In 2015, the Gill St. Bernard’s School Board of Trustees was able to reacquire a large piece of property contiguous to the main campus through a combination of purchase and gift. Throughout this process, the trustees and Head of School were guided by the vision of Home Winds as a working farm; one that ultimately would be self-sustaining.
Its primary purposes were further defined as:
- To support and enrich the academic programs of GSB;
- To strengthen the school community through the hosting of special events and other functions;
- To house the school’s Operations Department and equipment; and
- To generate revenues through farming and raising livestock that would offset its operating expenses.
As designed, Home Winds is serving as a true outdoor classroom in which students may explore and learn. With the farm and garden as backdrops, teachers challenge students to think about the environment and the relationship between the school and the larger community. Experiential learning at Home Winds engages students with topics such as animal husbandry, sustainability, farmland preservation, and environmental stewardship. The bucolic setting makes Home Winds a perfect location for hosting special events, such as receptions, meetings, planning sessions, and celebratory functions – all serving to bring the community closer together. Home Winds features a main house, several agricultural buildings, extensive pastureland, a large stocked pond, two apple orchards, a two-acre garden, and provides a perfect place for our Operations Department and equipment.
All the animals cared for on Home Winds Farm fulfill a vital role in its sustainable mission. As a part of this, Black Angus and Hereford beef cattle are raised to be sold for processing at maturity. All cattle are pasture raised and grass fed, meaning they are out on the pasture 24/365. A rotational grazing system is used so the cattle are always on fresh-growing pasture. The animals have access to water and shade, they are vaccinated to prevent diseases, with no antibiotics or hormones used to treat the herd. Home Winds Farm fully supports the humane treatment of our livestock, and those intended for processing are transported to a USDA Food and Safety inspected facility for a humane death, which requires an animal to be completely sedated, insensible to pain, and without distress.
Since its early history, Gill St. Bernard’s School maintained a connection to the land and farming. We honor this tradition and are continuing this connection to our past in working toward creating a sustainable working farm, called Home Winds.
Beef Order
Recent Home Winds News
1/12
Teaching and Learning
Biodiversity studies
Environmental science
Exploration of habitats and systems
Farmland preservation
Painting en plein air
Photography
Soil analysis
Stream and pond studies
STREAMS program (grades 4-6)
STREAMS program (grades 4-6)
Trout in the Classroom program
Upper School Animal Science course
Weather and climate change analysis
Stewardship & Sustainability
Egg production
Farm and garden to table initiatives
• Apple orchard
• Produce
• Herbs
Hive and honey bee apiary
Maple syrup production
Outdoor Features & Facilities
Animal barns
Scout Cabin
Two-acre garden
Two Class-A trout streams
Two greenhouses
Extensive pastures and open space
Stocked pond
Operations Center
Arts, Athletics & Activities
All-school art shows
Artists-in-residence
Cross country course
Fly Fishing Club
Hiking Club
Hi Hills Camps
Unit programs
Management and Operations
New Farm Manager Joins GSB Staff
Edward “Ned” Lincoln enthusiastically joins Gill St. Bernard’s School this year as the Home Winds Farm Manager, which includes caring for all the animals and livestock, maintaining the farm equipment, and managing the overall infrastructure. He looks forward to collaborating with our faculty in providing students with hands-on, authentic learning opportunities that the farm so richly provides. Ned earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Union College, Schenectady NY. He has related professional experience as the Director of Operations at Court Street Grocers Group, Brooklyn, NY, the Walnut Hill Farm Manager, Lebanon, NJ, and a Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Apprentice and Assistant Livestock Manager with Darthia Farm, Gouldsboro, ME.
Welcome, Ned!
Livestock
Cattle
(Black Angus & Hereford)
Chickens
Other Animals
(Donkeys, Goats, Sheep)
Home Winds Farm
Home Winds Farm adds unique, innovative value to Gill St. Bernard’s School as a sustainable working farm, meeting facility and outdoor education/recreation space. Accordingly, the Home Winds Farm fully supports the humane treatment of our livestock including, but not limited to cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry. All of the animals cared for on Home Winds Farm fulfill a vital role in its sustainable mission. Those intended for processing are transported to a USDA Food and Safety inspected facility for a humane death as ensured by the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act of 1958. This law requires an animal to be completely sedated, insensible to pain, and without distress. It is the Farm Manager’s mandated responsibility to determine the optimal, appropriate and safe number of livestock cared for, in order to ensure the sustainability of Home Winds Farm.
Gill St. Bernard's School
Gill St. Bernard’s is a private, coeducational day school for students age three through grade 12, located in suburban New Jersey. Each of the three school divisions provides a rigorous, meaningful, and age-appropriate curriculum, and all students benefit from the environmental learning opportunities that exist on our 208-acre campus.