188. Kelly Clark on Education and Community–Involved Permaculture

Do you have a passion for education and for farming? Can you live your dream and combine the two? Today we’re joined by Kelly Clark, Founder of Kelly’s Working Well Farm, located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Kelly’s Working Well Farm is an educational permaculture farm dedicated to the community. Take one piece of abandoned property at the edge of town, add a handful of sheep and goats, plus chickens and a couple of dogs, invite the community, and you have the long and short of the farm’s origin story!  As a teacher, Kelly spent her career seeking ways to cultivate authentic and lasting learning in her students, focusing not on external validation or evaluation, but rather on meaningful engagement with the material at hand.  Kelly’s Working Well Farm was created to provide an environment in which individuals could learn, grow, and explore through freely chosen, authentic, and meaningful activities. In such an environment, the boundary between work and play dissolves, and community bonds are formed via mutual interest and endeavors.  Join us to hear all about Kelly’s unique thriving farmer journey!   You’ll hear: What brought Kelly over from the teaching world to the farming world 1:27 The process of bringing the educational programs into the farm 6:31 How Kelly educates the children when they come to her farm 12:29 What different enterprises Kelly’s Working Well Farm is involved in 14:23 What kind of dehydrator they use 17:00  How Kelly uses sheep on the farm 21:51 Some of the struggles Kelly faced with the farm 26:32 People involved in Kelly’s legal case with the local township 30:52 What the future holds for Kelly’s Working Well Farm 33:49 What the marketing looks like for Kelly’s farm 41:02 Kelly’s favorite farming tool 46:03   About the Guest:  Kelly was inspired to start Kelly's Working Well Farm in order to create a place for members of the community to learn about permaculture and how to grow food and practice ways of living that benefit the Earth, each other, and the other beings with which we share this planet, our home. She grew up in northeast Ohio and has returned to stay there. Kelly is grateful to have the opportunity to nurture this land and observe as it becomes more productive with each passing year and also how it in turn nurtures the spirits of those who spend time there. Resources: Website: https://morethanafarm.org/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellysWorkingWellFarm  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethanafarm.kwwf/?hl=en#    The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor! At AgriGro®, we know that in today’s modern agriculture, our efforts can deplete life or add life. When you look for ways to add life, it’s sustainable and makes everything work better. The result is enhanced plant and soil health for crops, gardens, and turf, as well as improved animal health and environment for livestock and wildlife. Our products are all-natural, easy to use, and friendly to the soil, the plant, as well as the grower. AgriGro’s® formulations deliver essential plant nutrition along with an advanced prebiotic concentrate, which significantly increases the multitude of beneficial native microbial species already residing in the production environment. Through these environmentally sound technologies, we’re adding life to crop production, livestock, home, turf, and wildlife markets. You don’t have to be dependent on crop production efforts that deplete life…Just Add Life with AgriGro®.