Category: Research

This blog post was written by Mary Parks, Founder & Director of GREENCRAB.org. ~~~ Green crabs were first spotted in Casco Bay in the early 1900s after moving northward from Massachusetts waters where they were introduced a century before. In recent years, green crabs have become Maine’s most common crab species, wreaking havoc on some … <a href="https://www.wolfesneck.org/green-crabs-an-invasive-species/">Continued</a>

Hello! My name is Alex Gulachenski, and I am Wolfe’s Neck Center’s Farm Networks Coordinator. I am a recent addition to the Wolfe’s Neck Center staff, and I am excited to tell you all about the important work we are doing with Farmer Networks! As an ecologist by training, I view agriculture from a systems and … <a href="https://www.wolfesneck.org/whats-community-got-to-do-with-it-building-farmer-networks-for-soil-health/">Continued</a>

Wolfe’s Neck Center (WNC) is seeking to transform our relationship with food and farming for a healthier planet. To help achieve this, WNC is researching soil carbon sequestration as a way to reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions and impact on our planet. Read on to learn more about soil carbon sequestration at WNC.  Carbon sequestration … <a href="https://www.wolfesneck.org/good-dirt-soil-carbon-sequestration-at-wolfes-neck-center/">Continued</a>

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. 

MAPSS recently held their annual field workshop at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment, so we tagged along to see what they were up to! Forty members and soil scientists descended on the property to assess soil pits that had been excavated in our pastures, in our campground, and in Wolfe's Neck State Park. The workshop focused on soil parent materials, human-altered or human-transported materials, and hydric soil characteristics and determinations. 

Climate change threatens the health of our planet and jeopardizes our ability to grow food. At Wolfe’s Neck Center, we are committed to creating solutions to these problems to build a healthier planet for our future generations. A Deeper Dig aims to highlight terminology, practices, and ideas, both in our backyard and globally, through monthly … <a href="https://www.wolfesneck.org/a-deeper-dig-soil-health/">Continued</a>

You have likely heard the term regenerative agriculture and while it may seem new like a new buzzword, regenerative farming practices have been around for thousands of years. In many ways, it is a return to the way farming used to be, and is focused on restoring soils that have been degraded by the industrial agricultural system. Its methods promote healthier ecosystems by rebuilding soil organic matter.

Wolfe’s Neck Center has a rich history of innovation and experimentation in farming and food systems, and the future of farming depends on this resilience. By integrating technology into a daily farm operations and management, we can build soil health on farms in the face of climate change. Take a look at some of our newly implemented tech tools used to collect and manage on-farm data.

The B3 (Bovine Burp Buster) Project begins this summer at Wolfe’s Neck Center to study the effect of adding seaweed to the diet of dairy cows on reducing methane emissions. Learn more about the project from our new Agricultural Research Coordinator.