests and grade levels. As farmer penpals, we correspond with students during the winter and spring educating students about life and work on the farm. To get your school involved, contact nofavt.org.

Farm Tours

Self-guided tour. From May through October Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center has a self-guided tour so that visitors can learn more about organic agriculture and sustainable farming systems while strolling about the farm with the kids and a cup of coffee or tea from the Hello Café. The tour takes you through our gardens and greenhouses, by visit our chickens and horses, and gives you an overview of our farming systems, marketing techniques, education programs, and alternative energy strategies.

Guided farm tours. Take a guided walking tour or catch a tour by horse-drawn wagon or sleigh.

Farm-based Educational Activities

NEW! Growing Minds
by appointment May through October

Farm-based educational activities for your pre-K through 12 class, scout group, or youth program with Cedar Circle Farm staff. We can build an activity based on your interests or you can select one from our activity library! 15-45 minute activity. Group rates available. Combine with a tour and save. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information or to schedule a date.

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