Hawthorne Valley Farm
Hawthorne Valley is a place to rediscover our connection to nature, to how our food is grown, and to ourselves as participants in a dynamic social and natural ecosystem. Through active food production, educational programs for children and adults, ongoing social and scientific research, and the cultivation of a vibrant artistic community, we pursue a modern way of living embedded deeply in the natural world. Our work emphasizes the social, ecological, and economic importance of agriculture in our daily lives. Our integrated learning campus sits on a 900-acre Demeter-certified Biodynamic® farm in Ghent, NY, in the Hudson Valley’s scenic Columbia County. Organized since 1971 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, our initiatives include: an early childhood through grade 12 Waldorf school; on-farm education programs; a full-line organic/natural foods and grocery store; a Biodynamic creamery and organic bakery; a mobile grocery market; a 300-plus member organic/Biodynamic CSA; social, ecological, and cultural research groups; teacher education programs; arts initiatives and more. Our work is based on genuine human relationships, wonder and love of nature, and continued commitment to self-development and lifelong learning in a social context. Visitors welcome!
camp & farm life
Summer Camp at Hawthorne Valley works in a symbiotic relationship with the farm. We strive to create meaningful relationships between campers, livestock and the earth.
“My favorite part of camp was herding up the cattle from pasture. It is really amazing to see how to work in cooperation with these large animals to gently move them to their destination with such ease. It was both empowering and humbling.”
