37 - Pineland Farms
[00:00:00]
Christa Hein: Hey there, welcome to the Farm Educator’s 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, welcome back to the Farm Educator’s Roadmap. Today I'm talking with Cathryn Anderson, Director of Education at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Maine. Pineland Farms is a 5,000-acre working farm, but it's also so much more than that. It's an educational space, a recreation destination, and a place where people can connect to the land in all kinds of different ways.
Cathryn has been there for 15 years, and what's really interesting is that she started before there was even an education department. Over time, she's helped build it into what it is today with so many moving pieces, from self-guided visits, to structured programs, to seasonal events. I'm excited to dig into how they've created something that reaches so many people in so many different ways.
Cathryn, thanks so much for joining me.
Cathryn Anderson: Thanks Christa, happy to be here.
Christa Hein: Awesome. [00:02:00] So before we get into everything happening at Pineland, I'd love to start with your story, because it's such an interesting path into this work. You didn't step into a fully formed role. You came in as a maternity leave fill-in before there was even an education department. What were you doing before your role there, and what do you remember about those early days?
Cathryn Anderson: Yeah, so I had a couple in-between college type jobs that I was working. I was a full-time ski patroller and working at a local market. And actually that local market is really, I think, I don't give enough credit to the fact that really directed me into food systems, and working with farms, but it really did.
I was one of the people that would intake the produce that got dropped off from farmers. And that really gave me a [00:03:00] first window into a world that I hadn't seen a lot of growing up in Portland. So, it was really exciting to have that opportunity to do that.
And then, through word of mouth, I had learned a little bit about Pineland farms. And I didn't know the extent of what it offered both for recreation and visitation, but having the opportunity to step in a very - it was full-time hours, but it was again a limited window. I was only there for this short window, and I really just fell in love with it.
It was really an incredible way to be in my community and then to learn and really dive into work that felt really meaningful.
Christa Hein: So, at what point did that shift from filling in to realizing that there was really something that could be built - a position for you there?
Cathryn Anderson: I came in the spring, and then I worked through the summer [00:04:00] and fall. And actually, during the winter of that year, I worked with the recreation department helping make snow for the Nordic ski trails. So, I really had a full range of what was happening before a position opened up for me the following spring.
So, it was almost an entire year of working in the organization in different areas, and learning a lot about what happened here.
Christa Hein: Now, I've heard that you were homeschooled and have a background in experiential education. How did those experiences shape the way that you approach teaching on the farm?
Cathryn Anderson: I spent a lot of time as a child in the woods outside flipping over logs or rocks looking for things. I'm the youngest of four, so there were three older siblings that I was having adventures with. And then a community in the greater Portland area of like-minded folks.
I'm 40 years old now, so it was a little while [00:05:00] ago, but homeschooling wasn't quite as common at that time. But there was still a really robust community in the greater Portland area. And those families were really invested in getting people outside and having time out of buildings. And so that really gave me an opportunity to just fall in love with being outside.
And that developed through every junior counselor type position that I had. And it really, just the love of being outside of a traditional classroom, is what hooked me. And it really just, I can't imagine anything else at this point in my life.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So, was there a moment that you realized that this wasn't just a job anymore, but really it was your work, your passion, your direction?
Cathryn Anderson: That's such a good question. I'm not sure I can isolate an exact moment that it happened for me, but I think we all go through times in our lives when we evaluate and we recognize the pieces [00:06:00] that are right, and the pieces that may need to shift.
And I was definitely at a point in my life where I was wondering what was going to shift, and trying to figure out where the, kind of, the next door that was going to open was. And it really just, it felt so right when there was a combination of food and food systems, farming, animals, agriculture, and then just community was another piece that really drew me in.
Christa Hein: Love it. So, for anyone not familiar with Pineland Farms, can you share a little of the backstory? How did it get started and grow into what you stepped into when you joined the team?
Cathryn Anderson: Absolutely. Pineland actually has a pretty fascinating history. So, in 1908, the facility was first opened as the main school for the feeble-minded. And many states had facilities like this, but essentially it was a state run school that had a very progressive concept of training, [00:07:00] either the students and then at some point, more patients, to have a trade and a way to support themselves. And so, this was, in a lot of ways, a really beautiful idea to give a space for folks to thrive.
