The Farm Educator's Roadmap® Podcast shares inspiring stories and practical insights to help you turn your passion for farming into powerful, purpose-driven education programs.
Hosted by Christa Hein - a farm educator of 30 years and founder of Bring the Farm to You®—this podcast blends heartfelt stories with hard-earned wisdom from educators across the country who are making an impact on family farms, in schoolyards, in cities, suburbs, and everywhere in between.
Whether you're dreaming up your first program or expanding an established farm-based business, you'll find real-life insights, practical strategies, and feel-good inspiration in every episode. From hands-on tips to big-picture visioning, this show will help you grow programs that connect people to the land, strengthen your community, and support your livelihood.
Tune in, get inspired, and let’s grow the future of farm education—together.
Ready to build a farm education program that stands out and attracts clients? Grab my free guide, 5 Simple Steps to Growing and In-Demand Farm Education Program, and start turning your passion into programs that people can't wait to book! https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/5simplesteps
Episode 51: More Than a Farm: How Mary’s Land Farm Built a Whole Village of Experiences
What happens when a family farm keeps following one opportunity into the next?
At Mary’s Land Farm in Ellicott City, Maryland, what began with raising food for the family has grown into a regenerative working farm with field trips, an ACA-accredited summer camp serving as many as 150–200 kids a week, overnight farm stays, a farm store, public events and more.
Maria Cunningham, Director of Agritainment & Animal Education and manager of their farm store, shares how those different pieces developed, and how they all fit together on one family farm. Maria also gets into some of the pieces visitors don't see: funding major infrastructure, separating the finances of different farm enterprises, cross-training employees, and making decisions with family members who are co-workers.
You'll Hear:
🥚 How a roadside egg stand and a chest freezer became part of something much bigger.
🏕️ What it takes to prepare a staff for a summer camp serving as many as 150–200 kids a week.
💰 A behind-the-scenes look at how Mary’s Land Farm separates and connects the finances of its different enterprises.
👨👩👧 What decision-making really looks like when your family members see the same problem from different sides.
🌳 Why unstructured time in the woods is an intentional part of the farm’s summer camp.
🏘️ How the farm’s many departments operate a little more like a village than one traditional farm business.
🧘 The lesson Maria has learned about knowing when it’s time to hand things off and walk away for a while.
Learn more about Mary's Land Farm:
🌐 Website: https://maryslandfarm.com/ (https://maryslandfarm.com/)
📸 Instagram: Mary's Land Farm (https://www.instagram.com/maryslandfarm)
👍 Facebook: Mary's Land Farm (https://www.facebook.com/Maryslandfarm/)
Farm Educator’s Roadmap:
🌐Website: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com (https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/)
📘 Take the Free Quiz: Discover Your Farm Education Path (https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6a4d24396526613e792143e4)
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👍 Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.facebook.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👩🌾 Join the Private Facebook Group: Join us! (http://www.facebook.com/groups/farmeducatorsroadmap)
DISCOVER YOUR FARM EDUCATION PATH
Mary’s Land Farm is a great example of how many different directions farm education can take. If you're wondering what kind of farm education work might fit your interests, skills and resources, take the Discover Your Farm Education Path quiz.
**Discover Your Farm Education Path (https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6a4d24396526613e792143e4)**
23 Sept 2026
Episode 50: The Skills We’ve Lost and Why We Want Them Back | Green Door Folk School
Kristina Schnepf spent 30 years climbing the corporate ladder before a very different kind of work called her name. One day, she watched a construction crew building something outside her office window…and something clicked. She realized she wanted to build things with her own hands, too.
Then came the leap: leaving the boardroom behind to create Green Door Folk School in Cedar, Michigan, a community-centered folk school focused on teaching traditional, practical skills—from woodworking and quilting to foraging, cheese-making, and basketry.
Kristina shares the journey of launching the school, navigating its unique L3C business model, reframing "grandma crafts" as essential practical knowledge, and explaining why hands-on, non-competitive adult education is resonating so deeply with modern learners.
From corporate America to a folk school in Michigan, Kristina’s story is a beautiful reminder that sometimes the best next chapter starts with a simple realization: I want to build something of my own. Tune into this week’s episode to hear how she made the leap and how traditional skills are becoming what people are hungry to learn more about.
