Building Up to Root Down by Wolfe's Neck Center

Building Up to

Root Down Transforming our relationship with farming and food for a healthier planet

Founder LMC Smith stands with Horace Mann on the farm in 1965. They observe cattle eating from the cafeteria-style feeder, an innovative practice at the time.

“We’ve dropped a pebble, now we have to see where the ripples go.” ELEANOR HOUSTON SMITH

WOLFE’S NECK FARM has a long, rich history rooted in using our beautiful

landscape to support farmers, connect people to agriculture, and provide meaningful experiences in nature. Created in 1959 by LMC and Eleanor Houston Smith, the farm used organic practices at a time when pesticides and chemical fertilizers were on the rise. Their commitment to stewarding the land through thoughtful farming practices is core to who we are.

Completed in spring of 2017, the Wishcamper Livestock Education Barn is home to our sheep, lambs, goats, and chickens and was designed specifically for hands-on education and meaningful visitor experiences.

THE SMITH FAMILY LEGACY LIVES ON today and guides us with renewed

purpose and a sense of urgency. We believe agriculture can and must play a role in mitigating climate change, and that Wolfe’s Neck Center is uniquely positioned to be a leader in this effort. Here, people can be immersed in farming and nature, train to be farmers, and participate in cutting-edge soil health research.

“We are on a path to becoming a leading center for food and farming.” FIONA WILSON, WNC BOARD CHAIR

IN THIS COUNTRY, our diet is dominated by processed food and

produce that travels from hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY KIDS, ARE DISCONNECTED from the source

of their food and the land that produces it. MAINE FARMERS ARE AGING , most with no plan for their

replacement, leaving farms at risk for development. CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS the health of our planet, and

jeopardizes our very ability to grow food.

Now, more than ever, the world needs places like Wolfeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment.

What we eat and how it is produced really matters. WE HAVE GROWN BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS over the past several years, with our programs and

campground at capacity. Our infrastructure, an old beef production farm, does not meet our current needs. The aging buildings prevent further growth and limit opportunities to fully connect people to this special place. At Wolfeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Neck Center we are Building Up to Root Down to bring our facilities in line with our vision. With new and renovated buildings, we can provide yearround placed-based education, farmer training, and immersive experiences for people of all ages.

We believe in the power of this place to educate, inspire, connect, and make a lasting impact on every person who comes here.

“Being able to help take care of chickens and cows, and get their hands in the soil, in the tide pools, or on the trees in the woods, sometimes all within a single day at camp—it truly does not get any better than that.” SUMMER CAMP PARENT, 2017

Wolfe’s Neck Center is a place to…

Immerse yourself in farming and nature, and learn why that’s important. IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT all of

us: consumers—eaters—understand the connection between our food choices and our health, the environment and our communities. Through the thousands of people who visit the farm each year to camp, hike, come to summer camp or a field trip, attend an educational program or event, we are uniquely positioned to deliver this message in a meaningful, impactful way.

Everything you do at WNC is full of discovery. Here, people enjoy being in nature, including hands-on, sensory experiences on a working farm: touching the warm soil, eating a fresh tomato off the vine, smelling freshly cut hay, or watching a chick hatch. This kind of placebased, experiential learning strengthens our collective understanding of where food comes from and helps us to gain a deeper appreciation for the impact of our food choices on our community, health, and the planet.

“WNF has had a huge impact on our family. It is a place we visit for fun, for solace, for learning. Our whole family has benefited from the farm’s programs. Whenever we visit, there’s something new to learn, and it inspires us to try to live according those lessons. We can’t wait to visit again!” CAMPGROUND VISITORS, 2017

LITTLE RIVER FARMSTEAD COMPLETED IN 2017

Our new Wishcamper Livestock Education Barn sits on the site of a former barn (demolished in 2008) and the historic Little River House has been repurposed as the seasonal hub of our popular Summer Day Camp. VISITOR CENTER

The Visitor Center will serve as the primary entry and information point for all campground and day visitors. The market will feature fresh produce, meat and farm products. The café will offer a menu with food sourced locally and from the farm.

SMITH CENTER FOR EDUCATION

The Smith Center for Education will be located on the site of the existing Pole Barn. The Center will have classrooms, a commercial teaching kitchen, growing spaces, meeting rooms and our administrative offices. It will provide the opportunity for year-round programming including nutrition and culinary education, and community spaces. The farm’s natural landscape will always be our primary “classroom,” but this innovative center will allow for diverse, deeper, and meaningful experiences for people of all ages.

