Area families of adults living with disabilities or dementia and the professionals who work with them made their way to H.A.R.D. Acre Farm near New Carlisle for an open house on May 11. The event provided a glimpse into the preparations the farm is making before opening the unique day program it will soon be offering to disabled adults and seniors suffering with dementia.
Jennifer Hardacre and Beth Snyder are the owners and co-founders of H.A.R.D. Acre Farm, LLC located in Bethel Twp. Both ladies grew up on family dairy farms and have been in education for over 20 years, with Hardacre spending 18 years in the Tecumseh school district.
According to Hardacre, “H.A.R.D.” stands for “Honor and Respect Daily” and the goal of the organization is to offer a place where adults dealing with disabilities or suffering with dementia can “find their niche” and develop dignity while enjoying meaningful work and gaining social relationships in an agricultural setting.
“There is dignity to be gained when you do good work and share the product of that work,” says Hardacre. “When you make or grow something yourself, there is a lot of meaning in that. Just having responsibility in itself is important. For example, knowing that you are responsible for an animal’s life and if you don’t show up to feed that animal, it might not get fed. That is powerful and provides the farmer with a sense of dignity and self-pride. There is always something to do on a farm, you’re not just sitting and doing the same thing over and over.”
H.A.R.D. Acre will be a working farm and will provide its farmers with a large number of hands-on work opportunities such as horticultural pursuits, animal husbandry, woodworking, handicrafts, and other farm-related work. Hardacre explains how the farmers will be working for themselves and will profit monetarily from their farm work, “We will be growing seasonal produce that will eventually be sold at local Farmer’s Markets and at the farm stand we will have here at the farm, the profit will be then shared among the farmers.”
There is a lot of interest in H.A.R.D. Acre Farm’s unique program, and the open house drew families and social workers from all over the Miami Valley. Cheryl and Richard Haerer traveled from Huber Heights to learn how their developmentally-delayed son Terry, 25, might fit into life at H.A.R.D. Acre Farm. “Terry enjoys animals and being outdoors, so we are looking for a place where he can do both. So far, this seems like a place he would enjoy being.” Terry says he was impressed by the farm, especially its Alpacas and the idea of working outside.
Terry is on oxygen, but Hardacre explains the farm is putting accommodations in place that will help farmers like Terry thrive on the farm. For example, a “changing/quiet room” will provide a place farmers can go when their senses are overwhelmed or they just need to decompress. It will also be a place where the farmers can get themselves ready to go to work. “We will do all we can to make the farmers comfortable and provide a safe place for them to work and enjoy that work,” says Hardacre.
H.A.R.D. Acre Farm’s official Opening Day is June 6, 2016. Thereafter the farm will be open to the public Mon.-Fri. from 9:00am-3:00pm.
The farm is using both volunteers and paid staff to assist the farmers in their work. For more information about the farm, its services, and/or how to get involved call 937.882.6087 or visit the farm’s webpage at www.thehardacrefarm.org.
