Episode 22 - Fernbrook Farms
[00:00:00]
Christa Hein: Hey there. Welcome to the Farm Educators Roadmap. I'm Christa Hein, former nonprofit girl turned farm education entrepreneur. I've spent the last 30 years creating hands-on programs that connect people to the land animals, and the traditions that nourish our daily lives.
If you're listening, you probably believe what I do, that farm education is needed now more than ever. Not just on rural farms, but in suburbs, cities, and everywhere in-between. In this podcast, you'll hear real stories and practical advice from farm educators all across the country, people who are creating change through their programs in creative and inspiring ways.
Whether you're dreaming about starting your first program, are already knee deep in your own farm education work, or are just curious about how others are impacting their communities through farm education, you're in the right place. [00:01:00] Let's dig in.
Christa Hein: Hi there. Welcome to the Farm Educators Roadmap. Today we're at Fernbrook Farms in Chesterfield, New Jersey, a place where their working farm, year round environmental education center, CSA, wholesale nursery, and The Inn, their bed and breakfast and wedding venue, all braid together into one mission, helping people connect with food, land, and each other.
Our guest is Brian Kuser, Fern Brook's Education Director and Summer Camp Director carrying forward a family legacy that began when his great-grandfather bought this land in the 1890s. After years teaching in classrooms and wilderness camps, Brian now leads Fernbrook's education programs full-time on the farm he calls home.
Brian, thanks so much for joining us.
Brian Kuser: Thanks for having me.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. So, can you start with the history of Fernbrook and how it evolved from a [00:02:00] historic farm to the multi-layered operation it is now?
Brian Kuser: Sure. So it was my great-grandfather that purchased the farm back in the 1890s. And he wasn't really a farmer. He was more of a businessman. But, I like to say if you had your own transportation back in the 1890s, that means you had horses and carriages.
And so farming was a little bit more way of life back then. And then, in my grandfather's time, well, the cars came around and so we didn't need the barns for horses.
And some concrete was laid in our big barn and dairy production started in the thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties. But it wasn't really our family that was doing the farming. My grandfather was a businessman also, and so it was somebody else really running the farming operations in the seventies.
My parents got married and moved on to the farm. My father was a teacher. My mom a stay-at-home mom. And, my father liked to grow things, so he taught year round, but he grew some Christmas trees and he would sell [00:03:00] those Christmas trees.
And, you know, back then the Christmas tree season was really just really like three weekends. Because it didn't start till after Thanksgiving. And one year, he made more money selling Christmas trees in three weekends than he did all year teaching. And so he thought, hmm, maybe I should do something with this land. And as he likes to say, he's the first Kuser dumb enough to farm this land.
So he got into farming and that was really how the nursery started. It was Christmas trees, some retail nursery. He did some landscaping, but really settled on wholesale nursery. And of the 230 acres today, 150 or so is nursery production.
Turn to the 1990s and my grandmother, my grandfather had passed away in the sixties, so he wasn't around for a long time. And my grandmother passes away and she had been living in a historic house on the farm, built around 1760.
And my parents had to figure out what to do with that house and they decided to turn it into a bed [00:04:00] and breakfast. And my mother loves decorating and cooking and all that, so that was right up her alley.
But it turns out people don't really come to this part of New Jersey for a bed and breakfast. So somebody said, can I do a wedding on your farm? And my parents said, sure, we'll try that. And it turns out having a wedding on your farm brings a little more revenue than having people stay one night, once a month.
And so they start doing weddings and events, through that space, which we now call The Inn at Fernbrook Farm.
Then turn to the two thousands. I'm teaching up in residential schools, boarding schools up in Massachusetts and working at residential camps in Vermont. And there's a woman on the farm, that was looking at nursery material with my father.
And she had her kids with them, with her. And but it was a weekday. So he said, what are you two doing? Are you playing hooky? And they said, no, we're homeschooled. The mom said, I have a homeschool group. Could we have a lesson on your farm and, could I [00:05:00] host a lesson on your farm? And my father, having been a teacher once upon a time, said sure.
And so that was the beginning of our education programs. But my parents talked to me about it and I was in my young twenties and said, thanks, but no thanks. Home is not a place I want to live, it's a place I am happy to visit. And I was also, at the time, meeting my now wife and she's also in education.
So, 2005 we got married, moved to Thailand and taught at an international school. And it was actually a good friend of mine that came to the farm and started the education programs. And when I returned from Thailand, my friend called me up and said, Brian, I need a Summer Camp Director.
