Wrapping Up the ’26 Field Season

As another lavender season comes to a close, one chapter ends and another begins.

This week, our 2026 summer crew finished their last day at Lavender Brook Farm before heading back to school. While there is still plenty of work left for me in the fields and around the farm, it’s the end of the season for the seven young people who helped make this year’s harvest and production possible.

Every summer, one of the most rewarding parts of operating Lavender Brook Farm is working alongside local high school and college students. This year, our crew was comprised of students from Lower Dauphin and Hershey High Schools. Three were returning employees, but for all 2026 crew members, working at our farm is their first job.

A first job is about much more than earning a paycheck. It’s often where young people learn responsibility, teamwork, problem-solving, and what it means to be dependable. They discover that being on time matters, that every task contributes to the success of the team, and that hard work has its rewards. Watching those lessons take shape over the course of a summer is something I never take for granted.

Of course, they also learned a great deal about lavender.

There is much more to growing lavender than most people realize. Throughout the season, our crew helped with harvesting, weeding, distillation, processing bundles, preparing products, and countless other jobs that keep our farm running. They experienced firsthand how much care goes into producing the handcrafted products that eventually make their way to our customers.

This summer also included a little “driver’s education.” With several new members on the team, they learned how to safely operate our Polaris, one of the most important pieces of equipment on the farm. Before long, they were confidently using it to move tools, supplies, and harvested lavender and the crew around the farm.  Taking turns driving the Polaris is always popular with our crew. 

Working at Lavender Brook Farm is not a cakewalk. Farm work is physically demanding. It means spending hours outdoors in the Pennsylvania summer heat, often sweating like that’s your job while harvesting, weeding, carrying heavy loads, and tackling whatever the day requires. Some days are exhausting, but this year’s crew consistently showed up with positive attitudes, and a willingness to learn. They weren’t afraid to get dirty or work hard, and that made all the difference.

As a small family farm, we simply couldn’t accomplish everything we do without the assistance of these young people. Their enthusiasm and energy helped make another successful season possible, and we’re incredibly grateful for every hour they spent with us.

To our seven wonderful crew members—thank you for your hard work, your smiles, your willingness to learn, and for being such an important part of Lavender Brook Farm this summer. We hope the experience gave you skills and memories you’ll carry with you long after the season ends.

We wish each of you a successful school year and look forward to seeing many of you back at Lavender Brook Farm next summer.

Until then, thank you for helping make the 2026 season one to remember.