Mental health has a lot involved in that, and there is a lot of history, and a lot of institutionalizations that happened, and a lot of views changed. And so, the history of Pineland and the stories are not all rosy. It's not all happy. And probably, more are unhappy than happy, but it's all part of the story that we have here.
So, the facility went through many different changes as medical theory changed, and it ended up getting shut down in 1996. So, it was in operation for quite some time, and then the space set fallow for a long time.
It was owned by [00:08:00] the state of Maine. And in 2000, The Libra Foundation, which is a philanthropic organization out of Portland, Maine, ended up purchasing the property from the state of Maine. They put an incredible amount of work into the property. It was really in total disrepair. It had sat vacant for many years.
And over the course of time, just the breakdown and the derelict, was just really…it's remarkable to see photos from that time and the change that happened. They ended up tearing down multiple buildings. They spent over $4 million in lead and asbestos removal on the property.
So, it really underwent a huge transformation during that time. Shortly after that, Pineland Farms opened as it is today, as a nonprofit organization. And it's grown and changed over the 20 plus years that it's been [00:09:00] here now. And I am really, really thankful that I got involved when I did. It's been really incredible to see the growth and the change.
Christa Hein: That's amazing. I want to talk about what it actually looked like to build the education side of Pineland Farms over time. So, when the education department officially formed about eight years ago, what did it look like in the beginning?
Cathryn Anderson: Yeah, so when I came in, I kind of came in at the tail end of two individuals that had spent a handful of years here in different regards. And they were doing a lot of school aged field trips. So, preschool to second grade, that was the bread and butter so to speak. And those trips happened fairly regularly Monday through Friday from about 10:00 AM until noon almost every day of the springtime.
And then we also saw some family programs, so a similar timeframe, but someone who's coming with a [00:10:00] child that is not in school age. And so that was really a lot of what was happening here. And they were sometimes scheduled back to back to fit in during that window of springtime when a lot of teachers are looking for a way to get their students outside of the classroom. And that was what we saw a lot of day in, day out.
Christa Hein: So, what were some of the challenges in taking those few programs that you had and putting them into a cohesive education department?
Cathryn Anderson: Yeah. Well, not all that long after we really started having more robust programs, COVID happened. And so, we had quite a shift when that happened and really had to pivot what was happening here and how we offered everything. I'm sure anyone who was doing farm education during that time, there was a lot that shifted for us.
So, we had the opportunity to look at how our [00:11:00] visitors were coming to the farm. And all of a sudden there was an influx of either homeschool groups or less traditional school group field trip interest. And we really harnessed that, and we were positioned well to do that with such a big space and the ability to spread groups out.
And so, we ended up building an opportunity for visitors to come just on their own. Whether they were on vacation for the summertime, or April school vacation, or a kiddo that was not in school yet. And that really took off for us. So now our drop in visitor numbers far surpass how many numbers we see in our traditional education programs. And that really shifted at the COVID time, which is kind of interesting to think back on.
Christa Hein: Yeah, that makes sense. So how did you [00:12:00] decide, other than those public visitations, like, what other kinds of programs to focus on? You have such a large and diverse property, how did you make those decisions?
Cathryn Anderson: Some of it was brainstorming with an amazing group of talented people that had really diverse backgrounds and interests. At the time we had some staff members that were really passionate about woods, and fields, and vernal pools. And so, that was an opportunity for us to look outside of what was in our farmyard area and on the outskirts.
We also decided that to bring in those visitors, we really wanted to have more animal personalities, so to speak, our farmyard friends. And so, we selected animals that we thought would be really nice companions to types of programs. We have three different breed representations of dairy goats, because we wanted to really [00:13:00] encapsulate different sizes and different colors, and that was a fun opportunity during that time.
Christa Hein: Nice. So, was there a point in Pinelands history then when it was a conscious decision to move from offering just some education, some field trips, into making education central to the farm's mission? Or was that focus always there?
Cathryn Anderson: That focus was always part of what was happening, but I tell people that when I started, we were not in the spotlight. We were on the outskirts of what was happening with a commercial dairy farm, and a production produce farm, and a substantial recreation facility. So, we were on the outskirts of that.
Over the course of the changes that have happened in the 15 years, and seeing that visitation, probably partially because of COVID, and seeing how many people were really excited to jump into farm education and get [00:14:00] involved in some ways - it has shifted. And we are really now a big focus of what is happening here. It's taken a lot of work to get there, though.
