If you've ever driven along Hill Church Road and spotted heritage sheep and pigs grazing, gardens bursting with edible and medicinal plants, or a driveway lined with pumpkins and straw bales each fall, you've likely passed Rock Hill Heritage Farm of Hershey. Owned and operated by Katherine "Kat" English and her family, the farm has become a unique community resource where sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, education, and community come together.

     Kat's path to farming wasn't a traditional one. Her professional background is in Human Resources and Jurisprudence, but her passion for gardening, community, food, and sustainability began long before the family moved to Hershey.

     "My love of gardening started with my mom and her beautiful roses," Kat says. "Later, my husband's godmother introduced me to native plants and edible landscaping. By the time we left the city, we had transformed nearly our entire one-eighth-acre property into an edible and native landscape."

     In 2012, Kat and her husband, Kelly, moved from Bellevue Park in Harrisburg to Hershey. Kelly wanted to reconnect with his family's deep roots in the community. His grandfather worked for The Hershey Company after immigrating to America, and the family's business had its roots in Hershey generations ago. For Kat, the move also offered something she had long wanted: land.

     As their children became involved in 4-H, the family sought a place where they could grow food, raise animals, and learn together. They found exactly that in a three-acre property previously cared for by the Sheaffer family who also shared agricultural interests. Over time, Rock Hill Heritage Farm expanded to include chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and extensive chemical-free medicinal and edible gardens. The farm also became home to endangered heritage livestock breeds—animals whose populations have declined dramatically over the last century as industrial agriculture favored large hybrid breeds developed for confinement systems.

     For the English family, farming became about much more than producing food. It became a way to reconnect with traditional skills, learn together, nourish the land and community, understand natural systems, and share those lessons with others.

     Since 2008, Kat has pursued educational opportunities at regenerative and holistically managed farms throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Those experiences inspired her to pursue advanced training in sustainable agriculture, becoming a certified Permaculture Designer and Teacher while also studying Holistic Management and Ecological Outcome Verification.

Her goal has always been simple: ensure that any farming practice improves the health of the land rather than depleting it. "I believe nourishing our families and community should leave the soil, animals, and environment better than we found them," Kat explains. "Historically, animals played an important role in healthy landscapes. They helped recycle nutrients, compost organic materials, manage vegetation, control pests, build soil fertility, and provide food. We became disconnected from our food system, and part of our mission is helping people understand the value and importance of that connection."

     Education remains at the heart of everything the farm does.

Since 2013, Rock Hill Heritage Farm has provided educational programming for families, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations. Topics include gardening, composting, food preservation, fermentation, heritage livestock, the history of our food system, permaculture, sustainability, and regenerative agriculture. One of the farm's most impactful projects grew from sharing educational lessons with neighbors.

     In the early years, friends learned that the farm's pigs and poultry loved pumpkins and that seasonal decorations could serve a greater purpose than ending up in a landfill. They began dropping off pumpkins, corn stalks, and straw bales after Halloween.

     Over the past thirteen years, the farm has diverted thousands of pounds of organic material from the waste stream, turning what would have become landfill waste into valuable resources.

"Many people don't realize that farms once played a much larger role in local communities," Kat says. "Food scraps became animal feed, nutrients were returned to the soil, and very little was wasted. There are many practical lessons from the past that can help us reduce waste, improve soil health, build resilience, and reconnect people with where their food comes from."

     The farm's educational mission extends well beyond its property and local community. In 2019, frustrated by the growing disconnect between consumers, food production, and traditional food skills, Kat sought out experienced mentors willing to teach heritage butchery, charcuterie, food preservation, and nose-to-tail utilization practices. "For generations, families knew how to preserve food, utilize an entire animal, and reduce waste," she says. "Many of those traditions are disappearing, even though they're incredibly valuable and nutrient-dense." 

Today, Rock Hill Heritage Farm hosts pork, beef, charcuterie, fermentation, and food preservation classes that attract participants from more than fifteen states. Farmers, chefs, food enthusiasts, homesteaders, and lifelong learners travel to Hershey to participate. The farm also hosts charitable community dinners that help support its educational and recycling programs.

     While the farm is a family endeavor, each member of the English family has pursued their own interests and entrepreneurial ventures.

     Ellasandra ("Ella"), a 2025 graduate of Derry Township High School, spent much of her high school career on the field hockey field while also helping on the farm and continuing the handcrafted soap business she launched in 2019. This fall, she will attend West Chester University to study Speech-Language Pathology.

     Her brother, Nathaniel, a member of Derry Township High School's Class of 2027, shares his family's entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to helping on the farm, he is an avid hockey player, competing with both the Hershey Jr. Bears and Hershey Trojans hockey programs. Since 2022, Nathaniel has operated his own pressure washing and soft washing business, serving local homeowners and businesses.

     The Hershey and Hummelstown communities have also played a significant role in the farm's success. Local partners including Giant Foods, Hershey Gardens, Just Juice, and the former Tattered Flag have contributed food scraps and compostable materials throughout the years, helping divert valuable resources from the waste stream. In turn, the farm has worked to give back to the community. Through its recycling and heritage livestock programs, Rock Hill Heritage Farm has helped convert those donations into nutrient-dense food, portions of which have been donated to support local food assistance efforts, including the Hershey Food Bank.

     When they aren't enjoying food from their own gardens and pastures, the English family enjoys supporting fellow local businesses. Favorite stops include Wasabi Bistro, Just Juice, Pronio's Market, Simply Greek, Stuff'd Steaks, Devon Seafood + Steak, and The Mill in Hershey's 1933 Restaurant.

     For the English family, farming became about much more than producing food. It became a way to reconnect with traditional skills, learn together, nourish the land and community, understand natural systems, and share those lessons with others. Rock Hill Heritage Farm is more than a farm—it's a place where education, stewardship, and community come together, and where everyone is always welcome to learn something new.

     To learn more about composting, food preservation, sustainable living, educational programs, or workshops, connect with Kat at Rock Hill Heritage Farm of Hershey. 

Web: www.rockhillheritagefarm.com

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