The Madison Farm
[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 Jenni Adams, co-founder and farm manager of The Madison Farm in Tennessee. A small non-profit educational farm located right on a school campus. Jenni comes from a background in teaching and social work, and together with her co-founder Shannon, they created a model where the farm isn't something students visit once, it's woven right into their daily experience.
Students are learning through real work, real seasons, and real responsibility. What's especially interesting about this farm is that it sits within a much larger ecosystem. A campus that includes schools and a church. So, today we're going to explore how all that works, how education and production come together, and what this kind of model might open up for other educators.
Jenni, thanks so much for joining us.
Jenni Adams: Hi. Thank you for [00:02:00] having me.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. So, let's start at the beginning so we can understand how this all came to be. Can you share a little about your background and what led you from teaching and social work into starting The Madison Farm?
Jenni Adams: Sure. My background is in social work, which I did for a number of years. And then I was teaching Spanish at Madison Academy for two years. And while I was teaching at the school, I had to take some classes, and one of them was Adventist Heritage classes. So, the Adventist Heritage class was history about our church, and I did a paper and I found out that our school was originally a huge farm.
It was a 400-acre farm, and they had this model of you could come and do school for free, but you just needed to work on the farm. And so, they taught people to be workers of different trades, including nursing, and then people would be missionaries. That was kind of their end goal, right? And learning about that history, it was just really cool. [00:03:00] I kept coming across all these stories of people that would sell their crops in California, and they would travel all the way to Madison to come and go to school there. But then we had nothing. [Laughter] So, while I was at Madison, we had no farm. There had been a couple of people who had tried doing gardens in the past, but nothing.
And so, learning about that history, and then my background in social work and understanding that being out in the garden, it's kind of natural therapy for people. So, you're literally seeing the fruits of your labor, and it just seemed so natural to have involved in a school setting. So, that's how it sparked in my head.
And little did I know that Shannon had been talking to the school superintendent about having a garden at the elementary school. She was teaching first grade at the time, and we started talking in a session, and then one thing led to another and we were like, “Let's start a farm!”
Christa Hein: Wow. And so, then did you start that right then and leave your jobs or was it a slow process?
Jenni Adams: [00:04:00] Oh, so, that was at the very beginning of the school year that we started talking about it. And the advancement director came across some school grants and was like, “Hey, you should apply for this.”
So, we started applying for it, and then we learned about this other grant that was like a $50,000 minimum. And we were like, “Alright, let's go big.” We wrote up a business plan, a proposal. And we had students involved in writing up this plan and presenting it. And we were getting ready, we were a finalist. And this is in, like, December or January we found out that we were going to be a finalist. And it's that time of the year where teachers are signing their contracts for the next year. And so, we're like, “We're all in, we're going to do this.” So, we both submitted our letters of resignation, which was an even bigger deal for Shannon, and…we did not get the grant.
We found that out in March, and we were already down that path. We were already starting our seedlings and doing things, and we were investing [00:05:00] our own family's money into the farm and using the school's property, which they were so gracious to let us use.
And that's where we started. We were hauling tools in the backs of our cars, because we didn't have a shed or anything. Shannon found a pastor who would till the ground as, like, a side hustle. So, we bush hogged, we cleared old material from past gardens that had gotten left out in the field, and we started clearing the ground and just started planting. We got tarps and covered after it got tilled, and it started super small, which is the best way to start.
Christa Hein: So, where did it go at that point, since you didn't get that grant. How did you eventually get it to the point where you could replace your salaries?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, we actually did not start collecting any type of money back, other than we did recoup our initial investment after the first year. But after that, we did not start, like, collecting [00:06:00] a stipend, if you will, because it wasn't really like a salary for many years. We were probably receiving halftime salary even three or four years ago.
Yeah, so I mean, it's definitely a labor of love. My husband is a huge supporter and he works full-time. I'm on his insurance. He is the breadwinner. But the farm is supporting a salary, which makes it possible for me to do this. So, it's not a glorious salary by any stretch.
Christa Hein: Well, so, as the founders, what were some of the big learning curves that you had in those early years, especially starting something that was both a farm and an educational program?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, so it's always been this fine balance, because we're part of this larger church in the school, right? We didn't want to keep requesting money from the same people that are constantly giving to the church and the school. So, there is that donor fatigue that happens in these smaller [00:07:00] communities.
That's how we knew we needed to make money off of the produce that we sell. But there is that balance of we all are learning. Shannon and I were learning on the spot. Like, I had no previous experience. Shannon had at least worked on an organic farm before, but neither of us had ever run one. So, it was a lot of trial and error.
