Dear Supporters of Old McDonald's Farm

Regrettably, after 34 years and serving more than 26,000 children & youth in academic program classes, our non-profit, children's program, Old McDonald's Farm, Inc. is closing the doors permanently. We had an emergency Board of Directors meeting to try to figure out what might be plausible but after many hours of discussion then, many months of trying different revenue streams or partnership opportunities, and years of declining revenue, declining volunteer participation and declining donations, we must close down now in 2026!

Utilizing animals, agriculture, gardens and natural resources is an amazing way to 'teach and reach' children & youth but it is super labor intensive and an extremely expensive way to teach. Those 34 animals require a lot of monetary resources and a great deal of care along with building and maintaining the 68-acre Farm Site and 14 different buildings. The cost to run a small business is staggering. The cost of the lease of the property, the cost of insurance, staffing costs, fuel, utilities, feed, supplies, etc. has in most cases doubled or tripled in the past few years. We simply cannot afford to operate any longer and we cannot charge parents, schools or agencies the true cost to run the program classes because it would be too cost prohibitive for most.

This has been an extremely difficult and emotional decision to make. We are very sorry for the inconvenience to the families that have supported us over the years. We will feel the loss of the students immensely. Please join us April 11 or 12 from noon to 4:00 p.m. to say good-bye to the animals and to shop at our Estate Sale. Please bring cash. Hopefully, funds from the sale of items will help pay staff to continue to feed & care for the animals and to purchase feed until we can find proper homes for all of the critters. Please come out and support us this one last time! No registration required, just come out if you can 4/11 or 4/12, 12:00-4:00 p.m. This will be your last chance to do so.

Thanks to our wonderful Board of Directors, students, volunteers, donors and supporters!

All my best to you,
Stephanie Rickert, Founder and Executive Director.