ESU #3 - Gifford Farm Education Center

ESU #3 / Gifford Farm Education Center evolved from a family farm to an ESU #3 education entity through the generous gift of Dr. Hal Gifford to forever serve as a resource for public education.  As a public institution that operates year-round and serves all of the school districts within ESU #3 as well as organizations within the Omaha Metro area, our mission is to offer rich, comprehensive education that serves the students and families on and off the  farm for events and programming.  We are a working farm that served just over 18,000 individuals during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.  While Gifford Farm has historically centered on an Agriculture based programming, we have been expanding our repertoire of nature-based and sustainability programs and outcomes that are designed to build participants' knowledge of native Nebraskan ecosystems, promote the application of STEM and STEAM learning, expose visitors to the natural world and its flora and fauna, and to encourage stewardship of our natural resources.  All educational programming serving pre-Kindergarten to 12th-grade students is designed in consideration of Nebraska's State Education Standards and leverages experiential pedagogy.