My wife and I found jobs in North Jersey. We're like 65 miles away from the farm, and I said, Eric, no way. That is too far of a commute. But he said, please. And so, 2008 was my first Summer Camp Director year.
And then that turned into [00:06:00] 2009, 2010, my friend Eric got married and moved to a farm in Maine. And then that's when I started talking to my parents more about education programs and me actually coming back to the farm and running the farm, but it would have to be a succession whole farm plan to make that transition.
So in 2013, I left the indoor classroom. Now I like to say my classroom has no walls. And in 2015, my wife and two kids, we moved onto the farm and so now we're living on the farm as well.
Christa Hein: Wow. So Fernbrook is your family's farm. How has growing up around the farm and now raising your own kids there influenced how you design learning experiences?
Brian Kuser: Really from growing up on the farm and having seen the spaces here so intimately as a kid, it's really just a way of life for us. And that's what I kind of want to instill in the kids that come to the farm is that it's really a way of life.
And [00:07:00] so, animal chores, for example. Yeah, sometimes we do animal chores with the kids, but if a kid doesn't really want to feed the chickens and just wants to pick up the chickens and have a great time with chickens, then I'm perfectly okay with that. Because it builds a strong connection with chickens, farms, being outside in nature.
And so that's what I want them to do when they leave our programs is to just have a good feeling when they leave and want to return to either our farm or any farm. And so when they grow up, they're stewards of the environment.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So for listeners that are new to Fernbrook, can you give us a picture of the ecosystem, the production farm and CSA, the education center, The Inn, the nursery?
How does it all work together and what's the mission thread that ties them?
Brian Kuser: That's a very good question. So, it's tied together because really it's our family that ties it all together. And we use different spaces and we do talk about the different departments because each department has their own, [00:08:00] workforce, labor force.
We don't really have educators that are in the fields farming, and we don't have farmers doing the educating. But we're all here on the farm and I think everybody here has a love of nature and being outside and being on a farm and coming to work and walking by baby goats. It is a calming, peaceful feeling that I think we all enjoy here.
Christa Hein: That's a lot of different enterprises that you all are managing!
What's the upside of a diversified model and where does it get complicated on the ground, whether that's shared spaces, staffing, communications? There's so much.
Brian Kuser: Yes, there is. So, the CSA, that started in 2007, so that was really the last department to join the farm.
And that really started because early on in the education programs, we had a kid here, that said, what kind of farm is this? I don't get it, as we didn't have any animals at the time. We weren't growing vegetables. And so the traditional farm is not a nursery with a bed and breakfast.
And so, you [00:09:00] know, as we all became interconnected with one another and trying to develop programs. Then, that's really where we started from, grassroots starting, and everybody really felt passionate about what they were doing.
So, our CSA farmer that joined us from Massachusetts, you know, he really wanted to grow his CSA and he took ownership over it. Like it was a zone.
And I was really trying to grow the education programs and have that mission of education growing.
And by this time, you know, the nursery had developed into its own thing and entity and, really the nursery allowed these other programs to start, because it was like the nursery had a good year financially, and so there's a little extra money.
And so now what can we do with that money? Well, we can pay educators for the first year when the education program isn't really bringing in any money.
And so, going back to your original question, which remind me exactly the piece of [00:10:00] it, because I knew I had a thought on it, but I want to make sure I'm on the right thought.
Christa Hein: What are the upsides of diversified model and where does it get complicated?
Brian Kuser: So the diversified model, one thing that's really nice about that is, let's say it's. Really, a good year for the nursery, but not a good year for The Inn. Well, we can survive through that, because there's different ways to bring in revenue.
Where it does get complicated though is, let's say the CSA is having a tough year and the CSA needs to borrow money from, say, the nursery. Then, the person that's managing the nursery budget is saying, well, hey, why are you taking my money to cover the CSA? Why aren't they covering their own?
And really the way I try to look at it is one Fernbrook Farms is that we really just have one budget. But when people are given the responsibility of managing a budget, then, if my parents or I need to say we need to take some of that and move it over somewhere else, that can get messy and [00:11:00] complicated.
Christa Hein: Yeah. Yeah. So I want to dive into your education programs. Can you tell us about your sapling, outdoor preschool? How many children can you serve? What does their typical day look like?
