LISBON — The fields of the Iroquois Farm look empty, but underneath a thin layer of grass is a freshly planted crop of winter wheat.

"We're basically done with the produce now," said farmer Joseph R. Metz. "It's been really busy."

Since opening July 15, after three years of disuse, the Iroquois Farm and Country Garden Restaurant has been active getting operations back on track and looking to the future.

"We're pleased to see things starting to move along," said Mahlon T. Clements, president of Clements Agricultural Research Institute Inc., which owns the farm, restaurant and Tilden Stage Inn Bed and Breakfast. "I'm very optimistic."

The three facilities have worked to support each other and the institution's goals to cultivate interest and participation in healthy food and lifestyles, said Deborah A. Dixon, the executive director of the institute.

With the current success, the board of directors is looking to expand the facilities to emphasize children and sustainable living.

The nonprofit organization is raising funds to build a facility for a 1,500-square-foot hands-on exhibition called Healthy Soil, Healthy Food, Healthy People.

The exhibit was designed by the Rodale Institute in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Dixon hopes to have it installed by August.

The institute also is working to bring weekly field trips to the complex from local schools.

"Hopefully, this will bring schools, family and tourism to the area," Mrs. Dixon said.

The plans for research and experiments in sustainable living could bring tourism to the area.

The institute is looking into build a fully self-sustainable community, independent from outside food or fuel by using solar, wind and hydropower from the St. Lawrence River, Mr. Clements said.

Mr. Clements said the board is applying for funding for the project, but could not say if or when the village would be operational.

Today things are quiet at the complex. Behind the restaurant, where a group of women gathered for lunch, Mr. Metz tried to coax a black pigmy goat into a barn.

"The restaurant has brought a lot of people to the farm," Mr. Metz said after he locked the stubborn goat into a pen. "It's great. It has a lot of potential."