Shelburne Farms 2023 Summer Newsletter

Dear friend of Shelburne Farms,

Our working farm campus has a special feeling in the summer. The Farm Barn is filled with the voices and laughter of campers and visitors. Educators gather in thoughtful discussion, exchanging ideas. Tractors rumble across the fields harvesting hay. Dishes clink in the restaurant as farm fresh food is enjoyed by guests at the Inn. The list of possible experiences here goes on.

Shelburne Farms is being transformed into a beautiful and powerful place for learning. It’s a place for exploring together what sustainability means. It’s a place that welcomes educators from across the globe for renewal and inspiration.

Thank you for making this possible and for being part of our community: the place we steward, the programs we offer, and the products we craft.

With deep gratitude,

Alec Webb, President

Stewarding & sharing place

We care for our working farm campus as a living classroom, inviting you to learn, grow, and be inspired by the big ideas of sustainability.

1 Expanding silvopasture: In May, we planted 59 trees in a pasture south of the dairy as a pilot project in our climate action plan. The native tree species—adaptable, fast growing, and safe for livestock—will sequester carbon while allowing cows and sheep to graze beneath them.

2 Renovating the historic Coach Barn, home of our Institute for Sustainable Schools. The work is just beginning to repair windows, install a geothermal heating system and fire and life safety improvements, and construct a teaching kitchen. Supported in part by a Save America’s Treasures grant.

3 Filling the Farmyard: Sicilian Miniature Donkeys, Brawny and Franco, joined our Children’s Farmyard in early June. The “team” also includes new Nigerian Dwarf goats, and French Angora rabbits. It’s a farmyard United Nations! They’re all here to engage you with how we are all dependent on food and fiber from farms.

SUSIE MARCHAND, SARAH WEBB, HOLLY BROUGH

Inspiring (and inspired by) stories of learning

Educators and students in these programs are delivering on the promise of a more sustainable future.

1 F.E.A.S.T.: In June, high school students from a number of Vermont towns gathered at Knoll Farm in Fayston for the first annual F.E.A.S.T. Summit (Food Education and Sustainability/Systems Thinking), which Shelburne Farms supported as part of our leadership role in the Vermont Farm to School and Early Childhood Network. Entirely student-organized, the day’s agenda featured workshops and conversations around food systems and justice.

2 School Field Trips: We retooled our school program offerings to support teachers, respond to curriculum needs, and joyfully connect learners with food, farming, fiber, and the natural world—like discovering this spring pond frog!

3 Burlington City & Lake: All school year, we supported Burlington City and Lake, a place-based learning semester at Burlington High School for 20 juniors and seniors. BCL students focus on the places, people, problems, and possibilities of their city. The city is a classroom for exploring what it means for a community to thrive.

4 Dairy in the Classroom: Students from 17 Vermont schools have visited local farms thanks to Dairy in the Classroom. This program brings educators (some from Shelburne Farms) into schools to introduce students to the ins and outs of dairy farming before a culminating visit to a nearby dairy. Here, a student from Cambridge Elementary chums up to a Jersey cow at Paul-Lin Dairy in Bakersfield.

ANDREA ESTEY, COURTNEY MULCAHY, SARAH WEBB

5 EFS Leadership Academy This year-long Institute for Sustainable Schools program wrapped up in May, when educators gathered to reflect on their learning and next steps. Each participant is, in their own way, striving to make a positive impact on the school system.

6 Climate Resiliency Fellowship In the last year, 20 educators joined this Institute for Sustainable Schools program to advance their ability to teach for climate action, drawing inspiration from invited speakers and collaborating on curriculum projects. The fellowship, participants say, is transformative, not just on their skills as educators but on their mindsets, moving them from “doom and gloom” to hope and empowerment. They gathered for a final time this spring for a beach cleanup in New Hampshire (pictured).

Read more about these programs on our blog.

Building healthier food systems

Our farm to school programs and our farming practices are supporting local food systems.

A Despite a dry May, Market Garden crops are flowing to the Inn Restaurant, Farm Cart, and Farm Store for our community to enjoy.

B A spring delivery of biochar from a biomass plant in New Hampshire is helping us control odors at the dairy and reduce nitrous oxide emissions from our manure pits.

C Our maple syrup yield from the sap of our trees dipped just below last year’s record (Vermont’s production overall dropped 20%). We’re now revisiting our Forest Management Plan to focus on forest resiliency and carbon sequestration in a changing climate.

“This fellowship has re-energized and re-focused my attention on climate change…It has deepened my commitment to inspire my students to take action.”

— S’RA DESANTIS CLIMATE RESILIENCY FELLOWSHIP

HOLLY BROUGH, SARAH WEBB

Visiting Shelburne Farms

Walking Trails

Our miles of walking trails are open to you by donation. Poplular destinations include the Farm Barn, Lone Tree Hill, and the Flower Gardens. Visitors with disabilities can obtain vehicle accessibility passes on our website or at the Farm Store.

Farm Store & Welcome Center

Come in and say hello! Get all your questions answered, and pick up fresh produce and products from our farm and other Vermont farms: cheddar, maple syrup, fruit, vegetables, meats, and more. You can order online, too.

