The Dirt Path is no match for MapQuest. It parallels barely-beaten paths, dovetails lightly trodden foot trails and bisects more well-traveled roads. Inevitably, while traveling the Dirt Path, you’ll encounter the intersection where all four meet. Sometimes you don’t know where you’ll wind up if you detour, choosing one way over the other. You never know whom you may meet.

Bob Talbert and John Chartier don’t know each other. But the World War II vet-turned-farmer and the 21st-century-farmer-turned-educator do share a common philosophy along the Dirt Path: “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” John’s Dirt Path combines his passion for agriculture, his degree in Agronomy and his love of teaching children in an alternative farming profession as Educational Farm Camp Director at Frost Valley YMCA in Denning, New York.

John oversees Frost Valley Farm Camp, a co-ed summer camp for children ages 8 to 15. Farm Camp integrates farm and sustainable living education with traditional camp activities, which makes for a life-changing experience. “Campers come for two weeks at a time and we hold four two-week sessions,” says John. “I could have up to 56 campers at a time; but it’s still considered a small camp and more intimate.” This gives John an advantage: a captive audience with which to practice farming. “We get right into it,” continues John. “Sure, the kids do traditional camp activities like boating and archery. But they also do the farm chores: animal care, feeding, watering, gardening, weeding and harvesting. They all participate in the rotation of chores which start promptly at 7:30 am, before breakfast.” This hands-on experience gives children a sense for farm labor, instills a work ethic and encourages responsibility.

The Farming Passion
John’s no stranger to farming. Raised on a family farm in Kansas, John learned row crops and beef cattle. He attributes his farming values to his parents, values instilled in him at an early age. “I’m probably a 50th generation farmer, but I’m the first generation not to farm vocationally. After graduating from Kansas State in Agronomy (plant-soil science), I worked in sales for a large seed company for nearly five years, working primarily with corn and soybeans. But that lifestyle wasn’t for me.”

John always had his heart in farming, but needed to find where his passion lay. “I saw that much of the industrial system seemed to be driven by money, power and greed. My wife, Amy, and I didn’t want that to be what our life was about. We took a summer off, hiked the Appalachian Trail together and landed in Maine at a large organic farm, Goranson Farm. There we learned about farmers markets, CSAs and 40 acres of mixed veggies. We started with maple syrup season and apprenticed there right through to the frost. Growing up in conventional agriculture, Kansas is not a hotbed of organic. I wanted to see what this organic, sustainable model was and did it work. I had questions like ‘Can I make a living doing this?’”

John took a good, hard look at the system while knee-deep in it. “I wanted to find out the truths—of what it is or isn’t,” continues John. “Working at Goranson was a brutally labor-intensive summer, but I learned a lot. My agronomy background made it easy to pick up growing tips—depth-to-plant, what needs extra warmth, the science behind row covers. I use that knowledge daily here now. After a stint at Camp Greenville, a YMCA camp in North Carolina, I landed the Farm Camp position at Frost Valley YMCA. I liked the concept of a farm camp, and the more I got to know, the more it seemed like a natural fit.”

Farm Camp has about two acres tilled for garden use. “I’m passionate about growing and this part of my job really connects me with others,” says John. “We do fairly intensive vegetable production with over 40 varieties and a bit of fruit. Part of that harvest feeds campers, especially in the second half of the summer. We started providing all the greens for the entire camp, something we can do all summer long. A large pumpkin patch provides various squash for events like the fall farm festival. On October 18, Frost Valley invites the community to visit the farm and celebrate the harvest, Halloween and fall activities like apple cider making.

Selling Farm Camp’s ancillary produce at Bethel Woods was an epiphany for John. “Last winter, during a soul-searching process, a friend suggested I talk with some farmers. I met with Dick Riesling & Sonja Hedlund at Apple Pond and Dan Guenther in New Paltz who had experience with Brook Farm and Phillies Bridge, and Poughkeepsie Farm Project. With a few new ideas, I renewed my motivation and embarked on the farmer’s market idea. I now see two direct connections for my work:

1) Farm Camp gives kids the chance to grow veggies with purpose and for a purpose. Money rose through the Bethel veggie sales are donated to YMCA Madagascar. Frost Valley collaborates with YMCA Madagascar to teach subsistence farmers to adopt better growing practices and reduce the trash-&-burn approach to agriculture. The donations subsidize micro-loans and direct supplies that they may need, things that will make a difference. In total, we donate $1,500 to their program each year. I haven’t been to Madagascar to meet the farmers, but I’d like to eventually do Ag Mission work. My future hope is to develop that relationship and invite staff from over there to come here. We could train them and let them take that knowledge back with them to teach others.

