On a quiet stretch of conserved farmland in Lamoille County, a rhythm persists. It doesn’t reset with the school calendar. Instead, it continues season to season, year to year. Students may never meet, but they are deeply connected all the same.
That rhythm is at the heart of Sam Rowley’s work.
As the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems instructor at Green Mountain Tech, Sam doesn’t just teach about farming. He invites students to a larger purpose: an interconnected system in which land, community, and legacy foster a shared sense of responsibility and belonging.
A Classroom Without Walls
Sam’s classroom stretches across nearly 600 acres of Vermont Land Trust property. There are working pastures, hayfields, barns, and gardens. Each operates as both a farm and a learning lab.
Here, students don’t simulate agriculture—they live it.
They care for animals. They maintain equipment. They manage crops. They problem-solve in real time. They develop a team mentality, learning to work alongside one another for the good of the crops and the animals on the farm.
Just as the crops rely on quality soil, strong sunlight, and just the right amount of water, students at Robtoy Farm rely on each other, building quality friendships, strong bonds, and just the right amount of ‘tomfoolery’.
And most importantly, the students become part of a cycle that extends beyond their time in the program.
Before leaving in the spring, students plant crops they may never harvest. Over the summer, Sam maintains those crops. When a new group of students arrives in the fall, they step directly into that work—harvesting, selling, and sustaining what came before them.
Sam describes it simply—but it carries weight: It’s “kind of poetic… one of those legacy things where the class from before is providing for the next.”
In a world that often prioritizes immediacy, Sam’s program teaches something different: that meaningful work is often shared across time.
A Perspective Shaped by the World
Sam’s approach to teaching didn’t emerge in isolation—it was shaped by a life that spans far beyond Vermont.
Born in Brattleboro but raised in part around Boston, Sam maintained a strong connection to Vermont while growing up. That connection ultimately drew him back to the University of Vermont, where he studied plant and soil science—a field he still works in today.
But it was his early exposure to the wider world that deeply shaped his philosophy.
Through his parents’ work in international development, Sam spent time in several African countries. He saw communities depending directly on the land for survival. He witnessed subsistence farmers cultivating steep hillsides, deforestation, and resource pressure. He saw how the presence or absence of infrastructure changes everything.
After graduating from UVM, Sam spent a year living in Kenya, working with local beekeepers. Working closely with mission-oriented insects gave Sam a unique view of how important systems can be. Each bee in the hive has a specialized job which they fulfill with complete dedication, for the betterment of their hive community. It’s a system, and a mentality, that Sam has reproduced at Robtoy Farm. Every student has a job, and they work together to maintain and enhance the environment around them.
Those experiences stayed with him. “Number one thing I suggest is… go and see what’s out there. It gives you so much perspective.”
Today, that global perspective is embedded in how he teaches. Sustainability isn’t an abstract concept—it’s a lived reality, shaped by real-world consequences and choices.
That global perspective is one of the reasons Rowley is consistently recognized by his peers. In 2023, Sam received the Land & Lives Award from the Vermont Land Trust for his leadership, resourcefulness, and inclusiveness, which have made an enduring difference in the well-being of Vermont’s land and people. Beyond the sustainable-focused accolade, Rowley was also named a 2022 Outstanding Educator of the Year by the University of Vermont for his tutelage as a CTE (Career and Technical Education) instructor.
Teaching Stewardship, Not Just Skills
At its core, Sam’s program is about stewardship.
That means understanding soil health and protecting water quality. It also means using systems such as rotational grazing to help restore and sustain the land over time. It also means asking hard questions—about food systems, access, and the future of farming. Students explore everything from environmental science and agribusiness to veterinary pathways and food systems work. But just as importantly, they learn how to think, adapt, and respond.
They learn how to:
- Diagnose problems when a tractor won’t start.
- Manage livestock safely and responsibly.
- Maintain infrastructure and equipment.
- Work through real-world challenges with limited resources.
As Sam puts it, the goal is not to produce specialists, but to develop capable, thoughtful people. Students learn a bit of everything: problem-solving, systems thinking, and how to take feedback and make modifications-skills that empower them to become effective land stewards and community contributors.
Feeding a Community—Literally
The work students do doesn’t stay on the farm. Each year, their crops are sold to teachers, used in cafeterias, bundled for Thanksgiving meals, and distributed through local food access programs.
This connection between the classroom and community is intentional. Students see that their work matters—not someday, but right now. They are growing food that feeds their neighbors. They are contributing to local food systems. They are well-being.
A Different Kind of Legacy
Ask Sam what he hopes students take away, and the answer isn’t about farming alone. It’s about awareness.
It’s about recognizing that the landscapes we value—the open fields, working farms, and natural beauty of Vermont—don’t exist by accident. To preserve them, we must be active participants each day, fostering a sense of agency and stewardship. In Sam’s classroom, students don’t just learn about the environment. They become part of its future. Most powerfully, they leave something behind for the next group to build on.
Just like the crops.
The Throughline
Sam Rowley’s journey—from global traveler to Vermont educator—comes full circle on this farm.
He has seen how people live with the land across continents. He studied the science behind it. Now, he passes that knowledge on—one season, one student, one harvest at a time. Because in his classroom, each year's lessons and efforts are carried on by the next, creating a living legacy that endures.
The learning—and the community it supports—keeps growing forward, season after season.