We did get farm mentors right away. Like, we talked to other farmers in the area that grow, and they helped us. John Dysinger from Bountiful Blessings, they're down in Williamsport, Tennessee, he was a huge supporter. And even as we decided to create our own non-profit, one of our board members, David Obermiller of Harvest Fields in Fresno, California, really helped, because he had also done a very similar farm setup on the school campus. So, he helped us in guiding us with those nuts-and-bolts aspects of farming, which is like the business side of it, which is really good.
So, [00:08:00] having those mentors has helped. Also, we've developed relationships with other farmers in the area, so constantly learning, right? Because every season is different. And there's trials and errors, and it's always good to be able to bounce ideas off other people that are either experiencing those struggles or have already experienced it and can give that wisdom.
Christa Hein: Yeah, absolutely. Mentors are so important. So, I'd love to talk about the setting you're in, because this feels like a really unique piece of your model. Can you paint a picture of the Madison campus for us? Where is the farm located and how does it physically fit into your space?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, so Madison Campus, our church is Madison Campus Seventh Adventist Church and we have the school, which is Madison Academy. It's a pre-K through 12 school. And then we're at the back of the campus. So, the school owns like 50-ish acres. And so, the back five acres, we were able to get [00:09:00] zoned as agricultural space.
And so that's where we are. So we're still a walk, like, my high school gardening class, we walk to and from the school building for class. And the elementary kids, they walk over to the farm. It is a little bit of a hike, but it's not terrible. They get to explore and learn boundaries.
Christa Hein: So, with the connection to the elementary, the middle, and high school, how do those relationships work with the teachers day to day, and with the students?
Jenni Adams: Oh sure. Starting out it was really hard to shift the teacher's mindset about what being out at the farm meant, and it's really scary to get out of your regular routine, right? It can be really disrupting. So, it's taken years.
So, within the last three years, I've had a really huge shift from trying to draw the teachers and the students out to the farm, to now they're coming on a regular basis. Like, at the beginning of the school year, this year was the very first time that I've had teachers, during their [00:10:00] pre-session, they're like, “Let me schedule this up so we have reoccurring times to come to the farm.” Which is great!
So, before we had classes coming out to the farm, the first two years that we started, I think they were coming out maybe five times total, from K through 12. And now, that is like a normal week. So, we have pre-K, kindergarten, and fourth grade that come out weekly, and then first and second come out every other week, which is great. And then we have third grade that's coming up periodically, and then the gardening classes.
Christa Hein: Awesome. So, I'm really curious, how does being a part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and school influence how the farm operates or teaches? Is spirituality a big part of the lessons, or is it more the underlying thread?
Jenni Adams: So, it comes in really quite naturally, because we're in nature. And especially since we do have that Christian background, talking even about we were created from the earth, we get our sustenance from the earth, and then we will return to the earth. It's [00:11:00] a beautiful connection, and it's realizing that we're part of this bigger world and this bigger plan, right?
And so, it's also very humbling being at the mercy of nature in regards to what's going to happen with our crops, and seeding, and all of these things. So, it's woven in very naturally with that Christian background, which is really lovely and wonderful. And helps with the hard times, too. That's a very natural aspect of it in regards to us, especially being out in the community and everything. I think the biggest thing, and frankly even with all the students, the biggest point of it is building connections and relationships with people. Because we all just want to be connected and feel like we're part of a community. And I think that's the important part about what I'm doing with the farm. Whether it's at market or with students, it's building relationships, because that's so important. Like, we are wired for connectivity.
Christa Hein: Yeah, so is that how it fits into the [00:12:00] broader mission of the Madison Campus Church as well, through that community?
Jenni Adams: That's what I like to think. Whether I'm at the farm or at church, I want to make sure people feel like they're welcome and connected. Feel like they have a place to be themselves, because I think that's, I mean, church is kind of pointless if we come with a mask on.
Christa Hein: And what a beautiful return to the history of the land as well then, as that mission for the church to kind of get back to their roots, too.
Jenni Adams: A hundred percent. It's wild. And especially since we have church members, a lot of them grew up as farmers. And while they may not be doing it anymore, they remember what that work is like. It's really incredible to hear people's stories.
Christa Hein: So, I want to dig into how learning actually happens on the farm. How do the classes use the farm as part of the curriculum, not just as a field trip, but as this integrated learning space?
