Author: Marissa Mastors

As we all enjoyed the warmer weather back in May, our Dairy team was already looking towards the winter months as they prepared bales of hay that would feed our cows. As the weather gets colder, we move our cows into the dairy barn to keep them warm and cozy. But, with less ample opportunities to graze, we feed our herd with the hay we bale throughout the winter season.

As the growing season winds down at Wolfe's Neck Center, we asked the apprentices in our Fruit and Vegetable Production Farmer Training Program to reflect on their experiences here. This six month, on-farm training program covers all aspects of organic fruit and vegetable crop production with a focus on regenerative agriculture techniques and includes classroom time and site visits to other farms. Educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders to shape our local and global food system is at the heart of our mission, and this year's crew is leaving here with renewed commitment, hands on experience and a passion for agriculture.

The staff at Wolfe’s Neck Center share a profound and meaningful commitment to our work, each other, and our community. On this day of Thanksgiving, we wanted to share with you our gratitude for being a part of this amazing place; looking at what brought us here and why being a member of the team is important to us.  

Over these past two weeks, COP26, or the Conference of the Parties, held its 26th annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26 is where nations, indigenous peoples, organizations, and individuals meet to negotiate and discuss how to best mitigate climate change. Conversations such as these are critical to mitigating the ongoing climate crisis. As world leaders prepared to meet in Glasgow, the OpenTEAM Secretariat convened at Wolfe’s Neck Center to reflect on current collaborative approaches, discuss potential opportunities for increased training and certification in soil health tools, and begin to develop a strategy for scaling.

Earlier this year, our cows here at Wolfe’s Neck Center were part of a research initiative to fight climate change. Half of our milking herd were given a local seaweed variety in their diet to measure the impacts of that local seaweed on the amount of methane the cow produces. WNC and project partners will be continuing this work over the next 5 years!

Our cows got some new bling! The SenseHub Dairy activity monitors give our dairy team real-time updates and measurements, helping them to track both cow and herd health as closely as possible. The dairy team uses the monitors to record the herd’s daily movements across Wolfe’s Neck’s pastures, track their dairy production, notify best breeding time for each cow, monitor their digestion, and observe overall health measurements like respiration. 

December brings one of our favorite traditions – the Night Tree event. We gather to read Eve Bunting’s book, make creations for the forest animals, and walk out to a bonfire to hang them on trees. Even though we can’t come together this year, we understand this is a special event that families look forward to all year long. As with most things in 2020, the Night Tree event has gone virtual!

Wolfe's Neck Center is a long time partner in FCS's food pantry program, donating fresh produce from our fields each year. When the pandemic arrived, FCS quickly adapted and shifted its operations outside with clients receiving pre-packed bags of food. Through the partnership with Wolfe’s Neck Center, local families were still able to ‘shop’ for farm fresh produce.  We checked in with Christine Lyons, Events and Communications Director, to learn more about what this challenging season has been like for FCS

As Wolfe’s Neck Center provides learning experiences for local children with creative new approaches this fall, a little white building surrounded by our farm fields stands to remind us of a very different kind of education in the past.

Join us for our first-ever online art auction to support Wolfe’s Neck Center. Browse the dynamic array of works created by over 40 talented local artists. In addition to artwork, bid on a range of farm experiences, dinners, studio tours, workshops and more! Some auction items are for exclusive farm experiences not available to the public. Read on to see what you could bid on while supporting Wolfe's Neck Center.