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Rising Tide Farm

Cultivating Gratitude, Growth & Connection

A Living, Learning Landscape

The Student Journey

It’s About Connection

A Living, Learning Landscape

In its first full season, Rising Tide Farm transformed from an overgrown patch of land into a vibrant, hands-on classroom. Here, students roll up their sleeves, get their hands in the soil, and step into a rhythm of gratitude and growth.

Each week, students arrive ready to plant seeds not only in the ground, but in themselves. As they tend the earth, they also nurture confidence, responsibility, and appreciation for the people and environment that help them grow.

“Every single student who came through Rising Tide Farm planted seeds while reflecting on the people in their lives who have poured love and sacrifice into their growth. Those seeds became our Gratitude Garden, connecting each new group to those who came before.”
Ethan Brazell

Rising Tide Farm Developer, Farm Manager, & Lead Agricultural Educator NorthBay Education

Ethan Brazell

At Rising Tide Farm, learning unfolds step by step. Students move through an intentional progression, deepening their understanding at every stage:

Bay Rides

Along the way, students hop on the NorthBay Bay Wagon, connecting each part of their journey while soaking in the full landscape of Rising Tide Farm.

Greenhouse

The journey begins indoors, where students explore plant biology and proper care. Here they see firsthand how small seeds and simple systems grow into abundance.

Stream Lab

Next, students head to the water to study aquaponics, where we blend aquaculture (fish farming) culinary herb farming, and nutrient cycles in our man-assisted, blended ecosystems. They discover and experience the delicate balance between land, water, and food.

Farm Fields

Out in the open air, teamwork takes root. Students plant, weed, harvest, and bake bread, experiencing the compounding joy of creating something real together.

Through this progression, they don’t just learn about food systems; they splash into the understanding that they themselves live inside an interconnected cycle of effort, contribution, and gratitude.

Every harvest, every loaf of bread, and every shared laugh weaves students into something bigger than themselves.

More Than Food It’s About Connection

Rising Tide has become more than a place to grow vegetables; it’s a place to grow community.

  • Students seed greens in our greenhouse, tend growth in our fields, care for our fish, and use their energy across the spectrum to improve the functioning of our bio-dynamic farm systems.
  • Students harvest herbs, vegetables, and flowers that make their way into the dining hall, main reception desk, and common spaces.
  • Teams work side by side planting, baking bread and handmade fire-roasted foods, and tasting the freshest produce while discovering the power of collaboration.
  • Lessons touch on composting, fire safety, aquaponics, fish biology, plant and animal husbandry, and wild food foraging. Always grounded in hands-on learning our students are immersed in and become part of our living farm

Looking Ahead

The farm is growing again. With new features like a cob oven, music installation, animal habitats, and expanded aquaponic systems, Rising Tide will soon welcome three groups at once. A new multi-day program will deepen each student’s journey—taking them from seed to harvest to reflection. 

Our farm gives us the unique opportunity to reach into the hearts of our students as they navigate the transformative experience that is NorthBay through sharing the power of caring for something else, the joy of providing pure and delicious foods for ourselves, and the lift of spirit experienced when folks apply their energies in unison for a higher goal.

Your Support Grows This Work

Rising Tide Farm thrives because of donors, sponsors, and friends of NorthBay. Your generosity is shaping a national model for experiential education rooted in nature, sustainability, and social-emotional growth.

Together, we are cultivating the next generation of grateful, grounded leaders.

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