Growing Community
At Forts Ferry Farm we believe food, farming, and education are powerful tools for building resilient communities. We partner with schools, nonprofits, and local organizations to create hands‑on learning spaces, supply fresh local produce, and support food‑service staff. Our garden builds, classroom lessons, farm tours, and cooking demos connect students and families to where their food comes from while fostering food literacy and stewardship. By creating stable markets for small farms and collaborating on inclusive, accessible spaces, we strengthen the local food web. Being active, long‑term partners in our community is central to how we farm and serve.
Forts Ferry Farm + North Colonie Central Schools
Forts Ferry Farm has developed a deep, multifaceted partnership with North Colonie Central Schools that demonstrates how local farms and districts can strengthen community health, education, and local food systems. Working closely with Food Service Director Lisa Ostrowski, Assistant Director Alex Clements, and Farm to School Facilitator Amber Cost, Forts Ferry Farm supplies fresh vegetables and herbs to school cafeterias while also providing hands‑on education—farm tours, classroom lessons on planting garlic and carrots, cooking demonstrations for food‑service staff, and even helping process 300 pounds of butternut squash for school mac & cheese.
Led by John Barker, our team goes beyond produce delivery to support program development, training, and outreach, including participation in New York State’s second annual Farm‑To‑School Summit. These combined efforts create stable markets for local farms, build food literacy among students and staff, and foster lasting community connections—an approach Forts Ferry Farm is proud to replicate with other local organizations.
Farm Tours
We host occasional farm tours that bring community members, local organizations, and students onto the land for hands‑on education about our farming practices. Tours cover ecology and basic biology, demonstrate sustainable techniques, and invite participants to dig in and learn by doing. Guests often get to taste produce straight from the source, reinforcing connections between food, environment, and seasons.
Forts Ferry Farm + Forts Ferry Elementary
After months of planning with students and teachers at Forts Ferry Elementary, we installed the first phase of their new vegetable and flower garden. Spearheaded by Amber Cost (NCCSD Farm to School Facilitator) and Amy Parks (Enrichment Specialist & Innovation Lab Teacher), and built with John and Jamie Barker of Forts Ferry Farm, we designed and installed raised beds tailored to a quirky, under‑utilized garden space at the school’s front entrance. The garden will serve as an outdoor classroom across multiple grades to teach ecology, plant science, agriculture, and food systems. This project was made possible by generous donations from Curtis Lumber Co. and Coast of Maine Organic, plus valuable support from North Colonie’s maintenance, custodial, and grounds teams and the students and parents who helped install everything on a community build day.
Forts Ferry Farm + 15 Love Tennis program garden revival
Forts Ferry Farm partnered with 15‑Love (Albany, NY) to rebuild their garden into a hands‑on learning and kitchen garden. 15‑Love’s mission is to provide resources and outreach to Capital Region youth—especially those in inner cities—using tennis as the medium, and their garden needed a rehab to better serve the kiddos. We installed five large raised beds, implemented hugelkultur soil design for improved fertility and water retention, and added accessible, kid‑friendly pathways so students of all abilities can participate. The refreshed space supports curriculum‑based lessons, seasonal harvests for cooking demos, and empowers young people to learn to grow their own vegetables.
