Prospect Meadow Farm is the first therapeutic farming community in the Pioneer Valley – providing meaningful agricultural employment for people with developmental disability, autism, or mental health challenges.
Raising market crops and caring for the animals on our two chemical-free farm sites in Hatfield, totaling 18-acres, individuals with developmental disability, autism, or mental health challenges contribute in a meaningful way to the rich agricultural life of the Pioneer Valley.
We build on the experience and interests of each participant, helping them develop vocational skills they may apply to their work at the farm and elsewhere. Through regular workshops, training from job coaches, and hands-on experience gained from serving on work crews, program participants become experienced and knowledgeable in farm work and other careers in agriculture.
Prospect Meadow Farm has become known throughout the upper Pioneer Valley for its log-grown shiitake mushrooms, fresh eggs, abundant fields, and innovative spirit.
The Prospect Meadow Farm story, though, is bigger than the food we grow, cook, and sell. It began in 2010 when ServiceNet purchased a small farm on Prospect Street in Hatfield, and soon launched a hands-on vocational services program for adults with autism and developmental disabilities—the only one of its kind in the region. Over the years, Prospect Meadow grew and it grew and it grew: becoming the largest log-grown shiitake mushroom operation in western Massachusetts; supplying local markets with fresh eggs; providing produce to many of ServiceNet’s residential programs; and each year offering community members the opportunity to purchase a CSA/Farm Share.