Origins
- Began in San Francisco by Stephen Gaskin, an English Professor at San Francisco State
- Gaskin held weekly "Monday Night Class" where people gathered to discuss spirituality and their vision for an ideal society
- By 1970, attendance reached over 1000 and meetings were known as "tripping parties"
- Gaskin was invited by group of pastors to give a series of discussions at churches across the US
- in 1971, 200+ hippies traveled in 60 school buses on the four month journey
- Upon returning to SF, about 320 people decided to find land and build their ideal community so they went back on the road, eventually settling in Tennessee, where they purchased a little more than 1K acres at $70/acre. (Later an additional 750 acres was purchased)
Basic Founding Principals:
- nonviolence and respect for earth
- all life is one and is sacred
- members followed a vegetarian diet and refrained from tobacco, alcohol, and man-made drugs, but marijuana was considered a sacrament (Stephen and three members served time for growing on the farm in 1974).
- a vow of poverty. all money went to the community and no one could "own" anything other than their clothing and their tools, though this evolved over time and now members are expected to manage their own income and expenses.
Early Years
- The property had one house and a few barns, scattered throughout
- Initially there was little to no governing body or direction and the first members lived in modified school buses and army tents
- Eventually, farm members began to build their own homes from recycled and salvaged materials, that housed single individuals, families, and in some cases, up to 40 people.
- The members had no experience farming or building but learned as they went along
- In 1972, Gaskin and a band formed with community members, set out on the road again to host a series of concerts in the park and promote membership, The Farm School and The Farm Clinic were established
- During this time, The Farm was leading the soy and tofu revolution, through soy products and cookbooks which were a large contributor to the communities first revenue stream.
- Population boomed and smaller, satellite farms were created.
Plenty International
- Plenty began in 1974 after The Farm helped nearby victims of a tornado.
- In 1976, members of The Farm spent 4 years in Guatemala, working with the the locals, to rebuild1200 homes and install 27km of waterpipe after an earthquake.
- In the early 1980s, Plenty donated an ambulance to a native reservation in upstate NY and two farm members ("farmies" - one an EMT, another a paramedic) trained 22 residents of the reservation, establishing the first Mohawk-run EMT/Ambulance service
- Later established similar ambulance services in Mexico, South Africa and the Bronx.
- Plenty was one of the first organizations in New Orleans, providing relief and supplies to residents, three days after Hurricane Katrina
- During the initial formation of the group, members believed that "the sanctity of birth should be returned to families," and as a result, the first babies of the group (11 of them!) were born in buses, parked alongside the road, during their journey across the country in search for land.
- This experience taught the group a reverence for life but also the skills required by those assisting in births
- in 1975 the group of farm midwives published their first book, Spiritual Midwifery, which quickly sold more than 500,000 copies and has been translated into 12 languages.
- by 1980 (in just 9 years) over 2000 babies had been born on The Farm, assisted by the midwife team
- in 1995 the team began hosting week-long workshops and classes to aid in the training of midwives across the country.
Throughout the 70s and very early 80s, The Farm grew from just over 300 members to between 1200-1600, at it's peak in the early 80s (half of the population were children). The Farm was home to as many as 10,000 visitors each year, due to it's subculture and hippie value system, community outreach, and publicity.
In 1983, facing financial difficulties, Stephens duties shifted, as did the agreement, from a collective, in which all income went towards the foundation, to a cooperative, which now required members to fully support themselves with their own income and contribute a percentage to the annual operating costs for the community. The is known as The Changeover, or The Exodus as many families decided to leave.
By 1985, fewer than 200 adults and children remained and the community was stable and debt-free. Many members established small business which helped support residents and some went to college, mostly in the medical field and worked in nearby hospitals and clinics.
Present
- Presently, there are about 150 residents of the farm and a large proportion (80%) are long-time, if not original, members.
- Each adult is expected to contribute a certain weekly or monthly amount (avg. $75 - $125 per mo.)
- Potential members are encouraged to visit the farm during the bi-annual Farm Experience Weekend and in order to become a member you have to pay a one-time registration fee (price not mentioned, can make installments).
- Visitors may also stay on designated campgrounds for $14/night
- Many small businesses, bands, and non-profits have been created by community members from it's earliest of days
- The Book Publishing Co.
- Soy farming/products
- Greenleaf Retreats
- Midwifery services and workshops
- Lee Restoration
- The Yoga Center
- Ecovillage Training Center