Christa Hein: Oh, I bet. And I think that leads really nicely into what makes Pineland so unique, because Pineland isn't a typical farm education setup. It's really this destination where people can come to engage at all these different levels. So how would you describe the overall experiences and the options at Pineland Farms to someone who's never been there?
Cathryn Anderson: Yeah. I would invite them to come visit right away, because that's the best way really to get here. But we are an education and recreation destination. We are an outdoor learning experience. There's so many different ways for people to create their own experience. It might be having breakfast in our cafe before they go for a run on the trails that are just meticulously taking care of year round, whether it's for [00:15:00] Nordic skiing or for running and hiking.
Just the other day we had a couple stop in that had seen a bird that they wanted help identifying. And so, there's really all this surrounding wildlife and beautiful engagement for folks to have an experience here. And it's vast. It's such a large property.
Our pick your own operation in the summertime does a wonderful strawberry moon festival for three days. There's music, and strawberry picking, and strawberry shortcake out in strawberry fields. And it just brings people out, because it is such an amazing experience, and a way to get into agriculture, even if you don't have a lot of time or resource to do so.
Christa Hein: So, there's also public classes I was perusing your website it looked like. I could just go on and on there were so many different offerings.
Cathryn Anderson: Yes, there is. There's so much to do here through our[00:16:00] education programs this spring. We have felting programs. We have some searching for spring programs. And starting your garden type programs, which are really fun for all of us. We love getting the first timer here. Someone who's curious about starting a garden and never has before.
And then we also have experiences for folks that maybe are looking to dive a little bit deeper and create something with the products that they make. In the summertime we do pickling programs and we make apple cider in the fall.
So, there's a lot of different types of experiences, and we really want to create an opportunity for someone to come wherever they are. Whether that's a 2-year-old and it's their first time meeting a real cow, or maybe an 82-year-old. We actually had a couple that came for multiple years for a birthday celebration so they could milk a cow, and it was really a special opportunity [00:17:00] to see that for five plus years. So really, so many different ways to connect.
Christa Hein: And are you still running the school field trip program that you stepped into back in your early days?
Cathryn Anderson: We sure are. Yes. And we're right at the beginning of that spring field trip season. So, we see groups five days a week sometimes out on the farm, and they're still packed in pretty tight. We've actually gotten close to the point where we have to start either a lottery system or some way to manage those groups, because there are just such a good community of people that want to come out to the farm this time of year.
Christa Hein: Oh, that's awesome. So, I love that you offer self-guided farm visits alongside structured programs. So, how do you see those experiences differing and how do they overlap?
Cathryn Anderson: A lot of the interactions with animals might look the same, but the whole experience is quite different. With our traditional field trip groups, there's [00:18:00] usually a staff member that will greet the bus, unload the kiddos, and you're with that staff member for the entirety of your visit.
With our self-guided visitors, we really like to welcome them to the farm and then help them create the experience they want to have. If they want to go for a hike, or if they want to meet a cow, or brush a bunny. Those are all opportunities that are available to them, but we're really laying out the opportunity for them to pick and choose.
And that piece was the development that really happened, and took a lot of work.
It took some problem solving too, because you weren't going to have a line of kiddos that could jump into a game of tag, and then go meet the bunny rabbits. It was going to be a one-on-one conversation with someone who wanted to know something more specific about dairy farming, or maybe composting, or something along those lines. So, we really had our work cut out for us with that development.
Christa Hein: So how do you design a space that allows for that free exploration and the [00:19:00] structured deeper learning at the same time?
Cathryn Anderson: Well, thankfully we had the physical apace to start, and that was really helpful. And so, we were able to separate some group spaces and separate some general visitation spaces, which was really lovely.
When we did a rework of our education barn, which is where a lot of our animals live, that are open to our visitors every day, we considered our lighting. And so, we had to increase some lighting to make it a little bit more welcoming to just the general visitor rather than keeping the lights off. Which in a lot of ways makes so much sense to save that energy, but we wanted to be inviting for folks to come in.
We wanted to have more open spaces that our visitors would feel comfortable mingling in those spaces. And so, that did take some reworking and probably consistently will take some as well.
