A once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure at Wolfe’s Neck Center will ensure the farm is here for another 50 years, and will help us secure a stronger future for food, farming and the planet. New and repurposed buildings, in combination with a thoughtfully designed landscape, will allow for campers, farmers, researchers, and visitors of all ages to engage in hands-on learning around regenerative agriculture in authentic and meaningful ways.
Building on our history, we are putting down new roots to strengthen our connection to the food we grow, and to be a leading voice in demonstrating how agriculture plays a key role in fighting climate change.
If you have visited Wolfe’s Neck Center over the last few years, you have likely noticed that we have been hard at work improving our campus. These improvements are part of a property-wide Master Plan that was developed in 2015-2018 and has been implemented, piece-by-piece, each year since. New and improved trails, better signage, renovated historic buildings, new barns and more.
Here’s a glimpse at what you can expect with this campus-wide effort:
The centerpiece of our reimagined campus, the Smith Center is named in honor of LMC and Eleanor Houston Smith and their family. The Smiths founded Wolfe’s Neck Farm in the 1960s and conserved it for future generations. We are thrilled to be naming this new center after them. Learn more about this unique community facility below.
The large open area behind and to the side of the site of the current Pole Barn/future site of the Smith Center will be named after long-time Board member (current Board Chair) Lee Schepps, his wife Barbara Cottrell, and their family in recognition of their generous contributions to WNC. Over the course of 2024, you will see the garden coming to life, welcoming visitors to enjoy the area and the many new features that will be included in the Cottrell Schepps Family Farm Discovery Garden.
Speaking of building community, the Charlie DeGrandpre Sr. Operations Center honors an early member of the Wolfe’s Neck community. The Operations Center houses all of our equipment and maintenance functions, and will also include a new compost operation. We have long envisioned doing more composting on site here at the farm and doing so will help us build our microbial community and improve our soils.
“We are honored to support this historic effort to transform an extraordinary place that has meant so much to us over the years. Agriculture can and must play an important role to address the many challenges that face our society today. A revitalized WNC will be a real leader in changing how we all engage with food and farming – for healthy people, a strong economy, and a planet we can be proud to leave to the next generation.
“Wolfe’s Neck Center is one of the primary reasons I moved to Freeport so many years ago. Now, I am so pleased to support this once in a generation investment in WNC. The rolling pastures, the shoreline and the wooded trails are a source of comfort and inspiration for so many, and the hands-on experiences that visitors get when they are here help them to better understand how farming impacts their health, our economy and the environment. The transformation of the facilities here will deepen Wolfe’s Neck Center’s impact and ensure that future of this incredible place is strong.”
Support our work! Your tax-deductible gift supports a better future for farming, our children, and the planet.