Brickyard Educational Farm: Montgomery County Farm-to-School Hub

Brickyard Educational Farm (BEF), the farm education program hosted on Nick's Organic Farm has had enormous success since its opening in February. Already, BEF has served over 1000 Montgomery County students through farm field trips and classroom visits, and over 150 supporters and visitors have attended the monthly family volunteer days. 

Unfortunately, Nick's Organic Farm and Brickyard Educational Farm are being threatened by destruction. Instead of preserving this incredible assett that has been farmed organically for the last 32 years, the County wants to bulldoze and flatten the field and turn it into soccer fields and parking lots. 

We have proposed an alternative. We would like to see this land used as a Montgomery County farm-to-school hub. And that vision is already materializing and gathering support from individuals and organizations across the County and region. 

Andrea Northup of DC Farm to School Network said, "Youth in our region desperately need the opportunity to connect with their source of food. Engaging kids with hands-on food & farm education is the best way to convince a child to eat food that grows from the earth - food that we know is good for them. Brickyard Educational Farm is a great model of a farm that's undoing kids' affinity for processed, convenience foods and helping them get excited about food that comes from the earth!"

Even retired MCPS teacher, Sandra Geddes had something to say, "As a retired teacher and environmental educator I recognize the value of an educational farm in our area.  I love that students don't need to travel to far areas of our county or to other counties to experience farm education and environmental ecology.  I loved visiting the [Brickyard Educational] farm and noting the good practices highlighted by your wonderful program."

With the positive feedback that continues to come in from students, parents, teachers and community members that visit the farm, we hope that the County will realize this incredible asset and rethink their plans to build soccer fields and parking lots on the Brickyard Rd school site. Montgomery County is known for its excellent school district and innovative and forward thinking spirit. Let's embrace this movement towards sustainability, education and learning, connection to the land and healthy food, and find elsewhere for soccer fields. 

Save Brickyard Educational Farm and Nick's Organic Farm! 

If you care about this issue, here are some things you can do: 

1. Check out our website and sign our petition.

2. If you are an MSI family, sign our special petition here (MSI is the soccer organization that wants to develop the land).

3. Come to the Brickyard Educational Farm fundraiser this Saturday from 12-3. Buy tickets today!

4. Write a letter to your County Council member and Board of Education member asking them to save Brickyard Educational Farm and Nick's Organic Farm for the future of environmental and farm education in Montgomery County. (Please copy us at info@brickyardeducationalfarm.org)

5. Join our volunteer list for Brickyard Educational Farm by emailing sophia@brickyardeducationalfarm.org.