Walking into the kitchen  at Plowshare Farm on any given morning, you will find the “kitchen crew” hard at work, making lunch from scratch.

One crew member, Berry Ransom, is sitting at a table mixing oats and nuts in a large bowl. 

“I make all the granola. That’s my job,” Berry said.

Ransom, who is a middle-aged gentleman,  grew up on a farm in Vermont. Ransom has experienced violent seizures his entire life which prevent him from working in a traditional setting.

Donat Bay, founder of Plowshare Farm, said that when Ransom first came to Plowshare, he had conversations with Ransom and his family about what Ransom’s life would be like at the farm. 

“In some settings, Berry would be required  to sit in a chair all day to ensure he wouldn’t be hurt, because he is always at risk for falling down. It can happen any time, and the seizures are very severe,” Bay said. “But we had many  conversations with Berry and his parents about how we live here. Anyone could fall down, anyone could get hurt at any time; that is a part of life. We are doing normal life here, and that is not just sitting in a chair.” 

Bay and the other community members worked with Ransom to figure out how he could contribute to the community without increasing  the risk of  injury. While Ransom had grown up farming and was skilled at farm work, his medical condition required that he be around other people. Kitchen work, in the heart of Plowshare’s busy main building,  was a perfect solution. Ransom also participates in farm work and woodworking. 

Forty-three Greenfielders live at Plowshare Farm, which is a community for people of all abilities.

According to director Kimberly Dorn, Plowshare follows an anthroposophic  “lifeshare” philosophy, which is very different from the way most organizations or facilities care for people with disabilities. Residents and staff live together in several large lifesharing homes, which include people of all ages and multiple generations. 

“The families are not buying services from us. They have to really understand what we do,” Bay said.  “We believe work is a birthright. Each person gets much more than pay from working. We get the feeling of contribution, of worth,  we get self-value. If you tell someone, ‘Oh, you are disabled, then you don’t have to work,’ then people are can get locked into their disability. What we try to do is recognize the disability, but then we put the disability aside, and we allow that person to go beyond their limitations. Everyone has obligations, and everyone can contribute.” 

Plowshare is highly self-reliant. The farm grows its own vegetables, raises dairy cows and chickens and heats buildings with wood the community harvests, while solar panels provide power. Residents make yogurt,  cheese, bread and hand-crafted items using wool from Plowshare’s flock of sheep.

Upstairs in the main building, community members make hand-dipped beeswax candles and create household linens on inkle looms. Dorn points out a weaving in progress that incorporates repurposed plastic bags.

“We try not to waste anything,” she said. “We are on a tight budget; we are very careful.” 

Dorn said that one of the farm’s hardest decisions was deciding not to accept government funds.

“It is not conducive to our lives here,” she said. “We were having to document every time a resident brushed their teeth, or write down every time one of our community members got angry or said a swear word, to prove we were providing services. That is not normal living.” 

The farm does fundraising and earns money selling products at Local Share coffee shop in Wilton, where residents’ handiwork and Plowshare Farm products are for sale. 

Dorn noted that Plowshare voluntarily pays its portion of Greenfield property taxes. 

“We are part of this community, and we think it is the right thing to do,” she said.

Plowshare community members built most of the buildings at the farm, and most of the furnishings were built in the farm’s wood shop.  Everyone in the community contributed.

“We have a philosophy here that just because something is beautiful does not mean it has to expensive. Beauty is attention, and beauty brings harmony. Beauty isn’t just a right for the wealthy. It brings health, so we bring careful attention to what materials we use and what we do,” Dorn said. 

Dorn pointed out a handmade wooden doorframe.

“We put pencil marks all along these boards when they needed to be sanded, and then our residents had the job of sanding them off,” Dorn said. “Then at the end of the day, they can say, ‘I made that, I did that.’”

Dorn said Plowshare has always received strong support from local businesses, some of whom have donated building supplies, as well as from the Town of Greenfield.

“The Select Board has always said to us, ‘How can we help you?’ We’ve always felt so much support,” Dorn said. 

Plowshare is a satellite campus of the Camphill Association,  a "worldwide social initiative” which supports creation of communities integrating people with and without intellectual disabilities. Students come to Plowshare from around the world to earn credits in an inclusive social development certification. Right now, two young people from Germany are training for their degrees at Plowshare Farm.  

Plowshare offers community events throughout the year, and the public is always welcome to schedule a visit. Each year, the farm hosts a dinner for Greenfield’s fire department, and has hosted events  for other community groups in their spacious dining hall. On March 5, Plowshare will host its annual Mardi Gras celebration, and all are welcome. 

For information about Plowshare Farm, go to plowshare.org.