2) Last year, I thought we were missing the opportunity to connect with the community. I realized I could get a better conversation going about food, if we sold our produce in person. Getting out to the market allows us to show people what we’re doing, hold up our produce and say, ‘See what we do? It really works and we can teach your kids how to do it!’ We’re selling vegetables but we’re really connecting with parents who want their kids to have this experience.”

An Educator’s Approach
John lives at Farm Camp year-round with his wife, Amy, and 2-year old daughter, Hannah. “I’ve been with Frost Valley for a little over year,” says John, “And it really works for me. It combines my passion for educating others with my passion for agriculture. My camp background wasn’t strong, but I was stubborn. I organized quickly and challenged myself to do this right—and I feel it’s been a genuine success.” Throughout the year, John oversees the making of high-quality compost for seed starting. In February, he starts the indoor nursery in a greenhouse at main campus. “We’re located at 2,100-foot elevation, so we transplant late,” says John. “Being in a cool valley in the shadow of Slide Mountain (hence the name Frost Valley), we try to beat the last frost by planting and nurturing seedlings indoors for as long as we can.”

Farm Camp garden work starts before campers arrive, with most of the hard work occurring prior to July 1. “Bed preparation, planting and weeding are in place when the kids get here,” says John. “We’re planting asparagus to zucchini, a typical CSA list. The Farm Camp garden is more a demonstration plot with lettuce greens and pumpkins grown specifically for the camp. We’ve talked about providing the main camp with all their veggies, but our kitchen just isn’t staffed for fresh produce. It’s far easier to open a 20-pound bag of frozen stir-fry mix and serve it to up to 500 kids. A fresh mix of greens requires labor to prep and cook; both cost more in time and expense. And honestly, kids are more interested in having fun outside, not chopping veggies indoors. We don’t want them to think of gardening as drudgery; we want them to leave here thinking farm chores are fun.”

Along with veggies, Farm Camp hosts 50 heritage breed chickens for egg sales. They also have sheep, rabbits, ducks, a donkey and pigs, to which go all dining hall scraps that don’t make the Farm Camp compost pile. “For demonstration purposes, we have a beef heifer and a dairy steer to show kids the structural differences between the two,” adds John. “A couple bottle calves round out the farm menagerie, as kids love to feed them.” A handful of milk goats give campers the first-hand experience of milking, getting up close and touching a farm animal. A huge draft horse pastures in retirement. “Old Jefferson’s a white Pershon that used to pull a cart in the City. One of his shoulders went bad, so he’s semi-retired here, working part-time as Chief Composter.”

The Perfect Path
For John, the rewards of being a farmer-educator come with watching someone do something for the first time. “When you watch a child and see the wonderment of milking a goat, or the revelation of eating a pea from the vine without washing it and finding out it’s ok, tasting how good it is—that’s what makes it for me. Farming’s an addiction—it’s fresh and connects us with where food comes from, how much work it takes to produce and how rewarding it can be. The fun stuff is to show kids what to grow, what it looks like and what it tastes like right from the soil. To watch them eat strawberries, potatoes, sweet corn and melons, for the first time, is priceless.”

Aside from teaching children, John finds himself mentoring staff, another rewarding aspect of his alternative agricultural career. “We usually hire people with backgrounds in agriculture education. I mentor them to help them find what their niche is. A couple of my staff are doing this as an internship and they’ve got leeway to develop an educational program. Here they’re working with the kids to see if their ideas work. At Farm Camp, these educators get a chance to see ‘Am I better working with kids or working with adults? Should I pursue elementary education or look for a job in Extension?’ I’ve been lucky to figure out what I’m good at. Now, I’m active in helping others figure out where they want to be in agriculture. At Farm Camp, they have the latitude to figure it out. I share my stories and experience. I give them insight and heads up on potential problems they might face. I want to see them succeed. And if they can achieve that personal sense now, here at Farm Camp and leave here with a good feeling for being a farm educator, then we’ve achieved our goal two fold. The kids leave here feeling good about agriculture and the staff leave here feeling good about educating others about agriculture.”

