learning and connecting through farm care
Welcome to Red Gate Farm. For over twenty years we have been welcoming students and teachers to our program and we are looking forward to meeting you. The following are some brief insights into our program and facilities.
Our Program
Farm values guide our actions and define our community. Each session students and staff create a compact that helps build a community based on kindness and respect. We employ these values in everything we do, and they create a space where everyone feels valued, heard and appreciated.
Farm work is a key aspect of our program, and there are no invented tasks or activities. Students hold real tools and do the important work that needs to get done. Through this work, students experience the farm as a living, changing place where their care, adaptability and attention matters.
Having fun is important too! We schedule elective blocks where students choose various activities or interests outside of farm work. Past activities have included blacksmithing, beekeeping, yoga, painting, tree identification and cooking in the farm kitchen.
Group visits are typically three days long, but can be modified to longer or shorter durations.
Our Facilities
Delicious meals are prepared by the program chef each day. Students help by harvesting from the farm garden, working in the kitchen prepping food, and helping to clear up afterwards. Our food made from fresh ingredients each day. Our menu options are primarily vegetarian, but occasionally have meat as a choice. We work hard to accomodate a wide variety of diets.
Our beautiful dining hall is also a gathering space for community and program activities. We enjoy playing relaxing board games at night after a hard days work, or singing lively music together.
Sleeping quarters are in the Roost, located immediately next door to the dining hall. There are eleven bedrooms furnished with bunkbeds and comfortable mattresses. Simple, but comfortable, these rooms have lots of natural light from windows that open onto the farm and plenty of spaces to put personal belongings. Full bathrooms with sinks, toilets and showers are just down the hall.
Health and Safety
Many of us live on-site here on the farm. This enables us to provide 24-hour support to all our programs. We work closely with our town’s Board of Health to follow best-practices that prioritize the health and safety of our visitors, staff and farm community. In the unlikely event of an emergency, we are trained in 1st aid and CPR and have emergency plan protocols that are reviewed by our consulting physician.
Interested in discussing a trip to the farm? Email Farm Director, Ben Murray or call the farm office at (413) 625-9503
