Wolfe’s Neck Center Hosts White House Investments in Rural America Event with Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

August 6, 2024, was an exciting day at Wolfe’s Neck Center! We were joined on campus by U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg as part of his trip to Maine and the White House’s Investments in Rural America events highlighting infrastructure investments in rural communities across the country. Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree joined Buttigieg on his visit. After a brief tour and welcome remarks by our executive director, Dave Herring, Pingree, King, and Buttigieg shared reflections about the importance of investing in infrastructure in Maine and beyond. Remarks were then followed by a town hall where Buttigieg, King, and Pingree were joined by Clarissa Sabattis, Maliseet Tribal Chief, Colleen Hanlon-Smith the co-owner of Daybreak Growers Alliance and owner of Peak Season food service distribution, and others who took questions from audience members. Climate considerations are inextricably linked to transportation, and challenges facing farmers, farms, and food systems were major themes of the event. 

Our work here at Wolfe’s Neck Center is dedicated to a world where agriculture and food systems support farmer viability, thriving ecosystems, and vibrant communities. Our scope and scale has grown significantly in the past 10+ years, in part due to federal investments from the USDA, including a low-interest loan from Rural Development that helped to finance the building of the Smith Center for Agriculture and Research and Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities, which is helping us reach farms across the country. Thanks to these investments and private philanthropy, we are stepping into the role we are uniquely positioned to play as a farm-based organization with national reach, to work in service of farmers, food systems, and the planet.

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