Brian Kuser: So, when we started the education center back in 2005, it was summer camp, homeschool classes and school field trips. And as time went on, we were growing our programs and we saw a demand in that three, four, 5-year-old, the pre-K space.
A lot of families were asking for more hours to do more. So we started looking into nature and forest schools and what they look like. And so, in the 2020, 2021 school year is when we opened our saplings preschool. We started with a goal of 10 students every day. And families can register for a minimum of two days and they can do a half day or full day.
They can do up to five full days and a full day is 9:00-3:30, but they can come as early as eight and stay as [00:12:00] late as five. So we're trying to, you know, compete with those preschools out there that are really watching their kids all day. And so we started with 10 that first year, and by the end of it we had grown to like 13.
And then we really looked at other spaces, and now we're at 20 as our comfort number. We have five teachers that are pretty much with the 20 all the time. We split them into two groups of 10 and each group has two teachers. And then our fifth teacher is really the director of the program.
And I think there is demand for more, but inside indoor space is our limiting factor. A day like today, it's beautiful outside. They haven't come inside once. And there's most days where they don't come inside. A lot of days they'll even nap outside. But when it is thunder and lightning pouring down rain, or extreme cold out there, we do need the indoor space.
And so the indoor space, we're trying to figure out ways to have more [00:13:00] indoor space so we could have more kids here.
Christa Hein: Yeah. You also offer a broad range of homeschool classes. Can you share how those programs are structured and the way that families and students can be involved in the farm through them?
Brian Kuser: So, we now offer homeschool classes ages 3 to 17. And I say now because we just added the 15 to 17-year-old age group. Families can sign up for a two-hour class on Tuesday morning or afternoon on Wednesday. It's a full five-and-a-half-hour class on Thursday. It's a two-hour class in the morning and afternoon. And on Friday it's a full-day class.
Families only choose one time slot. So, they essentially have six time slots to choose from and they have to sign up for a semester. And a semester is eight weeks long. So it's, they can't choose a Tuesday afternoon class one week and then not come the next week if they choose Tuesday afternoons.
They're coming every Tuesday afternoon for [00:14:00] the eight-week-long semester.
Christa Hein: That sounds wonderful. I'm sure that's giving your teachers an opportunity to not only get to know the kids, but also for the kids to get to know the farm and for the learning to just grow on itself.
Brian Kuser: Absolutely. And part of the reason we added the 15 to 17-year-old program is because there's, there were some 14-year-olds that were graduating out of the program and they had been coming once a week for, since they were six maybe. And so now they're saying, I don't want that experience to end. So we looked into developing the 15- to 17-year-olds and so we're running a couple classes of them.
Christa Hein: Yeah, maybe they'll be your future staff as well.
Brian Kuser: We've had that with summer camp much more where we have former summer campers volunteers that are summer camp staff.
So, that's always nice to see.
Christa Hein: Well, I want to ask next about your summer camp programs.
You have four different age groups. How many campers do you usually have on the farm in a given week? And [00:15:00] what highlights can you share with us about farm camp?
Brian Kuser: Sure. So, the four different ages really developed because we had the one age, our core age, six to 11-year-olds.
And then, we added 12 to 14-year-olds. And we knew they needed a different designed program, so we named it something else. And then we added five and six year olds, and we knew they needed a slightly different program. And then we added the three to five year olds. so that's kind of how they organically grew.
Also our numbers have organically grown. The first summer camp week, I did back in 2008, I think we had 23 campers there. Nowadays we're regularly at 160 plus campers a week. So that's per day.
We run nine weeks of camp. We open registration in December and we're usually, wait lists are starting in January.
Christa Hein: Wow.
Brian Kuser: We've been very happy with the growth of our summer camp.
Christa Hein: Yeah, absolutely. All those [00:16:00] programs - that is so much to plan and organize. How do you manage so many different educational programs taking place on the farm in a given season?
Brian Kuser: Great question. A great team of educators really helped.
So, our education team is now 12 full-time educators and several part-time educators. For a long time, especially in the 2010s, we were three full-time educators that were really doing everything to try and grow the programs. Then we grew to four full-time educators.
And then, really with the addition of saplings and the growth of our homeschool programs the past couple years, we're now at 12 as our comfort number.
Christa Hein: Wow. Were there any programs that you tried that didn't work out or anything that worked out better than you initially imagined?