Shelburne Farms Inn

May 12-October 24, 2023

Make your online reservation for an overnight stay or a farm-to-table dining experience (breakfast and dinner), or simply walk our trails to the enjoy the Inn flower gardens.

July & August availability!

Farm Barn Fun

Tractor shuttle runs daily from the Farm Store, May 13–Oct. 23.

Children’s Farmyard

Meet our sheep, goats, rabbits, cow, calves, and pigs. Learn about how they contribute to a working farm. Scheduled activities each day.

Cheesemaking

Watch the cheesemakers crafting our Brown Swiss cows’ milk into cheddar.

Meet a Cheesemaker

Daily, 11am, schedule permitting

Raptors in Residence

Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays, June 17–Sept. 2

Come face to face with a live owl or hawk and learn the mysteries of live birds of prey. Offered by Outreach for Earth Stewardship.

Farm Cart

Daily thru Sept. 4., 11am–3pm

Enjoy farm-grown lunch and snacks in simple dishes that feature produce and products grown here and at other nearby farms.

SHEM ROOSE

DARIA BISHOP, MEGAN CAMP, BRENT HARREWYN, SARAH WEBB

2023 Summer Calendar

For complete event information, registration details, and more programs as they’re finalized, visit: shelburnefarms.org or follow us on social media.

Seasonal Tours

Community Concerts

August 2, 9, 16 | Wednesday

Enjoy summer evenings with live music. Bring a picnic or purchase fresh food grown right on the farm.

Vermont Fresh Network

Annual Forum Dinner

August 6 | Sunday

Some of Vermont’s best chefs, farmers, and food producers create a sensational summer meal.

Savor the Summer: Herbal Syrups & Spritzers*

August 8 | Tuesday

Celebrate and savor the delicate flavors of summer: delicious cooling mints and cheerful edible flowers.

Sun to Cheese Tours

Daily throughout the summer

Discover the art and science of cheesemaking. Visit our creamery, enjoy a private cheese tasting, and meet the cows and dairy crew.

House & Garden Tours

Sun., Tues., Wed. through Oct. 18

Enjoy a guided, in-depth walking tour of the Inn’s main floor, upstairs bedrooms, and flower gardens.

26th Annual Town of Shelburne Concert Series

July 12, 19, 26 | Wednesdays

Set up your lawn chair, blanket, and picnic dinner and enjoy the live performance with the whole family! Sponsored by Al Martin Volvo

Farm to Ballet

July 16 | Sunday | Breeding Barn

Familiar animals, vegetables, and the seasons themselves come to life through this family-friendly dance.

Herb Walk*

August 10 | Thursday

An introduction to medicinal plants common to Vermont’s working lands.

Summer Forest Bathing

August 12 | Saturday

Slow down and be guided by a Nature Connection Guide through a series of sensory invitations.

Vermont Cheesemakers

Festival | August 13 | Sunday Hosted in 2023 by Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vermont.

Wild Mushroom Foray

September 23 | Saturday

Identify species fruiting in our region in late-summer and learn techniques for sustainable harvesting.

*A series of Farm to Medicine Cabinet Programs offered in partnership with Spoonful Herbals. Many thanks to all of our partners who make these programs possible.

shelburnefarms.org/summer23

Courses in Education for Sustainability (EFS)

Offered with the University of Vermont.

Foundations in EFS

July 17-21

Deepen your understanding of social-ecological systems, consider strategies for youth voice and agency, and practice change-making skills.

Immersion in EFS

July 25–27

A retreat-like workshop for those with a strong foundation in EFS. Reflect, learn, and collaborate with colleagues.

EFS Leadership Academy

Year-Long | Kickoff: August 1–3

Join a learning community working to align education for ecological integrity, economic vitality, and social justice.

Northeast Farm to School Institute

Year-Long | Kickoff: June 27–29

School teams build a farm to school action plan with lasting impact on classrooms, cafeterias, and communities.

Farm to School Institute Adaptation Program

June 26–30

States learn from this proven model for growing robust farm to school programs.

Cultivating Joy & Wonder

July 10-14

An immersive, energizing week to inspire your early childhood curriculum.

ABCs of Farm-Based Education

October 22–24

Inspire your existing farm education programs or begin building new ones.

With Your Support

We can do great things!

From small stepping blocks in the Farmyard to big steps towards a sustainable future, its amazing what we can do together. Your charitable support allows us to offer truly transformative learning experiences through our education for sustainability programs, and to steward our beautiful historic campus as a living classroom and a place of inspiration for all who enjoy our trails. Please support us today.

shelburnefarms.org/support or use the enclosed envelope.

Shelburne Farms’ historic campus is a 1,400-acre diversified working farm located on the unceded, traditional, and contemporary homelands of the Winooskik band of the Abenaki.

Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future through its programs, place, and products. We offer transformative learning experiences to help educators, students, and visitors create a more thriving world.

• 802-985-8686

shelburnefarms.org

• Shelburne, Vermont 05482

1611 Harbor Road