Queens Farm crumbling under Walden Weprin’s tenure, staff say

continued from page 21 feed, according to Former Employee No. 4, who said the executive director switched out the hay goats and sheep were fed for a cheaper, lower-nutrient alternative, the same kind the farm sells to visitors to give the animals.

“We noticed a big difference, because the animals hated it — it was scratchy, it was hard, it was dry, it was difficult to manage, it cut up your hands — it was horrible to work with, and the animals just didn’t like it,” Former Employee No. 4 said. “It was hard for educators or the public to now interact with the animals, because the animals didn’t want to deal with it ... We did notice a drop in their weight.” While the goats and sheep eventually took to the new hay, Former Employee No. 4 said Walden Weprin was not receptive to staff members’ concerns; when asked, Nicholas did not address the concern in her statement.

Former Employee No. 5’s role was eliminated in spring 2022, but the ex-employee has visited since — and was upset to see the state of the farm and its livestock, especially the pigs. According to Former Employee No. 5, KuneKune pigs — the breed that lives at the farm — are prone to becoming obese, and therefore, their food intake needs to be monitored carefully, and they should be eating mostly grass and some grain with not too many food scraps. That appears not to have happened; Former Employee No. 5 saw an Instagram post from the farm in summer 2022 in which one of the pigs was so big that she could not see under her eyelids; the ex-employee even went so far as to send a message in response to the post saying the pigs were becoming too large.

When Former Employee No. 5 last visited the farm in April, things had not improved. “They were confused — they’re both completely blind,” Former Employee No. 5 said. “They know me — they couldn’t see me. When they heard me, they knew it was me, but they definitely couldn’t see me.”

Asked about that, Morales said the pigs were not obese. “Pigs are pigs, and they eat and they get fat,” he said. He also did not think they were blind, and suggested that perhaps it looked like they couldn’t see in certain photos.

Walden Weprin also is not letting employees maintain the farm’s five gardens, which became overgrown and filled with poison ivy as Covid-19 restrictions put a stop to work being done with school groups, who previously got a handson learning experience — even though employees offered to do so for free, they say.

“We can no longer go in the Children’s Garden, the Herb Garden — there’s no Butterfly Garden anymore. We can’t take the kids there anymore,” Employee No. 2 told the Chronicle. “So you’re not only not utilizing those spaces, you’re not learning anything anymore as an educator, but you’re taking the kids past these crappy looking areas.” the board in July — that Walden Weprin “doesn’t get” the farm, meaning she does not understand its central purpose: to engage visitors with and educate them on agricultural practices and their history in the World’s Borough.

“I don’t think she understands the mission statement, or if she does, she doesn’t care about it,” said Employee No. 3. “There’s a definite divide in attitude between some of us and the rest of the people at the farm. We understand the mission statement, and we respect it. She doesn’t — she’s got her eye on something else, and she’s very politically well connected. It’s all about the surface.

“We’re not cohesive anymore — we used to be a family.”

Part of that division exists because Walden Weprin has at times hired people who have personal connections to her, according to employees. One key employee is Walden Weprin’s neighbor and close friend, according to Employee No. 2. The same worker said Walden Weprin also hired someone else who is dating the first person’s son. Meanwhile, staff were not given the chance to apply for the role before anyone was hired, current employees say.

After employees read their testimony to the board in July, some signs were added next to overgrown gardens that read in part, “Pardon our appearance.” SOURCE PHOTO tion. Nicholas’ statement did not address the matter when asked.

Others did not ask for cost-of-living raises for years, only to be shot down when they did. Even though Employee No. 1 had not received a raise since 2017, when one was requested earlier this year, a supervisor initially responded, “We are looking for a holistic solution to this.”

Around the same time, employees began comparing notes: They realized none of them were “even close to what the industry standards are,” Employee No. 1 said.

“We had to beg, essentially, for crumbs,” Employee No. 3 said.

Employee No. 2 once applied for the vacant education director position. When asked about the role, Walden Weprin said she’d let the employee know. She never did. The education department has been without a director for more than a year, employees say; department staff were told to report to four different people in a four-month period.

In the process, employees say the education department has become a shell of its former self. New educators previously received several weeks of on-the-ground training before leading any tour groups alone; now, they get only a few days. Employee No. 3 was adamant that that’s insufficient.

“They’ve also been giving wrong information, the newer people especially, because there’s no standard for training,” Employee No. 3 said. “They could say anything, virtually, and I’ve heard some pretty wild claims, as far as factual information about [the farm].”

That led six employees to strike for the better part of a month this summer, demanding cost-of-living wage increases and merit raises, in addition to job evaluations. They returned to work when the QCFM agreed to raise their hourly pay by 25 percent, effective July 1, Employees No. 2 said. That brought the lowest of their wages to $20 an hour, even though the group had been aiming for $25, which, according to an analysis by Employee No. 2, is still lower than other comparable institutions throughout the five boroughs, Nassau and Suffolk counties. Asked why the group settled for less than they wanted, Employee No. 2 said simply, “We love our jobs.”