Christa Hein: That's amazing, the different details and how much impact those small details can make, [00:20:00] too.
Cathryn Anderson: Absolutely.
Christa Hein: So, there's such a wide range of programming happening at Pineland. I'd love to unpack how you think about that. So, your programs span from preschool to adults. How do you design experiences that work across such a wide age range?
Cathryn Anderson: It takes a lot of work. It's not the same for every program, I would say, and every experience, and it has shifted over the years. But in general, we try to map out what a season is going to look like on the farm, and isolate the areas that maybe there's a gap or a hole that we'd like to fill. Whether that is for a certain animal experience potentially, or an age experience.
And so, once we isolate the areas that we want to work on development for, we have an amazing team here that is just really excited about jumping in, and[00:21:00] a really diverse background. And that has helped us just so much, the diversity of experiences that people are bringing with them. And that has given us the opportunity to give folks a project that they can work on currently.
We have a staff member who is making these really engaging welcome boards for some of our different spaces to welcome our visitors into that space and give them the opportunity to learn more about this space even before they've explored it.
And that has been really fun. And to watch the passion that people have for that development is really special. And it makes me feel really good about my day.
Christa Hein: Yeah, so can you walk us through how the seasons shape your programming throughout the year?
Cathryn Anderson: Absolutely. Well, in Maine, we're so fortunate that we have four seasons, and we had a cold winter this year, but we had a really good maple sugaring season because of [00:22:00] that. With our media team, we've actually isolated four different seasons that we focus on. And so, we have our spring, summer, fall, and winter schedule.
And the way that we've broken those up, I'm not sure at every moment of the process it has made complete sense, but we've had to kind of stick to that for marketing purposes. And I just have to say that having a marketing plan for any farm is really a huge piece of getting that visitation to jump off.
So, our late winter, spring season includes Maple sugaring for us, and that is a huge program and huge experience. We actually have a full week of Maine Maple on the farm that we wrap up on Main Maple Sunday, which is a really special statewide event here in the northeast. And that draws in a lot of visitation. And we built a whole sugar house and education facility [00:23:00] behind that in our farmyard space, because we had an idea that it probably would be a great jumping off spot for us.
Once we get into the later spring, we're turning the dial and focusing a lot on our spring planting programs and what's happening in vernal pools and our pond on the farm. And so, that brings in a lot of lifecycle lessons for folks in the classroom. Our summer programming, we do so much harvesting and food production starts. And so, we're making butter with groups, and salsa, and with our produce farm, strawberry shortcake.
And then the fall rolls around and we get into our corn maze, which has been an incredible experience for folks over the past few years as that's been built up. We start making applesauce in the fall. And that rolls right into our seasonal Light The Farm event that happens in December, hopefully before the snow hits, where we [00:24:00] decorate with a lot of lights and have some local carolers come in and create a really warm community event that's outside. And then we kind of roll right back into that maple season again. It happens so quickly. It's really amazing.
Christa Hein: Wow. Thank you for taking us through the cycle of the seasons like that, because I think it's really helpful. Especially with a lot of farms, I think that winter time feels a little more empty. And so, to hear about how you make that transition was really helpful. So, for someone who's trying to expand their own offerings, what advice would you give about starting to diversify programs without getting overwhelmed?
I'm sure you struggle with that overwhelm factor a lot with all those things that you're doing.
Cathryn Anderson: Absolutely. What has really helped us over the years is coming up with a system to manage that overwhelm, because there's always going to be an idea that starts bubbling, and [00:25:00] sometimes within our organization, a lot of suggestions that get made about, “Oh, you should do this thing.”
And so, having a really good system for how to manage those things. And we have a team approach. So, if someone has an idea that they are really excited about bringing it to the team, and it's not necessarily a vote, but we kind of check in with each other. And want to do a little bit of a vibe check and see how excited everyone is. And really, is it going to hit our mission and make sure it aligns with our mission as much as possible.
If that gets thumbs up, then for the most part, we are usually all on the same page to add that to our development plan. But we do have a development plan that is structured into our entire year. Like this time of year right now, I've already shifted and I'm thinking about the fall and our fall, winter development for 2026, 27.[00:26:00] , because it takes a lot of effort to get those pieces refined enough that they're ready for the visiting public to come to your facility.
