We are thrilled to welcome Mark Harrington to Wolfe’s Neck Center! He joins our dairy team as an apprentice and we look forward to seeing his impact around the farm. Learn more about Mark in his own words:
Originally from the great state of Connecticut, I’ve lived on two continents, traveled in four; but, I keep coming back to Maine and its irreplaceable mountains, forests, and seacoasts. A graduate of the University of Southern Maine, I’ve taught many subjects and both at home and abroad. This time, it’s my turn to be taught again. Tractors, pastures, cows, calves, milk, and so much more fill my day. There is much to learn and great people to learn from as a Dairy Grazing Apprentice at Wolfe’s Neck Center. When not at bottle feeding newborn calves or driving the milking herd into the parlor, I enjoy running, camping, sailing, and writing.
I wasn’t born on a farm, I was born on land that used to be farmland. Times are changing and the dairy industry must keep pace. Things have changed dramatically between the first bovine domestication and the inception of mega-farms. Trying to balance the relationship between important variables like health for cows, humans, and industry-environmental sustainability is an important part of what we do at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment.
Since most Americans aren’t born on farms, being part of the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program is an important part of not only bridging the gap between pouring milk into coffee and pouring it into a calf-feeding trough; but also of making this a economically and existentially sustainable lifestyle for all those looking, questing, searching for “the right way” to live and work.