But after the employees got that raise, as did staff in two other departments, according to Employee No. 2, those who went on strike were told they could no longer work events at the farm, which had allowed them to log a significant number of hours — and therefore earn more money — fairly quickly. Employees No. 1, 2 and 3 all characterized that as being retaliatory. At times, however, Employee No. 2 has been asked to work events due to staffing issues.

The three also learned that several newer employees in another department were given $500 bonuses for their work this summer, even as those who went on strike for raises were among the very limited number of employees who maintained the grounds and crops at the height of the pandemic.

— Employee No. 2

After that complaint was made during the July board meeting, signs have been added to those gardens that read, “Pardon our appearance.”

The animals have not been rotated around the grounds recently, Employee No. 2 said. Employee No. 1 explained that that’s necessary both so that they don’t ingest parasites and so the land does not become overgrown. “It also controls the foliage, and allows foliage that they’ve already grazed on to grow back so that we don’t deplete it, it’s much much healthier for them,” the worker said. Morales claimed the animals are rotated “on a certain basis.”

In her statement, Nicholas wrote of the agricultural conditions on the farm, “The health and welfare of the Farm’s animals are of paramount concern and QCFM is proud that as of its latest inspection in June 2023, the animals were found to be healthy, free of disease and the staff was commended for the quality of care provided. One of several changes the Farm implemented was closing the commercial petting zoo in 2020, which may have brought in revenue, but was not optimizing the health and wellness of the animals and the agricultural ecosystem. However, revenue has exceeded past years even without the commercial petting zoo, due to a 58 percent increase in public programming and introducing an annual gala which has also expanded support of QCFM.” Nicholas said the farm’s veterinarian does those inspections “regularly,” but did not specify how often when asked.

Other times, employees say — both to the Chronicle and to

Walden Weprin has said in emails to staff that the education department and its structure will be “reimagined” as the farm prepares for its new education center — a long proposed project still in the works. Nicholas’ statement did not address the education department at all.

Meanwhile, the Board of Directors has also seen significant turnover; seven of its 17 members joined in 2018 or later; Walden Weprin was hired in October 2018.

Show me the money

Both past and present employees say they have asked for raises or have asked for raises on behalf of a division of farm staff, some as early as 2019, and were denied them. The requests included both cost-of-living and merit increases. Employee No. 2 even recalled being with a co-worker when they walked in on a conversation between the ex-education director, Ali Abate, and the key employee who lives by Walden Weprin, during which Abate told the person that staff’s hourly rates were too low. In rebutting the employees’ July grievances, Walden Weprin wrote in an email to staff in August that, among other things, Abate had not recommended staff raises. Abate could not be reached for comment.

Former Employee No. 3 recalled having asked Walden Weprin many times for increased compensation in light of an increased workload. “On every occasion, nothing has come of it,” Former Employee No. 3 wrote in the parting letter.

Meanwhile, the nonprofit’s annual 990 filings show Walden Weprin was compensated $125,000 in fiscal year 2019, and $132,308 in fiscal year 2020 — a $7,308 raise. In fiscal year 2021, however, she was compensated $127,500, a $4,808 reduc-

Asked about those wage and bonus concerns and allegations of retaliation, Nicholas’ statement only addressed finances for one department: agriculture. “With respect to workforce, agriculture is typically a seasonal industry, and the Farm has been developing its Green Workforce Training program so that the team can leverage their work experience to build their careers in agriculture and the burgeoning green workforce in NYC and beyond,” it reads. “In 2019, QCFM had 10 staff in the agricultural department and 20 in 2023, doubling the size. Total compensation over that same time period has also increased by nearly 60 percent, and the Farm prides itself on supporting and growing its diverse and experienced workforce.” Those metrics include fulltime, part-time and seasonal workers, Nicholas clarified.

“Change is never easy but was necessary to ensure the farm operates to its highest standards and continues to serve the public as it has for over 325 years,” Nicholas’ statement concluded.

Now, the board must decide whether to renew Walden Weprin’s contract; it held its first meeting since July last Thursday, Oct. 26. The Chronicle contacted several members of the board for comment for this story; while neither members Neal Vichinsky nor John Sandmann responded to the Chronicle’s inquiry, three of their peers, Paul DiBenedetto, Doris Bodine and Nyisha Howell, said they were unable to comment. Longtime board member Christina Wilkinson referred the Chronicle to Trent, the board president, for comment; he did not respond to the Chronicle’s inquiries, either. An attorney representing the board did not respond to the Chronicle’s comment request.

Employees say conditions have largely remained the same since they spoke at the board’s last meeting. In an email to Trent, Employee No. 2 said, “We have supplied so much information that outlines Jennifer’s many failures ... and yet she remains on the property, making us uncomfortable, dividing the staff ... Why is she still here?” Q

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