With as much as 15% of greenhouse gas emissions currently coming from agricultural activity, we need to find ways to reduce and offset this by capturing carbon in the soil. By building soil health through regenerative practices, collecting data, and sharing information, we can farm in a way that solves the problems we face now and makes our farmland more resilient for the future of food and our planet.
Wolfe’s Neck Center uses its setting and public accessibility to demonstrate farming in a way that enhances the natural environment. This outdoor living laboratory promotes education and research focused on agricultural production and ecosystem health in the face of a changing climate. Current projects—undergoing in collaboration with local, regional, and global stakeholders—include OpenTEAM, B3, and CIG.
Wolfe’s Neck Center is training the next generation of farmers through two immersive experiences. The Fruit & Vegetable Farmer Training Program is a seasonal opportunity for interns to gain experience running a small business enterprise and mastering the economics of small-scale organic crop production as they conceive their own plans for the future. The Organic Dairy Research & Farmer Training Program is a two-year residential learning opportunity accredited by the national Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship and in partnership with Stonyfield. Our training programs prepare aspiring farmers to cultivate the land through regenerative practices that produce nutritious food for keeping communities healthy, now and in the future.
Season extension efforts in recent years position Wolfe’s Neck Center to serve its community through access to fresh, nutritious food throughout all four seasons. A custom-built mobile high tunnel greenhouse and additional greenhouses promote crop rotation and provide sheltered environments to grow hardy, leafy greens in the winter. Recent plot expansions and a prioritization of perennial orchards will situate Wolfe’s Neck Center to continually increase production. Wolfe’s Neck Center contributes thousands of pounds of organic produce to local food pantries each year.
Regenerative farming is the use of farming and grazing practices that rebuild organic matter and restore degraded soil. On a large scale, this could reverse the effects of climate change by pulling excess carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in the soil. Regenerative farming practices build fertile soils and nurture a healthy ecosystem. Some examples of common practices include managed grazing, composting, use of cover crops, and no-till systems.
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