Last weekend’s 2 inches of rainfall was an excellent reminder of why we cover crop our fruit and vegetable fields through the winter. Heavy rainfall on open ground has the potential to create damaging erosion. That’s why in preparation for the winter, we plant cover crops on the plots with more highly erodible sloping soils.
There’s a bit of magic in the story of Strega Nona, and there’s also a bit of magic in bringing a story to life. With the help of a hay wagon, farmers in a vegetable plot, and an outdoor cooking station, these children shared in moments of discovery that can only happen at a place like Wolfe’s Neck Center.
Wolfe’s Neck Center has secured a key partnership in a $3 million grant with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences to expand research on how to reduce methane emission by cattle and the effects of adding Maine seaweeds to a cow’s diet. Cattle are the largest human-caused source of methane emissions—the most potent of greenhouse gases—making dairy farms a source for reducing emissions at the start.
Our farmers were finding that is was becoming time consuming to venture out on pasture to let the laying hens out of their housing every morning and back in each night. That’s when they figured out how to power the henhouse door automatically.
What is a farmer? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a farmer as “a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals (such as livestock or fish).” Although this statement is very true, a farmer is much more than this.
See a milking in action! Watch the twice-daily process of milking our 30+ herd of organic dairy cows in our parlor in this step-by-step guide.
Prioritizing healthy soils takes many forms at Wolfe’s Neck Center, but core to this ideology is the use of cover crops whenever possible. For our fruit and vegetable farmers, this is a no brainer and is at the root of what they do. One rule of thumb they have is that it’s always best to keep roots in ground at all times.
The work of Maine Conservation Corps continues here at Wolfe’s Neck Center, as do our continued efforts to connect the farm, forest, and sea in a safe and accessible way with the ongoing expansion of the Farm Loop Trail.
The calm open waters of Casco Bay are fun for beginners and experts alike. With views south along the coast in one direction, and a salt marsh up the Little River in the other, there’s much to see and this paddle will certainly be a memorable part of your Wolfe’s Neck Center experience.
Walk by our West Bay fruit and vegetable plot and you’ll see a tall blossoming crop, trellised and nearly six-feet tall and extending down a whole row. This is our asparagus patch, and despite it being quite a sight already, there’s a greater story and purpose to the crop than meets the eye. Follow along to see where they end up!