Brian Kuser: So, all the programs we do now have worked out wonderfully. The ones we don't do are the ones that didn't work out. [00:17:00] So, early on, our mission currently for the education center is to educate all young people with hands-on activities.
And early on it was all people, not just young people. So early on we were looking at adult programs and kid programs and just as an education center. But while the adults said they wanted us to do things, they just didn't register. So there'd be a lot of time, effort, and energy into, say a bee program about bees or maple sugaring.
And we would get five people and if we're charging $10 a person and then adults usually want the programs at a time that's not during normal business hours. So we're working normal business hours plus these other programs and for maybe $50, when I was thinking if I get one more kid to register for summer camp, that pays a lot more.
So, yeah. We did a strategic plan [00:18:00] around 2015 and part of that was we changed our mission then, and really our strategic planner said, focus on the things you do well; get rid of all these other things that take a lot of your time and don't really bring in that much money.
Christa Hein: Yeah. Makes sense. So I want to get into the farm operations.
Your CSA is huge. How do you organize harvest distribution, member flow, communication at that scale without your team being overwhelmed?
Brian Kuser: Yep. So on a weekly basis there's a hundred to 150 shares that get picked up and we distribute it through our farm shop. It's market style.
So, when families come in and we write on the big board that you get a head of lettuce, watermelon, tomatoes, handful of potatoes, they're picking it out themselves. So we're not doing the box CSA that some CSAs do. So that takes away the packing aspect of us, from us.
And so, we mainly [00:19:00] distribute through that CSA on our farm. We have tried over the years of doing delivery, but that didn't work and was a lot of extra time, effort, and energy. And we just didn't get the numbers of shares being bought off-farm to make it worth it.
So all members come on the farm and a lot really enjoy being on the farm. We say they can visit the farm animals while they're here. They can walk the trails. They can really make it a full farm day if they want to.
Christa Hein: Yeah. And then you also have the wholesale nursery, and that focuses on native and hard to find plants. And I also read that you propagate much of your own material. Does the nursery factor into your education efforts, or is that a standalone operation?
Brian Kuser: It's really standalone, but when the education center's homeschool class might be having a lesson on propagating, then we're really going to use the resources of the nursery for [00:20:00] class. And so, we work together as needed and when needed. Also we do a fundraiser, a wreath making fundraiser for the education center.
And we have a standard wreath that's pretty blah that people get. And then we teach them how to decorate it with all the different greens and blues and yellows from around the nursery. And then we go on a wagon ride and clip 'em all ourselves and then come back, into a space where everybody grabs the hot glue guns and makes a beautiful wreath.
And so as we've grown through the years, you know, we try to find ways to have shared resources that way.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So you also have the historic Inn that was built in 1740 that has a six acre estate. Is that separate from the environmental ed center and the CSA field or a the parts of the property just blended together.
Brian Kuser: All the parts of the property are all just blended together. That's a marketing [00:21:00] statement for when people want to look at The Inn. They want to know that they have a space for The Inn, but that estate spot, the kids are walking across that lawn and sitting down for classes during the week when the weddings are on the weekend.
Christa Hein: So I see that you not only provide space for people to host weddings and private events, but The Inn is also a bed and breakfast and you offer your own workshops and dinners - and many of the meals are grown right there on the farm.
How do you see food and hospitality fitting into your overall mission of connecting people to the land?
Brian Kuser: Food is the number one way we can connect with the land because we're eating it into our bodies and so I think a lot of people enjoy that when they choose our wedding venue, knowing that they can step out the door of The Inn and look in the farm fields and be like those leafy greens there are going to be across everyone's plates for our dinner tonight.
And so, I [00:22:00] think it's a way that people choose us, because growing up on a farm, we almost take it for granted, that connecting with the land is through food.
Christa Hein: So do you find a lot of overlap between people visiting the farm for a dinner or to the bed and breakfast and then sending their kids to farm camp or other programs?
Brian Kuser: Oh, there definitely is overlap that way. Some people don't, and it's not like everyone does because there's a lot of people that come on the farm to the CSA shop and even though they might have been coming for five years, they might say, oh, I didn't know you had a summer camp. And I think, how did you not know we had a summer camp? Because it is, I see it so much in their face. Or, I didn't know you did dinners. How do you not know we do dinners? We're advertising it all over the shop every time you come in.
So not everyone overlaps, but there are stories of a family having gotten married at the [00:23:00] Inn, and then their kids are old enough for camp and they send them to camp and then they join our CSA and so, they're integrated into lots of parts of what we do. And that always wonderful to see because then you really see those families grow up literally.
