Prospect Meadow Farm Opens New Vocational Barn
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prospect Meadow Farm last week officially opened a new barn to sell plants and other goods it produces.
Prospect Meadow Farm Berkshires is an expansion of ServiceNet's first farm in Hatfield that has provided meaningful agricultural work, fair wages, and personal and professional growth to hundreds of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since opening in 2011.
The Berkshires farm opened on Crane Avenue two years ago and has now introduced a new vocational and unwinding space for the more than 25 farmhands who get paid a minimum wage.
"This is a facility for our folks who work on the farm to learn additional skills and do additional work," said Vice President of Vocational Services Shawn Robinson at the Friday event. "So we have a food packaging space, we've got a walk-in cooler space, we've got a floral design space, we've got a farm store room for staff, lunch room, and then a meditation room that we're standing in now, which is when you're having those hard moments and you need to get away from everything.
"This is going to be a peaceful place you can find and sort of find some comfort, and then hopefully get back to work."
The barn was built by funds from the state Executive Office of Economic Development and the state Department of Agricultural Resources that equated to around $600,000, with ServiceNet contributing around the same amount. The structure took over a year to build.
The state's Department of Developmental Services Commissioner Sarah Peterson spoke on how meaningful this farm and ServiceNet is to her and that this place is important to those who need it.
"Places like this are so crucial because they create opportunities for people living with disabilities that aren't plentiful," she said. "People living with developmental and intellectual disabilities have an unemployment rate over 25 percent five times the rate for people without disabilities, even more jarring is under appointment, which is at 80 percent. That means that four out of every five people with disabilities earn below market rate wages and have limited upward mobility.
"The building itself is really impressive, but what you're really seeing here is the result of vision. It's about opportunity, it's about community, and it's founded in the belief that every person deserves the chance to learn and work and contribute to thrive under the leadership of ServiceNet."
One aspect of the barn will be the market where produce from the farm and other local growers will be sold as well as keeping the tradition of Jodi's Seasonal, which previously occupied the location, alive with plant sales. The market will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"Everything you see in terms of the tomatoes, the fresh produce, that's all done with the hands of our farm hands here, individuals with disabilities who get out every single morning, get in those greenhouses, put their hands in the dirt, and make all of this happen, and this is just the start," said Robinson. "This farm is a little over a year old at this point, but give it another two years, and we hope to be growing enough food to share throughout the Berkshires."
Robinson said the farm is focused on local food security, recently partnering with the Hatfield Council on Aging and planning to work toward making enough food to partner with places in the Berkshires.
He said the barn serves the Hatfield farm and what the employees here needed.
"We've been able to learn the needs of the farm hands who work there and so we have learned that they need a comfortable break space for those times where it's hard to be out in the fields, we've learned that a quiet space for when you're going through something you need to be away from people are key, and then also we have a small farm store in Hatfield, but we've seen increasing interest in retail work from our participants, so we thought it was time for a larger-scale farm store," he said.
Robinson noted that Prospect Meadow Farm has helped the individuals working there feel valued and head.
"When someone harvests vegetables that will help feed local families, they know that their work matters. When someone cares for an animal, helps a coworker, serves a customer, learns a new skill, earns a paycheck, or contributes to a team, they know that they matter. The feeling of being needed, valued, and capable is incredibly powerful, and that's what we strive to give each day," he said.
Robinson has many future goals for the farm, such as a ice cream shop, feeding more people, and holding classes for other individuals ServiceNet serves.
"ServiceNet serves unhoused individuals, ServiceNet serves individuals struggling with substance abuse, maybe there's weekend trainings or evening trainings we can offer them to give them additional skills outside of the hours of our normal program that then they can, you know, work with their shelter staff or their substance abuse staff to then take those skills and find employment," he said.
There are also plans to expand the culinary program and carpentry program, and allow for workers to focus on one aspect of farming at a time to see which they preferred.
Robinson also said he hopes to work with a local horse farm to offer therapeutic horseback riding as it has been an interest in many at the farm.
If anyone is interested, Robinson said they are looking for more people.
"Right now we're welcoming more farm hands, so if there's people out there who you know are an individual with a developmental disability receiving DDS services and maybe looking for a change or first job or anything like that, they should check with their service coordinator or reach out and consider taking a tour at the farm," he said.
You can visit the farm at 717 Crane Ave.
"To the Berkshire community. Thank you for welcoming us and joining us on this journey, and most importantly to our farm hands. Thank you for inspiring us and challenging this building to learn. We're going to use it to laugh, we're going to use it to develop friendships, overcome challenges, and get a lot of farming work done," Robinson said.
Tags: farming, vocational program,
