I know this is old news, but I was wondering what people thought of this place: http://www.napanews.com/templates/index.cfm?template=story_full&id=56A8E5BC-245A-4BB6-8568-37690D4F7624
This place is great. We visited there a couple of years ago. However, it is no longer a commune. The land is owned cooperatively. But each family owns their own house. You have to be able to take care of yourself and your family in order to move there. I think you have to put up a certain amount of money also to move in. And you have to be accepted by the other members of the community. Maybe someone who lives there will be able to give better advice. Kathi
I've always idealized it, but I don't really know what it's like. Ina May is amazing, and I love her books and her work, and I love what it seemed to be like bake in the day, but it seems to have changed a lot. Still seems nice, though.
I've always had a fascination with the Farm and didn't realize until I went on their website last year that they were not a commune any longer. I've been looking at an intentional community in Va. called Twin Oaks that I find interesting.
It's an interesting article, but I'm surprise they would do a piece on the Farm without mentioning the ground breaking body of work done there by the lay-midwives in the homebirth movement. There is also no mention of the wind and solar power projects of the Farm. Like some of the rest of you, I have idealized the Farm over the years. I'm sure it is not the haven I've imagined, but does seem that a group of young hippies set out to do something good, and they created a beautiful life for themselves and they people that they have touched. I plan to visit one day and attend one of their midwifery workshops.
The Farm is still an incredible place. We visited for a few days a couple of years back. They have rooms you can rent at the Ecovillage Training Center. And I think a family named Bloomfield rents rooms also. The community spirit and connectedness is great. Not like it is here in the city where we barely know our neighbors. Kathi
For a few years, The Farm sent a crew out with us tree planting, I loved those guys, they were not that good at it, but had great hearts and sperit. I have not visited the Farm in over 10 years, definatly time to check it out . Good lock to all there changes
Great to hear from you all about this fascinating place. If I was a few thousand miles closer I would definitely try to visit. Stay safe people.
i dont live that far from it maybe a hour and a half. i was going to go to a few unity fest but my mom wouldnt let me. i meant a guy that lives there at bonnaro and an art and crafts show
i read about the farm awhile ago in a book (a walk across america- i would read this a thousand times over if i owned it) and the guy who walked across america (peter jenkins) tells about the farm and how it was so great and everything (i thought this was my dreamland) but then he discovers it's not all it's cracked up to be, there were things behind it everyone i reccomend this book to you
I first heard of the Farm in the late '70s on a TV show called IN the News. I think the Farm is a shining example of what a community can be. I'm sure there are plenty of others but the Farm is the most popular. In the late 60's Steve Gaskin use to give seminars in San Franisco where he attracted a large following. He saw first hand the problems encountered at open-land communes such as Morning Star & Wheeler's Ranch; the law, neighbors, housing, food, health, sanitation etc. A friend of mine was on the bus caravan in '71 as a child and grew up on the Farm. Through him I've met other people that lived there when the population was 1500+. I heard of some of the problems back then, but it looks like they survived. I think their success stems from the fact that they are a working community where the rewards are nice amenities and a safe environment as opposed to being a religous cult or an activist commune like the Zendiks.
