A College Farm
COA is committed to preserving Beech Hill Farm as a working, sustainable organic farm that provides fresh produce for the COA campus and continues to serve local customers through wholesale accounts and the retail farm stand.  COA students, staff, faculty, and farm managers work collaboratively to meet the farm's threefold goal of local and sustainable food production, education, and good land stewardship.

COA Students have the opportunity to design and participate in independent studies, group studies, and final projects that involve the Farm.  Beech Hill Farm work study positions are available along with ongoing volunteering opportunities.  

The COA kitchen, or Take-A-Break , is known for providing wholesome, delicious food to students, faculty, staff, and community members. Collaborative work and planning between Beech Hill Farm and the kitchen is helping COA to "close the loop", forming a more sustainable system of food production and consumption.

Beech Hill CSA Farm Shares are made available in the fall primarily for COA community members.

Beech Hill Farm and the Mount Desert Island Community
The Farm's educational impact extends beyond the COA community: We operate Beech Hill Farm under an "open-book” policy, allowing other farmers to learn from our financial experiences and our work with alternative production techniques. COA is also building on Beech Hill Farm's tradition of providing tours to visitors and groups from local schools and summer camps, while donating excess produce to local charities. In the past year, Beech Hill Farm has hosted a puppet show, a cheese tasting event and art festivals. For the 2007 growing season, Beech Hill Farm will be hosting a series of "potluck discussions”. For more information on Beech Hill Farm events, please consult the Farm Calendar.

Internships
Beech Hill Farm also offers an internship program, which provides interns with the opportunity to immerse themselves in all aspect of farm management. A BHF internship can serve as a complementary experience to one's academic focus or can also provide a valuable hands-on introduction to farming. For a PDF version of our Internship Description, please click here.

Our Markets
Beech Hill Farm sells certified-organic produce as well as other items purchased for re-sale in its popular Farm Stand (link to farm stand section). Beech Hill Farm also offers seasonal "farm shares” based on the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Model. The concept behind the CSA Model is to facilitate and strengthen the consumer-farmer relationship: At the beginning of the farming season, customers pay approximately $200 to receive, on a weekly basis, a variety of pre-packed in-season produce, usually accompanied by various recipes. Beech Hill Farm also sells produce to Take-A-Break and to some wholesale clients, which consists mostly of local and seasonal restaurants.

Beech Hill Farm Managers
Farm managers Lara Judson '04 and Diane Lokocz '03 are committed to ecologically sound farming practices and land management.

Diane grew up in Rockland, Maine and graduated from College of the Atlantic in 2003.  After overseeing the gardens at the Burning Tree, a renowned local restaurant, for three years, she returned to manage Beech Hill Farm, continuing her commitment to the farm that began when she was a student.  Her passions include sailing, ceramics and all aspects of good food.

Lara grew up in central Pennsylvania on her family farm.  Before graduating from College of the Atlantic in 2004 she worked as a nanny abroad and a field biologist.  Lara began working as a manager of Beech Hill in 2004.  In addition to her love for food and farming she is a winning marathon runner.

Contact the farm about seasonal employment opportunities