Christa Hein: Yeah. And then that circular marketing where everything is just kind of feeding itself and those families are just sharing the information. Yes. And as you mentioned, you have a wait list.
Brian Kuser: yes.
Christa Hein: So with so many different programs and operations, what staff size overall do you aim for throughout the seasons?
Brian Kuser: So each department is very different. Like I mentioned with the education center, we're 12 year-round staff. The wholesale nursery in their busy season in the summer, they're going to grow to 20-25 farmers for that, but there's only three that are really year round. The [00:24:00] Inn, there's really just one year round and then the chefs come in for the season and then there's a lot of event workers.
So a lot of part-time at The Inn. And then with the CSA, really just one year round. And then, the farmers come in for the season and we're usually four there. But sometimes some of the nursery workers will do overtime in the vegetable fields to help with harvesting and other things. So that's what that kind of looks like.
Christa Hein: Wow!
What have you learned about pricing in capacity so that the events and the programs support rather than strain the farm?
Brian Kuser: Oh, great question. I think we're constantly evaluating that and constantly looking at that. And so, that's an ongoing thing of how we do that, because let's say we had a really good wedding season, and then do we say, all right, let's increase prices a little bit, but then all of a sudden, the next season [00:25:00] there aren't so many weddings.
And so now do we change prices again or what do we do? With the education programs, I think since we've had good enrollment there, we have that one figured out a little bit more.
Christa Hein: Mm-hmm. So when you think of the long arc of Fernbrook, what mindset or guiding principle do you think has helped your family stay the course through different challenges that may have arisen?
Brian Kuser: I think diversity has certainly helped us do that over the years. That's also brought in a diverse group of workforce that, well, you know, somebody might come in for the CSA fields, but they might have some knowledge of how the education programs work because they might have worked on another farm in education.
And so I think that who we've had, we've been very lucky to help us grow in that sense.
Christa Hein: Nice. So for someone listening who's just at the beginning of their farm education journey, maybe they have a farm or maybe they're just dreaming, what's the very first step you tell them to take?
Brian Kuser: Join the [00:26:00] Farm-Based Education Network is number one. They will help guide you.
And number two, hire an educator. Don't try to make the person that's an expert in vegetables and has to do all the work in the vegetables try to figure out how to teach a group of kids when that's not their forte. So I always say hire an educator, as opposed to a farmer.
Christa Hein: Yeah. Awesome advice. Well, so finally, where can people connect with you online to learn more about Fernbrook's programs?
Brian Kuser: fernbrookfarms.com and that's the number one place to connect with us. And you can reach out to me. We have, our team is listed there and there's a lot of contact information on our website.
So, certainly checking out our website and then, I'm always happy to talk with people. I think I'm listed on the Farm-Based Education Network as a resource if people want to reach out to me. So you could always reach out to me to [00:27:00] ask more questions.
Christa Hein: Great. And are you on social media? Can people follow there too?
Brian Kuser: Oh, the farm is on social media. We're not as active on social media, so you could find us on social media, but you're not necessarily going to get a ton of information from social media.
Christa Hein: Awesome. I am so amazed at the many different facets of Fernbrook Farms. You've showed us that a working farm can be a living classroom, a CSA hub, a wholesale nursery, and a community gathering space, all without losing sight of family and history, and while creating a space for meaningful connections with the natural world.
Brian, thank you so much for sharing the story of Fernbrook Farm and what's possible in multifaceted farm education.
Brian Kuser: Well, thanks so much for having me. Enjoyed the time and hope we get a chance to talk again sometime.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. And to our listeners, I hope this episode showed you some of the many ways that farms can be used to build community and inspire [00:28:00] generations.
If you were inspired by this story, please follow the show and leave a review so more farm educators can find it. Until next time, keep teaching, keep growing, and keep inviting people into the wonder of the farm.
Christa Hein: Hey farm educators, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Before you go, I've got something special for you. If you're ready to build a farm education program that people are excited to book, grab my free guide, Five Simple Steps to Growing an In-Demand Farm Education Program. It's packed with the same steps I used to grow my own farm education business.
It'll help you get noticed, attract clients, and make an impact. Just head over to www.farmeducatorsroadmap.com/fivesimplesteps to get your free copy. It's quick, easy, and will make your programs irresistible. I can't wait to see what you create. Thanks for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
