- Event date:March 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM
- Event end:March 23, 2024 at 12:30 PM
- Size20
Help your farmer and spend a morning living like a local, getting hands-on practice with farm chores in this workday at Sister Grove Farm in Van Alstyne, about 20 minutes north of McKinney. This event is a wonderful chance to bring the family and enjoy the beauty of this land, getting your hands dirty and learning about life in the country. Cost is $10 per person, which supports a light lunch and event logistics, All ages welcome as long as youngsters are coming with their supervising adults.
Farm owners Sarah and Rodney Macias come from deep Texas roots and enjoy connecting with others over local food, regenerative agriculture, Texas history, celebrating faith, learning from the land, and working together to build a brighter tomorrow.
The event starts promptly at 9 am but visitors can leave early if needed. You will first meet in the garden and get to know your farmers and other attendees, discussing project options, and then enjoying the satisfaction of caring for the earth together.
Participants will need to confirm whether they will stay for lunch, which will be in the farm’s beautiful Pavilion event space. After lunch, a farm tour can be provided at an additional fee ($5/hour/person) paid on-site upon departure.
Potential projects include:
- Creation of a food plot with grains to be milled for flour
- Weeding and planting in the vegetable garden
- Cleaning out eggmobiles, gathering eggs, and distributing chicken manure on the pasture
- Removal of invasive thistle and honeylocust on the pasture since the farm does not use chemicals
Much of workday will be outside, so dress for the weather. This event will be held rain or shine.
Interested in learning more about farm or coming on a different date? Try a farm tour: Learn local history, regenerative farming in Van Alstyne.
Pricing
Experience
- $ 10.00
- Free
Location
Only guests who have booked can leave a review.
Hosted By Sister Grove Farm
Sister Grove Farm is committed to building community: where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become friends. Where this happens is at the table. And with locally sourced food, the transformation reaches beyond just the people at the table.
The farm is 149 acres of rolling blackland prairie just 45 miles north of Dallas. Nestled along the east prong of Sister Grove Creek on the ancestral lands of the Wichita people, this patch of earth is now cared for by Rodney and Sarah Macias as a regenerative farm and small retreat center.
The land was once owned by Collin McKinney, oldest signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and an 1859 farmhouse (restored as one of our accommodations) was home to his son and daughter in law, Younger Scott McKinney and Sarah Janes McKinney. The farmhouse can accommodate up to 9 people but is also perfect for a solo or couple’s get-away.
The farm also features two communally designed guesthouses and an indoor group-use space with a commercial kitchen and everything needed for meetings and dining.
Using holistic grazing and regenerative approaches to agriculture, Sister Grove Farm raises grass-fed cattle and sheep along with heritage breed chickens. Joining the farm in these tasks are two livestock guardian dogs and one barn cat.
At Sister Grove, the farm's mission is to “grow and raise a diversity of plant and animal species for food and beauty in such a manner that the land is healed along with all who visit and live here.”