What Bowers School Farm does

Bowers School Farm (legal name: Charles L. Bowers Farm) is a 93-acre educational working farm owned and operated by Bloomfield Hills Schools, a public school district in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, since 1967. The farm functions as an instrumentality of a governmental unit, making contributions tax-deductible. Its core offering is hands-on agricultural education delivered through structured programs including Open Barn (Friday evening and Saturday public visits), Farm After Five evening events, Farm Camp, curriculum-aligned school field experiences (maple sugaring, plant studies, animal investigations, egg incubation), scout programs, equine programs, toddler and parent-child programs, community workshops, birthday party rentals, and seasonal Harvest Gardens and Winter Park programming.

The underlying operation combines traditional agricultural production (hoophouse/greenhouse vegetable production, community gardens, livestock including sheep, horses, cattle, goats, chickens, donkeys, and peacocks) with an on-site Farm Store & Kitchen retailing farm-fresh produce, eggs, and Guernsey Farms Dairy products. The business model is a hybrid of one-time admission fees ($10 adult, $9 senior/military), annual memberships, program registrations ($25-$50 per session), event tickets ($35 concerts), retail sales, and tax-deductible donations funneled through the Friends of Bowers Farm nonprofit. Distribution relies on direct physical access to the farm, the Doubleknot registration platform, and Bloomfield Hills Schools district communications.

The customer base spans two primary segments: K-12 schools (primarily Bloomfield Hills Schools district for field experiences) and families with children (for Open Barn visits, Farm After Five, camps, and memberships), with secondary segments including 4-H/FFA youth organizations, scout groups, and community members. Strategic partnerships with Oakland County Parks (2025 interlocal agreement), Johnson Nature Center, Friends of Bowers Farm, Bloomfield Rotary, Griffin Claw Brewing, East Michigan Native Plants, MSU Extension, and local artisan vendors extend programming and funding reach within the Oakland County, Michigan region.

Name

Bowers School Farm

Legal name

Charles L. Bowers Farm

Website

https://schoolfarm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bowers School Farm is a 93-acre educational working farm owned by Bloomfield Hills Schools in Michigan since 1967, serving K-12 students, families, and community through hands-on agricultural programming, public visits, camps, events, and on-site retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Admission Fees: Open Barn admission fees charged to visitors for farm access, animal interactions, and wagon rides. $10 per adult, $9 for seniors/military, free for members and children under 1 year.
2. Farm Store & Kitchen Sales: On-site retail operation selling farm-fresh produce, dairy products (Guernsey Farms Dairy ice cream), eggs, and prepared foods from the Farm Kitchen.
3. Memberships: Annual membership program providing free admission to Open Barn and other benefits for members.
4. Farm Camp & Programs: Revenue from summer camp registrations and educational program fees including pony classes, gardening workshops, and toddler programs.
5. Event Tickets: Ticket sales for special events including music concerts ($35), Farm After Five evenings, and private rentals.
6. Donations: Charitable contributions supported as a tax-deductible instrumentality of Bloomfield Hills Schools government unit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bowers School Farm operates a 93-acre educational working farm delivering hands-on agricultural education, public farm visits, summer camps, school field experiences, equine programs, workshops, and community events. It sells farm-fresh produce, eggs, and dairy products through an on-site Farm Store & Kitchen, and accepts tax-deductible charitable contributions as an instrumentality of Bloomfield Hills Schools.

Product overview

Bowers School Farm is a 93-acre educational working farm owned by Bloomfield Hills Schools since 1967. The farm operates as a single unified offering—a community-focused agricultural education center—rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its product portfolio consists of public visiting programs (Open Barn, Farm After Five, Farm Kitchen & Store), structured educational programs (School Field Experiences, Scout Programs, Equine Programs, Farm Camp), community engagement activities (Community Classes, Birthday Parties, Memberships), and seasonal offerings (Harvest Gardens, Winter Park). The core value proposition is providing authentic farm experiences that connect students and community members to agriculture and the local food system through hands-on learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Barn

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 gallons of sap produces 1 gallon of maple syrup
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bloomfield Hills SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1967Primary operator of Bowers School Farm. The school district owns and operates the farm as an instrumentality of a governmental unit, making contributions tax-deductible. Provides educational programming, staff, and operational support.
• Oakland County ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterlocal agreement bringing new investment, operational support, and expanded programming to Bowers Farm and Johnson Nature Center. Partnership announced through Bloomfield Hills Schools news.
• Johnson Nature CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated educational facility operated by Bloomfield Hills Schools. Students alternate field experiences between Bowers Farm and Johnson Nature Center. Partnership enhanced by Oakland County Parks agreement.
• Griffin Claw Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors Beer Garden at Farm After Five evening events, providing craft beer selections during Friday night programming.
• Friends of Bowers FarmcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNonprofit support organization hosting events and accepting donations. Co-host of Farm After Five Beer Garden with Bloomfield Rotary.
• Bloomfield RotaryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity service organization co-hosting Farm After Five Beer Garden events with Friends of Bowers Farm.
• East Michigan Native PlantsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for annual Michigan Native Plant Sale, providing native grasses and wildflowers for sale at the farm.
• MSU Extension Food Safety EducatorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMichigan State University Extension educators present workshops such as Sauerkraut & Kimchi 101 at the farm.
• Michigan Goats Milk Soap Co. (Lori Schmick)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArtisan presenter of goat milk soap making demonstrations during Open Barn events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Critter Barn: Educational farm in Zeeland, Michigan, offering public visits, school field trips, and family programming on a working farm. Regional peer operating a similar educational farm model in the Michigan market.
• Kensington Metropark Farm Center: Educational farm center within Kensington Metropark in Milford, Michigan, operated by Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, offering school programs and public farm visits. Regional peer operated by a public park authority with comparable educational farm programming.
• Maybury Farm: Educational working farm in Northville, Michigan, offering school field trips, public visits, and seasonal events. Regional peer with similar educational working farm model in the Michigan market.
• Blandford Nature Center: Educational nature center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, providing school programs, public visits, and animal encounters. Regional peer offering comparable nature-based educational programming and community engagement in Michigan.
• Wolcott Mill Metropark Farm Center: Educational farm center in Ray Township, Michigan, operated by Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, providing school programs, public visits, and 4-H youth programming. Regional peer with similar government-operated educational farm model.

Direct peers

• Hidden Villa: Educational farm and wilderness preserve in Los Altos Hills, California, offering summer camp, school programs, and community education on a working organic farm. Highly comparable as a nonprofit educational working farm with diversified programming.
• Howell Living History Farm: Educational historic farm in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, operated by Mercer County Parks, offering school programs, public visits, and seasonal events. Directly comparable as a government-affiliated educational working farm with similar school field experience programming.
• Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture: Educational farm in Pocantico Hills, New York, operating as a nonprofit agricultural education center with school programs, public events, and on-site food retail. Closely comparable business model combining working farm operations with educational programming and farm store.
• Shelburne Farms: Educational nonprofit working farm in Shelburne, Vermont, offering school programs, public visits, and agricultural education. Most direct comparable to Bowers School Farm's model of a large working farm delivering curriculum-aligned programming and public engagement.
• Angelic Organics Learning Center: Educational farm organization in Caledonia, Illinois, partnering with Angelic Organics farm to deliver agricultural education, school programs, and community classes. Comparable educational farm mission and programming structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bowersschoolfarm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bowers-school-farm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bowers School Farm