DESCRIPTION
Join farm-based educators and farm to school practitioners for a hands-on, farm-based learning experience this October! This day-long experience invites you into peer-facilitated conversations around topics of your choosing: early learners on the farm, balancing production and education, favorite farm programs for teens, summer camp, running a mission-based organization, and more. The morning will include a chance to join Wolfe’s Neck staff in the forest, garden, kitchen, barn and coast for a window into the programming they offer. Plan to attend just Friday, or come Thursday evening for a welcome supper and make-and-take farm crafts. See you there!
ABOUT WOLFE’S NECK CENTER
Situated on over 600 acres of preserved coastal landscape in Freeport, Maine, we use our diverse landscape to connect people of all ages to the food they eat and where it comes from. Encompassing a demonstration farm, oceanfront campground, wooded trails, and historic buildings, our vibrant campus serves as a unique hub for education and exploration.
As a nonprofit, Wolfe’s Neck Center draws upon a rich history of innovation and experimentation to continue the legacy of this place today. Through regenerative farming, innovative soil health research, and visitor interactions, the land is used as an educational resource to create a healthier planet for all.
ABOUT THE FARM-BASED EDUCATION NETWORK
The Farm-Based Education Network (FBEN) is a free member network created to strengthen and support the work of farmers, educators, and community leaders who provide access and experiences of all kinds on working farms. Our mission is to inspire, nurture, and promote farm-based education. The FBEN is a project administered by Shelburne Farms and supported by regional groups, advisers, and founding partners.
FEE: Free to participate. Lodging not included.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, October 3rd: Farm Visits on Your Way to Wolfe’s Neck Center
All visits are from 2:00 – 4:00PM – Optional farm visits. Check out a farm-based education program on your way to Wolfe’s Neck Center! You can select which visit you’d like to participate in during registration.
- Ecology School – 184 Simpson Road, Saco, ME 04072 (54 Minutes to WNC). The Ecology School’s Farm Manager will lead a tour of the agricultural areas of our River Bend Farm campus including the education plots, orchard, greenhouse, pollinator gardens, the 1.25 acre production field, and the dining commons, while sharing how these spaces and our AgroEcology farming operations integrate into our hands-on food systems education and meal service. We will meet on the river side of the yellow farmhouse, home of our administrative offices.
- Pineland Farms – 15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester, ME 04260 (32 Minutes to WNC). Parking Directions – Meet at the Pineland Farms Visitors Center. Continue past the Pineland Farms Market located at 15 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester, Maine on Farm View Drive and take your first left onto Valley Farm Rd. Keep right at the fork in the road, following Valley Farm Rd. until you see the Smokehouse Visitors Center (white silo) on the right hand side. Parking is available on both sides of the road.
The education department at Pineland Farms’ is excited to welcome friends from FBEN! On the farms 5,000-acre property the learning takes place in our forests, fields, barns, gardens and farmyard. During your visit you can expect to see glimpses of some of the spaces we use to engage, inspire and entertain our visitors; our Family Farmyard, gardens and demonstration dairy farm. We look forward to showing you what we’ve been up to and can’t wait to hear what’s been going on where you are.
- Cultivating Community – 58 Boyd St. Portland, ME 04101 (30 Minutes to WNC).Join us at Cultivating Community‘s Boyd St. community garden for a tour and some relaxed, yet hands-on activities that will lend a small peek into Cultivating Community’s youth & schools curriculum. Snacks will be provided! Staff will answer questions and talk to you about our urban food justice nonprofit model!
5:00-8:00PM – Welcome Supper with make-and-take farm crafts at the Smith Center at Wolfe’s Neck.
Friday, October 4th –
8:00 – Light refreshments
9:00 – Welcome
9:30 – Group Conversations Round One (select and suggest topics during registration)
10:30 – Break
11-12:30 – Farm Experiences (topics subject to change)
- Seaweed for Cows: Cow digestion & methane reduction
- Pasture based farming & carbon sequestration in the soil
- Garden Education
- Tidal cove and marsh visit
- Goat Graze & Hike
- Summer Camp
- Working with wool in the Haze Hut
12:30 – Lunch
1:30 – Group Conversations Round Two (select and suggest topics during registration)
2:30 – Break
3:00 – Share Out, Closing Appreciations, Next Steps
3:30 – Closing and departures
Due to generous funding, this 2024 immersion is offered free of charge. However space is limited, so reserve your spot early!
ACCOMMODATIONS
Please book your own lodging! There are a number of options in Freeport and surrounding areas. Wolfe’s Neck Farm campground which you can book online separately from this event. There are also a limited number of Education Tent sites near their Education Center. If you would like to camp at one of these tent sites, please email [email protected] after you register. There are also farmstays in the surrounding area. These are not endorsed by FBEN, but are options we’re aware of thanks to our friends at Wolfe’s Neck!
QUESTIONS
For program questions, please contact Vera Simon-Nobes at [email protected].
For registration questions, please contact Mariah Hawkins at [email protected].