John also enjoys the farming challenge and educating. “There are so many variables in farming. You can manage many of them, but not all of them. It’s a fun game, trying to overcome the odds. By planning and preparing, you can stack the deck in your favor, but there’s no guarantee. With good planning and knowledge, your likelihood of success is high if you do things well and right, but you never get it perfect. In farming, you can continually challenge yourself, and you can always get better at it.”

As independent thinkers and entrepreneurs, John and Amy see a future in farming education. “A potential model for us might be a medium-sized CSA,” adds John. “I know we could always go back to Kansas to farm, but the challenge for us is farming sustainably and making a living out of it. When we toured farms in Maine, we asked a lot of questions. It’s apparent—it’s a struggle to farm. Much of it is a subsidized, and if you’re in organic, you’re in essence subsidized by the rich, because that’s who can reliably afford your product. Right now though, Farm Camp provides me the best of both worlds: I get to farm and earn a living wage.”

For those starting in farming, John has this simple advice: “If your head and heart are heading in the direction of farming, you are either going to do it or regret that you didn’t. Find and pursue the skills you’ll need in all the different areas of farming, so when you do it, you can do it really well. Follow your heart. Follow your business plan; make it make sense. Reduce stress by planning it out prior to starting. If it works on paper, there’s a good chance it should work in real life.” Along the Dirt Path, you too may find you share a common philosophy with John and Bob Talbert.

For more information or questions about Farm Camp, contact John Chartier at 845 985 2291 ext. 323 or e-mail farm@FrostValley.org.

Frost Valley’s 15-acre Farm Camp holds a Whole Farm Plan with the Watershed Agricultural Council. As the Council’s Communications Director, Tara Collins coordinates student and adult group watershed tours at Farm Camp and the Frost Valley model forest.

Madagascar YMCA Frost Valley Educational Farm Partnership
Madagascar is an island country off the southeastern coast of Africa. Its land area is approximately twice the size of Arizona, and has a population of over 20 million people. The country is classified as a low-income food-deficit nation, being ranking at 143 out of 177 countries. Malnutrition in rural areas is estimated to affect almost 50% of young children who suffer from stunted growth. Agriculture dominates the economy, with most of the population depending on subsistence farming. But this is not a country without hope. There are abundant natural resources which offer real potential for growth.

The YMCA movement in Madagascar is made up of 12 local branches coordinated by a national office located in the capital of Antananarivo. A fundamental focus at the YMCA is a commitment to education, social justice, sustainable development and human rights.

Frost Valley is a proud supporter of the Madagascar YMCA’s agricultural program. Seventy percent of Malagasy people are farmers. Unfortunately, the farmers’ crops are generally poor due to lack of knowledge, infrastructure and funding to implement good agricultural techniques. In 2008, our partnership with Madagascar YMCA provided resources to help farmers learn better techniques for growing potatoes. In 2009 the projects are related to Cassava and maize (corn) in a very isolated rural area where young people do not have many opportunities to make a good living. The farmers receive both financial assistance in the form of micro-loans and technical support. The farmers are able to improve their farms so they will be sustainable and viable into the future.

Frost Valley supports this program through the sale of eggs and vegetables from our Educational Farm, plus generous donations. The farm campers work hard all summer in the garden so there will be lots of vegetables to sell. We have been donating $1,500 per year since the partnership was formed in 2006. This partnership gives farm campers the opportunity to see how their actions can effect change on a global scale. This season, Frost Valley will also sell the farm produce at the Bethel Woods market in fall.

Frost Valley is pleased to support the Madagascar YMCA’s efforts to help the Malagasy farmers become sustainable. We are looking forward to many years of a dynamic and successful partnership.