The Farm School

The Farm School teaches adults and children about the hands-on business of farming and provides a firsthand experience of what it means to be stewards of the earth. The over 400-acre campus is made up of the land from four old family farms: Sentinel Elm Farm, Maggie’s Farm, Waslaske Farm, and the Rowe property. The Farm School raises pigs, lambs, cows and chickens on their pastures, runs Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operations for meat and vegetables, and is a member of the Our Family Farms dairy cooperative.

The Farm School is open to the public for visits and for the purchase of their grass-fed beef, lamb, pasture raised pork and free-range eggs.

Directions

80 Athol Rd, Orange, MA 01364

All orders can be picked up in the small building on the right side of the driveway just past the white farmhouse.

Parking is available.

Ownership

The Farm School

Years Protected

2000, 2001, and 2014

Property History

The Farm School’s partnership with Mount Grace began in 1991, when Keith Ross and the late John Woolsey Jr. of Mount Grace brought farmer Ben Holmes to neighboring Sentinel Elm Farm to meet owners Alice and Julius Gordon. The Gordons, who had been dairy farming since 1945, wanted to be sure their land would continue to be farmed by people who shared their commitment to working the land. That meeting helped turn The Farm School from an idea to a reality. In collaboration with the Farm School and Maggie and Bob Rouleau, Mount Grace protected 298 acres of farmland with Agricultural Preservation Restrictions in 2000 and 2001. In 2014, Mount Grace assisted the Farm School with purchasing the abutting Rowe property, which involved utilizing the Town of Orange’s Open Space Development provision in its bylaws. This property is subject to a CR held by Mount Grace.