Jenni Adams: Sure. So high school, that one is, it's a straight [00:13:00] up gardening class. That is what the curriculum is. And Acquainting Agriculture is the curriculum that we follow. It's really beautiful. I don't know if you've ever seen any of JM Fortier’s books or Curtis Stone's books, how they've, like, just drawn the, any type of artwork. It has a very similar feel, so visually, it's very appealing and not overstimulating. And just draws out beautiful examples in there.
And it starts with a worship thought, and then it has either a health lesson or science lesson woven into it. But I follow that loosely for the school year with the gardening class, and that's what we do. And then we do a little bit in the book. And then I try to do as much hands-on as possible, because that's where it's really at.
And then with the other kiddos that come to the farm, we may do a project when they come. But a lot of times, especially some of my kids that haven't been coming on a regular basis for multiple years, like, my first graders have been coming to the farm since they were in [00:14:00] pre-K, so their experience at the farm is different than my second or fourth graders who are coming to the farm.
A lot of times it feels like they're just coming for a recess, but there are boundaries that they are respecting and following while they're at the farm. And then they're doing a lot of gross motor play which is incredible to see. And then creative play, which a lot of kids I'm seeing are needing help learning how to do that, which is really interesting.
Yeah, it's great. They haul each other around on wagons. And they climb wood chip mountains that we have from a tree company that will drop wood chips at the farm. They play in the mud kitchen a lot, which that right there is a whole lot of conversation development in regards to conflict resolutions.
So, there's a lot of, I guess you would say non-scholastic learning that's happening at the farm, but I think will help them as they grow into bigger humans.
Christa Hein: Yeah, it is [00:15:00] amazing how it just provides this platform for all these different subjects outside of science and learning. Just that interpersonal, as you mentioned.
Jenni Adams: Yeah. Well, and then if anything breaks while we're at the farm, that's a big thing. Like, I try to make sure that they see how it gets fixed, so we try to fix it together. So, they learn how to take care of their tool. It's so interesting.
It's really quite lovely to see these kiddos on the farm, and especially now that I have chickens that is their favorite thing. The chickens and the cats, they all want to hold them.
Christa Hein: So, I want to zoom in on your work with high school students, because it's such a powerful piece. Can you walk us through your high school work study program? What does a typical week look like for those students?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, so the high school work study program, during the school year they can work anywhere from four to eight hours. So, we work on Sunday, and then we work on Monday and Wednesday after school. And they come in and [00:16:00] they're doing either weeding or seeding or transplanting. Laying down drip tape. They're just helping with the regular operations of the farm.
They have to apply for the job, they have to interview with me. And then we encourage them to learn how to advocate for pay raises as their skills develop and their responsibility increases. So that is a big aspect, you know? This is training for what they're going to do after high school or even in high school. They may work outside of the farm in high school.
But it's really great, especially, at least in Tennessee, teens don't always push to get their license right away. So, it makes it also really accommodating for families who are working, and it gives that space for their kiddos to be in a safe place where they're learning and they are gaining some work experience. But yeah, it's hands-on learning. It's basically gardening class on steroids minus the [00:17:00] bug.
Christa Hein: So, what shifts do you see in students when they're given that level of ownership and responsibility?
Jenni Adams: So, I've had some students that have come and worked at the farm, and they are totally tapped out. And I'm thinking of one student, and I gave him a task of weeding a bed. And he plugged in his headphones and he weeded that bed like a champ. And I thought he was going to fail at it, frankly. That's why I had given him that job, like, it's a hand weeding job, there's no way that this can go bad. And it was phenomenal. And his ownership of that was great.
And then it helped build a relationship with the student. You then have a connection as a support for that student, you know? So, I think there's that connection aspect that I was talking about earlier. We all want to feel like we have a place to belong. And so that's where those relationships go beyond. Like when I see them in the hallways at the school or at , it helps build that [00:18:00] competency, because high school it can be tough, right? Middle school is even worse. [Laughter] So, I mean, it's good to have other people that you can talk to.
And also, because we're out there working, I'll be out there working with them, and so it provides opportunities to talk to them and see what's going on in their day. So, in that aspect, I'm not a therapist, nor am I doing therapy, but it allows a space for them to process their day and what they’re going through while we're working, which makes it less intense.
Christa Hein: Yeah. It just seems that when you're using your hands, focused on another task, the conversation changes and people just become freer.
