Our History

When my son was about 3 years old, I reached out to Laura and Henry about the two of us “working” on the farm as I wanted my son to experience farm life and agriculture first hand. My family had been purchasing a CSA from Homestead Organics for years, and I already knew, loved, and was inspired by the work they do (If you’ve never had a CSA–a community supported agriculture share–I can’t recommend it enough!). My son and I started spending one morning a week all summer, helping with whatever farm tasks needed to be done. For years, we spent summer Wednesday mornings at the farm, planting, weeding, harvesting, washing CSA bins, feeding piggies and more. I loved our time together, and I saw how much pride my son had in his work, how much knowledge he gained, how much more physically capable he was and how eager he was to eat so many different things. 

Fast forward to the spring of 2021, when I was trying to determine my future after the pandemic. Laura reached out about a building on the farm that she thought might be a place for a school (a good friend of mine had mentioned to her that I might be interested in starting a school) and encouraged me to come look at it.  An idea started to take shape, and after a summer of backbreaking hard work and scrambling to find toys, furniture and other materials–with help from my family, my friends, my husband’s coworkers, community members and complete strangers–the Farm School was born. We welcomed our first students in September 2021 and have been thrilled to welcome new and returning students every year since.

The Farm School is more than just a school. It’s a dream come true…and I feel so lucky to share it with the children and families of the Bitterroot Valley!