Kelly, second year apprentice in our Organic Dairy Farmer Research & Training Program.

DAIRY COMPLEX

A new barn will serve as the center for our residential farmer apprentice program and will house a dairy herd of 60. It will also include the milking parlor, commodity storage, and a research station.

Wolfe’s Neck Center is a place to…

Train to be a climate-smart farmer. OUR AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE gives Maine its

special sense of place. At Wolfe’s Neck Center, we are training the next generation of organic farmers so that Maine can produce more of its own food for a better local economy and to preserve our state’s agricultural landscape. While they are here, farmers and apprentices learn the latest climate-smart practices.

They intentionally care for the land so that we are building topsoil and sequestering carbon, keeping it from being released into our atmosphere. Our soil health research provides valuable information to help us and a growing network of farms monitor progress and use practices that limit greenhouse gas emissions.

“What we are doing today is so deeply rooted in our past.” DAVE HERRING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 2017

Chuck DeGrandpre, age 13, on the farm in 1969.

HISTORIC RENOVATIONS

As we reimagined what the farm could look like with updated infrastructure, we wanted to preserve and protect the historic buildings of the farm, and find new uses for them that serve our mission. The properties will be renovated and restored to keep their historic integrity intact, retaining the farm’s authenticity and sense of place.

Wolfe’s Neck Center is a place to…

Reflect on the past. WHEN YOU COME TO THE FARM , you feel like

you are stepping back in time; this place looks very much like it did 100, even 200 years ago. The landscapes and historic buildings hold the stories of those who have lived here before us—ship captains and mariners, shipwrights and farmers, entrepreneurs and homemakers, and Native Americans who fished these shores.

Such cultural and historical richness in a public setting of forest, field, and ocean would be remarkable anywhere, but they are exceptionally rare just 30 minutes from Portland. These cultural resources keep us rooted in the rich history, and are a constant reminder of the importance of stewarding this extraordinary resource.

WISHCAMPER LIVESTOCK EDUCATION BARN AND LITTLE RIVER FARMSTEAD COMPLETED IN 2017

• PRESCHOOLERS helping to care for the goats and sheep at our Farmer for the Morning Program SMITH CENTER FOR EDUCATION

• SUMMER CAMPERS cooking omelets in the teaching kitchen with eggs they just collected

• EDUCATORS leading a class in raising chickens • FAMILIES joining one of our educators for a guided goat walk

• VISITORS learning how to make pickles or jam with freshly harvested produce • SCHOOLKIDS on a field trip learning about invasive species • NUTRITIONISTS teaching a healthy cooking class • TEEN AG CREW members washing produce to deliver to food pantries • CLIMATE-SMART FARMING RESEARCHERS and advocates convening for a conference

KITCHEN AND DEMONSTRATION GARDENS

Building Up to Root Down New and re-purposed buildings and a thoughtfully designed landscape will allow for campers, farmers, researchers, and visitors of all ages to engage in hands-on learning about climate-smart farming in an authentic, meaningful way. Here’s how:

DAIRY COMPLEX

• COWS being milked twice a day, every day • SCIENTISTS conducting and sharing research about soil health • APPRENTICES learning about herd health and nutrition • FARMERS conducting tours of the milking parlor VISITOR CENTER

• CAMPERS checking in for their stay and picking up fresh produce and pasture-raised meats for dinner • KAYAKERS stopping mid-day for a farm fresh lunch in the café • FAMILIES signing up for a farm tour or cooking class

Building on our history, we are putting down new roots to strengthen our connection to the food we eat, and to be a leading voice in demonstrating how agriculture can play a key role in fighting climate change. WE GIVE PEOPLE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES in

farming that help them to better understand the impact that their food choices have on their health, our economy and the environment. We train climate-smart farmers to care for the land, while giving them tools to be economically viable on their own farms. We connect people to the natural world, giving them a place to be on the water, hike the trails, and sleep under the stars.

We need to make this once in a generation investment in the farm to make sure it is here for another 50 years, and to ensure that the future of farming and our planet is strong. Your help is critical, and we ask you join our effort in Building Up to Root Down.

“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.” JOE AND CAROL WISHCAMPER

Become an important driver in our mission to transform the way we farm and eat for a healthier planet. Help us Build Up our infrastructure to Root Down for many generations to come.

To Give Contact Jeannie Mattson 184 Burnett Road Freeport, Maine 207 865-4469 ext. 110

WolfesNeck.org

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