And so, it really has taken a lot of structure development over the years to feel comfortable in that. And sometimes ideas bubble up so quickly that you just want to jump on them, and they're in the moment, and they're ready to go. They're ripe for the picking, so to speak. But because of the amount of visitors we're seeing now, we really have had to focus and give ourselves that pause, and work on the structure that's going to help support something long term.
Christa Hein: That's great. So, you're not just running these small individual programs, you're also hosting large scale events that bring in thousands of visitors. So, I'd love to hear more about your Spring into Summer Festival that's coming up next month. What will that event look like and what role does it play in your overall mission?
Cathryn Anderson: Yes, absolutely. So, Spring into Summer is actually [00:27:00] going to be, technically, a new event for us, Although we've had something similar in the past with either a fiber festival or a leaping lambs type event. But this year we were kind of pulling back a little bit from just the fiber animal piece, and wanted to include everything that spring felt like it was to us. And so that was the creation idea.
And spring in the northeast is a magical time, because everything starts to green up so quickly. And so, we had this idea to really say it's this transition window. And we also wanted to have a kind of capstone on the other end of Harvest Festival, which happens in the fall, which is our largest event of the year. And so, we wanted something on the other side of that, and it felt right to do a spring into summer event at that transition point.
And so, this festival is going to be an opportunity, fingers crossed, for everyone to be outside and have a spring [00:28:00] experience where they'll be meeting some of our newest farm animals, some of the baby young stock that are coming in for the spring and summertime. Also getting an opportunity to explore the woods and explore what might be happening outside of a traditional farmyard space. And it's really going to be, I think, just so much fun because everyone is ready to be outside at this time of year. They really want that opportunity to be outside in the sunshine. And we're really hoping, again fingers crossed, for that warm weather.
Christa Hein: So, you also create a corn maze each fall which brings in, I read, 16,000 visitors. That's incredible. What goes into planning something at that scale?
Cathryn Anderson: Well, that's such a good question. And I would say that is probably one of the things that we do here that started as an idea and has turned into something that is really a huge part of what we do.
I guess it was in [00:29:00] 2015 that we would see about 5,000 farm visits a year total. And so, someone thought, “What about a corn maze”? And it started with just, again, that simple idea. But now, because we see so many people, there's so much more that has to go into that. And the corn maze, again, I start thinking about it honestly when we're in it the year before, about what is happening next year.
So, it's grown to be about five acres of corn, and we are fortunate that we have a team of really skilled equipment operators that are invested in making this experience. And so, we have a section that is close enough to our parking areas that we can use, which was another big factor for us. And when they start planting, they usually go out and we walk the field to make sure everything is going to be lined out this year. And they actually do a [00:30:00] cross planting, so they plant in two different directions. So, we get a really thick field, which is really kind of unique.
Then once the corn gets about knee high, we end up going out and we have a flail mower, which is a walk behind style, and we actually mow by hand. And so, we're a very low tech corn maze considering a lot of the other corn mazes out there that are using GPS for planning and planting. We are actually kind of mapping it out on paper and then trying to hit that mark. With a team of people on the ground, we then take a drone shot. So, we get an aerial view of the pathway we have, and we create a map from there that our visitors get.
So, it's a couple different parts to the process, but it's always fun, always a lot of work. And we've never mowed a beautiful picture. It's always some amount of swirls and whirls, even though I keep on hoping we'll get something amazing.
Christa Hein: [00:31:00] So what have you learned about using events as an entry point into deeper connection with the farm?
Cathryn Anderson: We're positioned, location wise, quite close to Portland and some more urban areas. And so, that gives our visitors an opportunity to experience a farm who maybe haven't had a lot of farm experiences. There are commercial farms in our area, but accessibility wise, we have that really unique factor that by creating an event or creating an experience that's easy for someone to get into, it really makes it accessible to anybody.
And we have worked very hard to do that over the years and created spaces that someone who just had a business meeting up on campus, might be able to come down and have a farm experience making apple cider with their child in the fall.
And [00:32:00] so, that piece has really allowed us to tap into new visitors, which continues that cycle of getting people to your farm, because you always need to create an entry point.
Christa Hein: Yeah, so, with all this growth and activity, there's also this reality that farms are always changing. And I think this is something that doesn't get talked about enough in farm education, the emotional side of change. I know that the dairy cow part of the farm was sold. Can you share a little about that transition and what the process of that change was like for the staff and the visitors?