Jenni Adams: Yeah. And then I have some students that have talked to me about, you know, post working at the farm, they'll go and apply for another job. And do another job and they're like, “Oh, that was so much easier than being at the farm.” [Laughter] So, it creates this like really big heavy bar of this is really hard work. This might be easier. That's good, right? Like it helps them, you know, figure out what they want to do [00:19:00] and also explore other options other than college, post high school. There's trades that people can go into, which is a huge need right now. So, it's also a great time to explore what do you want to do? There's not only one path to take, because that path is not necessarily for everyone or not for everyone right now.
Christa Hein: So, you also offer a gardening or agriculture class. How does that differ from the work study experience?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, so it's definitely shorter in time. So, the gardening class meets only twice a week for about 45 minutes to 50 minutes. And it is more introductory of what we're actually doing at the farm. And they also get to do a little bit more fun things than those student workers. The student workers, it always starts out with weeding, because that's kind of the safest thing to get them started on while they get familiar with things
But the gardening class is a little bit, like, you get a little bit more taste of this and that. And they get to learn about soil amendments in the [00:20:00] first year and get to dabble in that and the science behind that. Whereas, the farm, we don't dive into the science behind it necessarily, unless someone's asking questions and then we'll talk about it more, It's more, “Here go measure out these amendments, bring these buckets back. Let's lay them down.” The gardening class also, this last Tuesday, they got to go harvest strawberries for fun. It was really relaxed, and sometimes that's just what they need.
Or we got baby chicks. Let's talk about baby chicks. And you can hold a baby chick while we're talking about the baby chicks. Which is wild to see that, like, I have a lot of students that don't like to get dirty and are scared of bugs in gardening class. Or just don't want to be there. And holding a baby chick, you can see it on their face. They're just like, oh, like their face. And their whole demeanor totally changes and it's beautiful. It's just, it's incredible to see.
Christa Hein: Yeah. So, you mentioned some of your programs with your younger students. How do you approach hands-on learning differently with younger age groups? Do they also get to weed and [00:21:00] do some of those farm chores?
Jenni Adams: Yeah. Usually in the fall they get to do a lot more experiences and gleaning, which is a great way for them to get used to harvesting. So, it's developing those fine motor skills or having to hold shears to harvest okra. There's that aspect. And then we will do some weeding with them if they're ready for it.
I have some kiddos when they come to the farm, they're like, “Farmer Jenni, what are we going to do today at the farm?” And so those kiddos, I'm like, “Okay, let's go find a task.” A lot of times they'll help me carry sandbags around to lay out for the first frost. So, they'll help with that, or they'll help me move mulch different places. So those are the big things.
Christa Hein: So, do you also work with schools outside of the school that you're a part of? Do other classrooms come to the farm?
Jenni Adams: I haven't had any other schools approach me other than homeschool groups. [00:22:00] I've had a couple homeschool groups come and do lessons at the farm. So, like for one, we had a rotation set up, so they did bug collecting in one and then they walked through a field of cover crop. And another one, we did collecting flowers to match colors.
So, we'll do different rotations and activities like that with other groups or based on what the teacher is wanting to learn and go over. I had second grade come once and they did a nature journal, so nature journaling, and then explaining that. Or even processing through how to get thoughts out on the page with some creative writing activities while they're at the prompt. So maybe it might be a prompt with something out in nature, but helping them process through that, which is really interesting.
I don't remember what it was like when I was younger, but trying to train your brain to do that creative thinking is, I would argue, is maybe a little bit more [00:23:00] challenging these days. So, it's kind of helping them learn how to do that as well, how to process through and imagine things.
Christa Hein: Are there opportunities for other people in the broader community to have any experience with the farm?
Jenni Adams: Yeah. I currently have two volunteers at the farm. I love having volunteers at the farm. I get a little overwhelmed sometimes with preparing and training them. But that is something I am working on growing right now, getting more volunteers in to help with the farm, because that is a natural learning opportunity. Just like the work study is a natural learning opportunity in the gardening class. So, it's very similar, but for adults.
We also have had a cooking class at the farm for adults. We had a chef teach a cooking class and then we ate together. We've had farm dinners, yoga classes, yoga at the farm. So, we have different activities for coming out to the farm. I'm usually pretty open to it. Right now it's that really busy season and I'm like, I want to do all the [00:24:00] things, but there's like the reality check in mind, too.
Christa Hein: That's what I was going to ask about next, some of the behind the scenes types of things. So, I'm curious, how big is your team? Is it just you and Shannon and the students, or are there other staff that help out as well?
