Written by Harry Kimball
At the end of January, Wolfe’s Neck Center staff organized and participated in the Northeast Grazing and Livestock Conference in Manchester, NH, alongside other New England Grazing Network partner organizations. This biannual event brings together more than 300 farmers, farm service providers, researchers and vendors gathered to explore a shared question: how can agriculture strengthen farm businesses, ecosystems and communities at the same time?
The overall feel of the conference was excitement, warmth and a sense of curiosity. The keynote address from Loren and Lisa Poncia from Stemple Creek Ranch in Marin County, California. The Poncias described their journey building a profitable and regenerative operation in detail – sometimes humorous, sometimes brutally honest. The transformation of the land and ecosystems they have stewarded over 20 years with regenerative grazing practices was particularly impressive.
Other highlights included a rousing deep dive (4 hours!) into the intersection of regenerative grazing and profitability from Caitlin Word of Noble Research Institute, and a pair of slideshows of international travel that provided personal (and profound) insight into grazing practices in Romania (from Vermont Grass Farmers Executive Director Meghan Sheradin) and Uruguay (from UVM Extension Research Associate Juan Alvez).
Wolfe’s Neck Center is involved with the planning of the conference because of our role facilitating the New England Grazing Network, which advances regenerative grazing as a viable approach to farming and a valued part of regional food systems through knowledge and resource sharing, outreach and community-building. Upcoming NEGN events include the annual Luminary tour in summer 2026, bringing grazing presentations from field experts to sites throughout the Northeast. Visit the NEGN webpage for more information or sign up here for updates on those and other events.
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