High on the hills above Corning, 951 Harris Hill Road, to be exact, is Bluebird Trail Farm. The soundscape on an early spring day is filled with the calls of bluebirds, of course, bobolinks, and red-winged blackbirds. Tree swallows swoop over the pond, donkeys bray, Navajo-Churro fiber sheep bleat and hope for a treat, while ducklings cower in the corner of the shed under the watchful eye and occasional piercing squawk of Cornelius the peacock.

Presiding over this spring-time symphony is the conductor, Margie Seiderman. She zips around the farm in her golf cart, checking on the beds being prepped for planting, admiring the tall, bright green garlic scapes, stopping at ponds and out-buildings. One glance at Margie’s calendar reveals this is no typical farm. The schedule is packed with class visits from energetic kindergarteners or farm stays for exhausted urban dwellers, guided nature walks for families, reservations for baby showers, inoculating logs with mushroom plugs for forest farmers, and incubating chicks for home-schooled children. The farm is a beehive (and yes, there are real beehives, too) of activity.

“The CSA is the heartbeat of the farm,” says Margie. Community Supported Agriculture is a partnership between the farmer and community members. Investors or subscribers purchase a share and the CSA farmer provides the bounty. At Bluebird Trail Farm, CSA members can select six to eight fresh vegetables weekly as well as receive seasonal honey, herbs, juice, and flowers. The farm offers two levels of membership. It’s $475 for a small family and $650 for a large family. Fruit and eggs are add-ons. Today, fifty families thrive on their share of local produce from Bluebird Trail Farm. “CSA pick up days are lots of fun because families can visit, feed the animals, pick their own produce and just hang out and enjoy the farm,” Margie explains. Don’t wait to get on the CSA list for next year. By early spring all shares for the 2025 season were already sold.

Margie and her husband, Bill (the beekeeper), bought the farm in 2002 “to raise our four children on a homestead so they could help grow our own food, explore the environment, and hear the birds.” In 2012, Margie made a professional leap, moving from teaching high school English to launching Bluebird Trail Farm. Her educational philosophy travelled with her, because the enterprise is very much education focused.

Margie’s goal was to create a farm where children and families could learn about farm animals in a safe and clean environment. She is supported in this endeavor by nature educators from nearby Corning Community College as well as by WWOOFers. Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a global movement linking visitors with organic farmers. Both an educational and cultural exchange, the visitor gains skills in organic farming and sustainable living while the host farmer benefits from the WWOOFer’s help with farm chores. Host farmers provide accommodations and meals.

Sina, a former WWOOFer from Germany, is by the rabbit hutch holding a month-old bunny. She began volunteering at Bluebird Trail Farm three years ago. She now chooses to spend part of her vacation from her professional career as a regional sales and marketing manager outside of Cologne, Germany, volunteering at the Corning farm. It’s her first spring in the Finger Lakes, and, she likes what she sees.

Margie had a second goal for her farm, and credits her good fortune in meeting Monika Wood, a local naturalist and accomplished photographer, for helping make it happen. “Monika brought life to the forest, the fields, the streams, and the meadow on the farm, and I will be forever grateful,” says Margie. She helped the farm develop bird walks, nature trails, and wildlife experiences for local families.

Hiking the mile-long Bluebird Path with its thirty-plus nest boxes, it’s easy to spot Monika’s handiwork and share Margie’s gratitude. The farm hums with a crew of a dozen people, each working part-time, each committed to education. The nature educators are either retired teachers or college instructors, who come to the farm after their semesters are done. They lead hikes, help school children identify birds and wildflowers, and partner with families learning forest farming techniques. “Most of our staff teaches, gardens, and leads farm tours. So, they do everything,” says Margie.

Just walking around the farm is educational. Trees are labeled, local artists created large display boards, each with vibrant photographs, depicting the parts of a flower, another, the parts of a bird.

The summer 2025 calendar includes fairy gardens and firefly events. Visit bluebirdtrailfarm.org for full descriptions of seasonal activities and registrations.

Margie is a lifelong learner, taking advantage of classes and advice from Cornell Cooperative Extension and information-sharing opportunities from the farming community. Not afraid to take on new challenges, the farm recently expanded into forest gardening. Margie admits that this type of gardening “really stretches us to look at resources, the landscape, and how to grow food in a forest environment.” This summer she’s also pioneering a technique for growing strawberries that is new to her. Shiny new gutters attached to fences bordering a garden are ready for strawberries. The method keeps the plants off the ground, cutting down on weeds and rotting fruit, while making efficient use of the space. She has her green thumbs crossed that the new technique will be a success.

If farmers had coats of arms, Margie’s shield would feature a cornucopia of vegetables with the Latin motto: Agricola, Educatio, Gratis (Agriculture, Education, Gratitude). Just as education is an underlying philosophy of Bluebird Trail Farm, so is gratitude.

Thanks to the team and so many hands who support the CSA for the participating families—“We are thankful for every one of them,” she says—members enjoy locally-sourced produce grown using organic techniques. Monika and the “wonderful team” of nature educators all help make the farm successful. But first on her list is Bill, who also happens to be her best farmhand and supporter. “Without Bill there would be no Bluebird Trail Farm,” she asserts.

With a great crew and a full crop of CSA participants, what’s her biggest challenge? She doesn’t hesitate with her answer. “The weather.”