SOUTH LYON, MI (WXYZ) — Land, livestock, and learning are the core values at Cardinal Farms in South Lyon. And all spring and summer, the owners are inviting the community to come out and learn about their food.
“Even if they’re never going to be farmers, they’re all going to be consumers and as consumers the more we understand about what it takes to grow and raise our food, the better consumer we’re going to be,” Cindy Kern, co-owner and operator at Cardinal Farms said.
Cardinal Farms offers various on-farm education programs.
Their programs are catered to young children ages 3 to 5, middle and high school-aged kids, adults, and families.
With their programs, they hope to reconnect residents with the Earth.
"When there was some scarcity it made people think about, ‘Well what would I do if I needed to grow my own food?’ And so this is an opportunity to think about, 'How can I be involved in the food system,'” Cindy said.
Natalie Kneifel and her two boys already visited the farm twice this year. They participated in the farm's Budding Farmers Program.
“I think it's important that kids can be in touch with their environment. I think it will make them good stewards of their environment going forward and just understand where their food comes from,” Kneifel said.
“Most kids are not gonna grow up to be farmers but everybody eats," Richard Kern, the other owner of Cardinal Farms adds. "So it's important to understand that part of the process."
At Cardinal Farms there are goats, pigs, chickens, vegetables, and more.
The wide variety of supply was strategic as the owners hoped to show visitors the cycle of the farm life.
“How the waste from the gardens can be fed to the pigs and how the manure from the pigs can fertilize the garden. So really seeing how that can be a whole loop,” Cindy said.
The Budding Famers Preschool program for kids ages 3 to 5 will cost families $15. The program runs for an hour and a half.
The farm also offers a three-day day camp for kids ages 5-6 and 7-12. That program ranges from $170 to $210.
The farm also has a Family Feed and Chores program where families can do evening chores with Farmers Rich and Cindy. That program costs $10 a person.
To learn more about Cardinal Farms or to participate in one of its programs, click here.
