Linda Judd, an army veteran and a retired science teacher from Churchville-Chili, purchased a farm in Hilton. Returning to Hilton after traveling the world was not a coincidence. This is where she grew up and where her mother Marilyn, a renowned gardener, had taught her the art of gardening and food growing.
Helping her mom, Linda fell in love with nature and farming. She decided she would be a farmer one day and share her knowledge of farming and growing food with others. This was the start of Marilyn’s Learning Farm & Garden – a summer camp for children who want to spend time outdoors and explore farming as a possible career path (marilynslearningfarm.com).
During the first two years, Linda struggled getting started. Camp enrollments were low, in some weeks there were no children and keeping the camp’s door open turned out to be a challenge.
This is where CCE-Monroe intersected. Linda joined the Agritourism Farmer Training, developed by the CCE-Monroe to help farmers who wanted to create public events on their farms.
Through this training, Linda sharpened her business skills. She improved her marketing, narrowed down her target audience and sharpened her business focus. She toured well-known agritourism farms in the area to gain new ideas. She utilized the help of an Agriculture Program intern from the SUNY Brockport Department of Travel and Tourism, to shadow her during a few camp days and take a fresh look to provide feedback to further improve the camp’s operations such as outdoor classroom set up, flow of farm activities and communication with parents.
This year is the Marilyn’s Learning Farm & Garden third summer and Linda is reporting a significant increase in enrollment, including several returning campers. Attendance has doubled and some weeks are fully booked.
“Due to the help and important critical feedback of the program and the intern, I changed many areas of the farm curb appeal. The curriculum was not a problem, but the presentation of the farm and its marketing presented shortfalls that kept my business from thriving. Due to the training that I received from Cornell Extension, I have seen great success in my program this year. I keep in touch with Cornell Extension, and I modify the program as necessary. I am indebted to the CCE-Monroe Program, they have helped to achieve a dream of mine, making my business a reality,” Judd said. “Kids do love the curriculum, I have repeat students, and parents spread the word. I hope to grow this agricultural learning center for all to impress on our community the importance of farming, animal care, and conservation. The farm now offers summer camp, private horseback riding lessons, and tours to pre-school children and the public. I am thankful to Cornell extension for all they have done for me.”
For more information about Agritourism Farmer Training, contact Jarmila Haseler, jh954@cornell.edu.
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