You’ll Hear:
🪟 The Window That Changed Everything: Kristina shares the unexpected moment outside her corporate office that sparked a new direction—and a desire to build something with her own hands.
👂 Listen Before You Launch: What began with conversations across the community helped Kristina uncover what was already there, what was missing, and where her idea could fit.
⚖️ The In-Between Business Model: Exploring an unconventional path for a business that doesn’t fit neatly into the traditional for-profit or nonprofit mold.
🧰 Starting with What You Have: The creative, scrappy ways Kristina got the school off the ground before having all the pieces in place.
🧺 Beyond “Grandma Crafts”: Taking a second look at traditional skills—and the deeper connection to land, making, and everyday life hiding underneath them.
🌱 Permission to Be a Beginner: Why creating a space where adults can try, stumble, and learn without worrying about getting it right changes the entire experience.
Learn more about Green Door Folk School:
🌐 Website: https://www.greendoorfolkschool.com/ (https://www.greendoorfolkschool.com/)
📸 Instagram: Green Door Folk School (https://www.instagram.com/greendoorfolkschool/)
👍 Facebook: Green Door Folk School (https://www.facebook.com/greendoorfolkschool)
Farm Educator’s Roadmap:
🌐Website: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com (https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/)
📘 Take the Free Quiz: Discover Your Farm Education Path (https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6a4d24396526613e792143e4)
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👍 Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.facebook.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👩🌾 Join the Private Facebook Group: Join us! (http://www.facebook.com/groups/farmeducatorsroadmap)
9 Sept 2026
Episode 49: Cultivating Hope: Empowering the Next Generation Through Farm Education at Holly Hill Farm
When Wendy Prentiss noticed her students were feeling overwhelmed by climate anxiety and their future, she realized what was taught in schools did not provide practical solutions. So, she decided to act.
Leaving behind a career as a classroom teacher, Wendy joined Holly Hill Farm. A 120-acre organic nonprofit farm nestled in a coastal suburb of Massachusetts that has been connecting people to food, conservation, and sustainability for over two decades.
Today, as Education Director, Wendy helps oversee programming that reaches over 20,000 students each year and partners with more than 40 local schools building and managing garden education on school grounds.
In this episode, Christa talks with Wendy about how Holly Hill Farm balances working farm production, community outreach, and scaling farm education. From coordinating school garden schedules and designing high school AP Environmental Science field trips to launching an 8th-grade civics hub and feeding local families through their Farm to Food Pantry initiative, Wendy offers practical wisdom for educators looking to build sustainable, high-impact programs.
You’ll hear:
🐓 Transitioning to farm education: How Wendy moved from traditional school education into farm-based learning to combat climate doom with hands-on hope.
🥕 Managing school garden partnerships: The practical realities and scheduling logistics of supporting school garden beds across 40 partner schools.
📜 Operating a multi-faceted farm: How Holly Hill balances historic 1780s barns, organic farming, conservation trails, and community events under a "one farm" mindset.
🚜 Engaging older students: Creative ways to connect with middle and high schoolers through AP Environmental Science exam prep, 8th-grade civics pathways, and high school culinary arts visits.
🥦 Giving back through Farm to Food Pantry: How local teenagers grow fresh produce for food-insecure families in their own community.
🏷️ Sustaining non-profit programs: How a three-tiered revenue model, tiered workshop pricing, and required memberships for summer programs help sustain the farm's educational mission.
💡 Starting small: Advice for aspiring farm educators on overcoming overwhelm by taking it "bird by bird" and trusting staff, volunteers, and students with real responsibility.
Learn more about Holly Hill Farm:
🌐 Website: https://hollyhillfarm.org/ (https://hollyhillfarm.org/)
📸 Instagram: Holly Hill Farm Cohasset (https://www.instagram.com/hollyhillfarmcohasset/)
👍 Facebook: Holly Hill Farm Cohasset (https://www.facebook.com/HollyHillFarmCohasset/)
Farm Educator’s Roadmap:
🌐Website: www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com (https://www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/)
📘 Take the Free Quiz: Discover Your Farm Education Path (https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/6a4d24396526613e792143e4)
📸 Instagram: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.instagram.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👍 Facebook: @farmeducatorsroadmap (http://www.facebook.com/farmeducatorsroadmap)
👩🌾 Join the Private Facebook Group: Join us! (http://www.facebook.com/groups/farmeducatorsroadmap)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
55
Social presence
90
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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