Causes: Adult Education, Children & Youth, Education, Elementary & Secondary Schools, Literacy, Vocational & Technical Schools, Youth Development - Agricultural

Mission: Moon In The Pond Farm and Farm Education’s mission is to reconnect modern culture to it’s necessary and fundamental relationship to nature; to teach the value and cultural necessity of sustainable farming, and vital, rural, agricultural communities; and to train and educate the next generation of farmers about sustainable food production and community building.

Results: Just a few Moon In The Pond alums…. “Open Gate Farm” in Earlysville, VA is the farm of Tom Ward (MITP 2001-2003). He named his farm as a nod to MITP’s program and policy of the same name. Tom and his wife describe their educational farm like this: “We enjoy providing access to a small farm that raises chickens, pigs, goats, turkeys, ducks, cows and produce. We especially want children to experience the connection to their food source, and to have fun doing it. We practice farming in a way that sustains environmental systems. We're eager to teach and learn about how farms can provide food that is clean, safe, and nutritious and doesn't harm the earth in its production. ” “North Plain Farm” and “Blue Hill Farm” are the two enterprises of Sean Stanton (MITP 2002) in Great Barrington, MA. Sean worked and learned at MITP right after finishing his service in the US Coast Guard. North Plain and Blue Hill are ca. 150 acres, where Sean runs a small 20 cow raw milk dairy, raises 30-100 pasture/woodland raised hogs, 600 laying hens and grows thousands of pounds heirloom tomatoes and other produce. While Sean actively sells at the Great Barrington Farmers’ Market, most of his produce goes to the famous Blue Hill Restaurants in NYC and Tarrytown, NY. Remembering his roots at MITP, Sean honors his early on-farm learning by employing 4-6 farm interns per year. Rich Ciotola (2005-2008) extended his apprenticeship into 3 years! When he left MITP, he was already settled into the Berkshires as a committed farmer. Rich worked, volunteered, bartered, and participated in any way that he could in local Berkshire farming activities post MITP. That included work at Twin Oaks Dairy (Paul Paisley) , the Wilcox Farm, North Plain Farm, Farm Girl Farm, and Barnum Hill Farm to name a few. “Foggy River Farm” is the vegetable growing operation, established ca. 2010, that grows and distributes corn (for polenta), potatoes, beans, sunflowers, assorted vegetables and winter squash to local south county restaurants. Farmer Rich, as he’s come to be known, is recognized as a rock in the foundation of the new southern Berkshire farm to table movement. Jeff Backer (MITP 2008-2010) found two loves of his life at MITP. After extending his yearlong apprenticeship by 3 months and then apprenticing at Natural Roots, a horse-powered farm, for a year, he established his own farm outside Worchester on Grafton Land Trust land. “Potter Hill Farm” raises grass-fed beef and heritage breed pork and grows only heirloom vegetables making a significant contribution to their conservation. Narragansett White Cap Flint Corn is now grown in Grafton and in the Berkshires, as result of Jeff’s efforts. Jeff also met Carolyn at MITP…Carolyn Hurwitz (2009) was a summer intern at MITP the year that Jeff was a full-year apprentice. While working a grueling farm-summer schedule and falling in love with Jeff, Carolyn studied for and took the GRE and was accepted to Tufts Veterinary Colleg