Cathryn Anderson: Absolutely. It's been challenging and it continues to be challenging. For me, my role was to support my staff primarily and our visitors. There was anger, frustration, sadness. Many employees and visitors had grown up with these animals on our dairy farm. [00:33:00] And the history, and the connection to that, cannot be overlooked.
It is very intense for anyone, but certainly for someone whose livelihood has been focused on that. I felt like, if I was able to support my team and make them feel safe in that they were going to still have jobs to feed their families, then that was really what my primary focus was. And then creating understanding about that change and why that change was happening. So many things change over time, or sometimes, not a lot of time. And we were really so fortunate in the fact that our staff retention, we were able to keep a lot of our staff members employed here, and they are so invested in that organization because of that.
It certainly, you know, every day I think about it and [00:34:00] an empty barn space that used to have a whole herd of dairy cows and now doesn't anymore - it can't go unnoticed, but it is part of that cycle of change, and we really have seen a lot of change here, and it continues to change. Again, I come back to making sure the staff and the visitors felt supported in that change was really the biggest part for me and continues to be the biggest part.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So, for others who might be facing pivots or unexpected changes or unchosen changes, what perspective would you offer them for taking that step through that change to the other side?
Cathryn Anderson: I think allowing yourself time and understanding what led to the decisions and being able to settle within that and find what your focus is. Again, for me, it [00:35:00] felt easy because I had human beings that I cared about so much and making sure those humans were cared for in, addition to the animals, but that their livelihoods were cared for.
And figuring out the why. You know, was it still what I felt like was my meaning and my purpose? And that is not easy work to do. And I think that it took journaling, it took being in this space, and thinking about really where I wanted to see myself and the members of my team, to feel like that was the right step.
Christa Hein: So, through all these changes, you've stayed rooted in what really matters, which is sharing farm experiences with others. So, I'd like to bring us back to the listeners who are building their own farm programs in all kinds of settings. For someone just starting out, what feels most important for them to focus on [00:36:00] first?
Cathryn Anderson: Resources, I think. For us, it was resources and figuring out what resources you have. Whether those are physical things or maybe it's the school that wants to come visit and is looking for an experience, and starting to pull on those threads a bit, and find where there might be some connections.
And then also, keeping it small and in a perspective where, at the end of the day, you might be able to go home at the end of your day and have your work be able to stay at work or maybe not, depending on the situation that you're in. But keeping that kind of perspective in mind to be able to know this work can get so big. And on so many levels, it is not just a fun thing that people are able to do all the time. Sometimes it's their livelihoods and their families. So really having a way to ground yourself in where you have the control, and what [00:37:00] resources you have, and starting small but dreaming big.
Christa Hein: Yes. So, what do you think people sometimes overcomplicate when they're building farm education programs?
Cathryn Anderson: I think a lot of times we've heard that folks want to know how to align exactly with what a school is looking for. And in our experience, schools are so excited to have an experience that they can connect. And so, I don't think you have to worry all that much about the curriculum aligning with the school. Those teachers are so good at connecting to what they are doing, that there is just so much available for that connection. And so don't get bogged down in that little stuff.
And then another piece, that for us has been a big piece of how we've grown, is considering safety and how your visitors are going to have a safe and [00:38:00] rewarding experience. And you really can do that. So, don't get bogged down in it too much, but also always on the back of the brain, no matter who is coming and what age.
Christa Hein: Oh, great advice. This whole conversation really highlights how farm education grows and changes over time, layer by layer into something so much bigger than is first imagined. Cathryn, thank you so much for sharing your story and giving us a look inside what you've built at Pineland Farms.
Before we go, where can people learn about Pineland Farms online to connect or follow the farm?
Cathryn Anderson: We are on both Instagram and Facebook, and then we also have a website, pinelandfarms.org.
Christa Hein: Great. Thank you so much.
And to our listeners, if this episode got you inspired and thinking about what's possible where you are, I'd love for you to share it with someone else who's dreaming about this kind of work. If you haven't already, be sure to follow the podcast and leave a review. It really helps more [00:39:00] people find these conversations.
Until next time. Keep teaching, growing and connecting people to the land in your own unique way.
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.