Jenni Adams: Yeah, so I am the only person paid right now. Shannon is actually working at Bloomsbury Farm School, which is a forest school. So, she is doing that now. Though she still sits on the farm board and she's very much involved. She's still a very good friend. And, I have the five student workers that are working for me, so that is the team for the most part.
My parents help out. My dad is my small engine repair man. And my mom mows on a regular basis for the farm. And then my husband is also very supportive. He helps me unload sometimes from market or will help with different tasks. I'll send out an SOS to him, and he'll come and help out.
And [00:25:00] another board member, David Kelly, he graduated from Madison Academy when the farm still existed. He used to work on the dairy farm here. And he has been a huge supporter of the farm, he and his family. And he also has passed down a lot of knowledge. I mean, I have a lot of people around the farm that have provided a lot of support and guidance, but right now it's just me and the students.
Christa Hein: So, what does the farm look like in the winter months? Do you continue program or shift your focus during that time?
Jenni Adams: Oh no. So, I really encourage teachers to keep bringing their kids out in the winter. This year we started building fires to help with heat. Now if it was like deluge pouring, like, they don't have the gear for that, we would cancel for that. But even on really cold days, they were coming out.
Now it's Tennessee. We don't get terribly cold in the wintertime but yeah. They would come out, sometimes we would do maybe more things in the greenhouse or the high tunnel so the kids can experience the [00:26:00] difference in temperatures with those different spaces. And then especially, like January when it's usually the coldest here, that's when we start seeding, so they get to be part of that seeding process.
So yeah, we just adjust with the seasons. I don't have market after Christmas, so my workload with the farm, you know, that major production part, I let it hibernate through the winter. So, that decreases some of that until February and then we start jumping in again.
Christa Hein: So, the farm operates as a nonprofit, but with some for-profit elements. Can you explain how that hybrid model works, and how your farm sales and programs work together to support the farm?
Jenni Adams: Sure. We sell at East Nashville Farmer's Market on Tuesdays. That is April through December. And then we also sell a CSA which is Community Supported Agriculture. It's like a produce subscription and we sell that also. So, those are two major ways.
And then we also [00:27:00] deliver produce to a local, like, it's part of our church. It's like a bookstore health food store. So, they sell bulk seeds and other yummy things. And so, we also deliver our produce there. So, we sell at Nourish Christian Marketplace, and then the CSA, and out of the farm as well as in the market. So those are our main revenue streams.
And then the non-profit side comes in, like, we do ask for donations to help with operating costs or special projects. So, we have donors that help with that. We just installed a new deer fence for the farm, because we had such damage last year from deer pressure. So, some of those big projects we ask for donations or grants for and that's what helps the farm exist.
Christa Hein: So, I'm curious, since you've been with it really from the start, what have you learned about sustainability both financially, but also [00:28:00] energetically, because you're doing this all by yourself in running a model like this?
Jenni Adams: I've learned you need to ask for help and counsel. And then also, I've read the Lean Farmer. I listened to it on audiobook probably three times, which has helped me a lot in regard to streamlining things so I have less waste. Because I don't want to waste, not only the farm's money, but other people's money especially.
You know, helping streamline efforts, and energy, and tasks. So, that also looks like, I'm not going to grow things that people don't want to buy at market even though it may be really cool.
Christa Hein: Yeah.
Jenni Adams: There is that balance of I'm still growing purple beans, but I'm not going to grow the same amount of purple beans as my green beans, because some people still just want a green bean at the end of the day. Just streamlining how we operate and do things has helped.
My husband is a good realist and a numbers person, so, he likes to do a lot of the statistics for me about how the farm is [00:29:00] operating. Like what crops are doing well, these are the crops that you really should put your energy towards, because you did well in selling these last year. So, that's really helpful.
And there are setting boundaries. So, like I said, we're part of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, so we take Saturday as a day of rest. That is our Sabbath. And the only thing I will do at the farm is I'll come and water the seedlings, and if I need to water something else. But a lot of stuff I've set up to be on timers, which helps a lot. It's given a lot more freedom and reassurance that things are going to get watered, because I will forget, because I'm trying to do other things. So that has been a really nice thing, because that is now a designated family day, which is great. But also, my kids are getting older, so they come and they help out and do things at the farm. So, that helps with still being with family.
I would say there's a lot of trial and error. There's been a lot of times where I've wanted to quit. Like last year I definitely wanted to quit. It was an awful year, because of so [00:30:00] much crop damage, but this year has already started out so much better. Like, it is just riding it out, riding out those tough points helps because, you know, that's just life. There's bad days and good days.
