Harvesting Healing

"Investing in the children who have tough hurdles early in life is a huge investment in their future independence and welfare. All children, regardless of socioeconomic status or life experiences have value and belong. Vulnerable children are not a burden and it is our collective responsibility to help them understand that they matter and are worthy of a quality life. I believe agriculture is a powerful tool for teaching, growing, and healing."

- Suzanne M. Kapral
Farm-Based Therapy Consultant

Suzanne is a TEDxScranton speaker, an accomplished author, and a devoted advocate for children and farm animals. Her multifaceted career incorporates roles such as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA) and a Farm Animal Welfare Auditor, demonstrating her commitment to both human wellbeing and ethical animal treatment.

As a respected advisor in farm-based interventions, Suzanne offers expert counsel across the United States on the creation, funding, and maintenance of farm based therapy programs. Her vision is to empower service providers to launch responsible initiatives that meld the therapeutic benefits of agriculture with the need for compassionate human services.

Suzanne's contributions were critical in establishing the nationally recognized Care Farming program at The Lands at Hillside Farms, a historic, 438-acre, non-profit educational dairy farm located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. This initiative has been providing farm-based trauma services tailored to children's needs, including those on the autism spectrum, since 2013.

Currently, Suzanne serves on the Green Care Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office of Youth and Young Adult Services Bureau of Substance Addiction. She's also an Animal Welfare Auditor for A Greener World and mentors at Food Animal Concerns Trust. Her TEDxScranton talk, "How Cows and a Cornfield Helped Heal Childhood Trauma", reveals her personal journey through childhood trauma, and how it fired her passion for initiating the Care Farming program at Hillside Farms.

Suzanne equipped herself academically with a Master of Science in Animal Behavior/Animal Welfare from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, paired with a Master of Science in Organizational Management from Misericordia University. This blend of animal behavioral knowledge and organizational savvy has shaped Suzanne into the compassionate subject matter expert she is today.

Samples of Suzanne's peer-reviewed publications can be found here:

Animal Welfare Concerns of Farm-Based Education Programs

Beyond the Five Freedoms: Welfare concerns of Farm-Based Therapy and Education

Benefits and Considerations when Incorporating Farm Animals in Therapeutic Settings

Editorial: Animal-Assisted Interventions

Animal-Assisted Interventions: Recognizing and mitigating potential welfare challenges

How Cows and a Cornfield Help Heal Childhood Trauma | TEDxScranton

The Lands at Hillside Farms | PBS

Farm-Based Education Network, NBC, ABC, Love What Matters, Fox News, The Moyer Foundation, NPR, PBS

TEDxScranton, BSAS Massachusetts, Food Animal Concerns Trust, HAI, The Lands at Hillside farms, Penn Vet

To learn more about planning, funding, and sustaining your organization's farm-based therapy program, please use the contact form below.

As Seen On

Community