Christa Hein: Right, the farm definitely teaches resiliency, because it's just that practice. It's always changing and it's unpredictable as well.
What are you dreaming about next for the farm? Are there any projects or programs or directions you're excited to grow into?
Jenni Adams: Oh man. I'm really excited to grow more of the fun crops that people always want, like corn and watermelon, which I've never really grown here at the farm. My son is super stoked about the corn and the watermelon, because those are his two favorite things and we haven't grown them before. So, I'm really excited about doing that.
But also, I dream of doing more homeschool cooperative groups with preschool age kiddos as they are [00:31:00] learning. This is like a 10 plus year plan of, like, a cooperative with parents as they're doing homeschooling with their kiddos and with the farm. So, I think that would be wonderful. But continuing to have kids at the farm.
I do want to develop some plots for classes to also have their own class plot that they are in charge of and have ownership of and will come and tend independently. So that is a big goal. So, I'm trying to decide would I do this in the high tunnel? There's a lot of other variables, right? Because the school year is mostly during the wintertime when we have inclement weather. And so, making it more realistic and possible for them.
So yeah, lots of ideas. And like I said, Shannon is on my board, and she is such a creative, and has more of an education background than I do. So, she has lots of wonderful and beautiful ideas that [00:32:00] I'm like, “Oh you tell me and I want to do that now.” So, it's great.
Christa Hein: So, I'm curious, for our listeners, especially those connected with schools or community spaces, what would you want them to know if they're considering starting a farm like yours?
Jenni Adams: Oh, I guess it would probably be to find out what your community is looking for and tap into that. But you'll, more likely than not, if you're wanting to start a garden or a farm in connection with your school, there's somebody in that school that wants that also.
Because parents see it, like, the kids that struggle to sit still in class will do really well at the farm. Those are the ones that thrive in the farm setting, because they want to be moving and doing those gross motor activities that they can't really do in a classroom. And it also gives them moments to thrive and show how wonderful they are instead of being in trouble. Which it's no fault of the teacher or the students, just, [00:33:00] you know how it goes.
But I would just say do it. Start out small and grow slowly. But when you're starting out small, think about the big plan that you want, because it's harder to make those changes as you're growing. If you haven't thought about that big plan, if you are wanting to have a bigger space, it helps to already have those steps in place.
So, we started out with just one plot and we put a shed close by because that was convenient, but we'd never thought about how we were going to grow and how that would change. And now we're looking at stuff and, “Oh, this needs to be different, because we are starting here now and everything is over here instead of over there.” That's part of the lean farming, right? We want to reduce waste of steps and movement. And so, that's part of think about what your big goal is, who your target audience is, and kind of really try to hone into that.
And find out who else is interested and get them on board to help you so you don't get burned out. So, tap into those other people that are passionate about it as well. [00:34:00] And don't give up. It'll get better. There’s always, you know, because I'm coming from this Christian background, like, the devil's always going to try to get in the way. Doesn't want you to succeed.
Christa Hein: So, as a founder, what has this experience taught you that you didn't expect when you first started?
Jenni Adams: Oh, how much I would like it and how hard it would be to let go of it. I find it very hard to go back to any type of other job, thinking about going to a different job, just, like, no, that's okay. I don't want to do that. Even though this has been hard, I would rather do this than that. So, there's a lot of joy in it. Even though there's a lot of chaos, there's a lot of joy in it, and I love it.
Christa Hein: Awesome. Sounds like you found your passion.
Jenni Adams: Yep, by accident.
Christa Hein: So, as we wrap up, where can people go to learn more about your work online and connect with the farm?
Jenni Adams: Sure. So, our website is themadisonfarm.com. But you can also follow [00:35:00] us. More updates are on Instagram @themadisonfarm and on Facebook.
Christa Hein: That's awesome. I love seeing how powerful it can be when learning is rooted in real work and connection to the land, and when a farm becomes a part of something bigger. A school, a community, a shared mission, how much deeper their learning can go because of that. Jenni, thank you so much for sharing your story and giving us a look into what you've built.
Jenni Adams: Thank you for having me. This has been really nice to reflect on.
Christa Hein: Absolutely. To our listeners, if this sparked an idea for you, especially if you're connected to a school, a church, or a community space, this might be a model worth paying attention to. There are so many ways that this work can take shape.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow the podcast so you'll stay in the loop and new episodes will show up for you each week. Thanks so much for being here. Keep teaching, keep growing, and keep connecting people to the land.
Christa Hein: [00:36:00] 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.
