Stone Barns Portraits

August 19, 2016 in Photo, Portrait Photographer

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture Portraits

Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture

May 13, 2016 in Photo

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture on May 12, 2016 (Photos by Ben Hider) Another wonderful evening on the farm learning about soil health and the complex life that lives and provide so much for our health. It's always a pleasure to hear farmer Jack Algiere talk about any topic, he really knows every aspect of this farm from every angle.

Ben Hider - Event, Food and Portrait Photographer based in New York City and Westchester

Jack Algiere is farm director at Stone Barns Center. Jack graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in horticulture and has been actively farming since the early 1990s. His lifetime of experience in organic, biodynamic and ecological systems brings a broad diversity of experience in greenhouses, orchards, fields and pastures.

At Stone Barns Center, Jack oversees the extensive and diverse farming operations, integrating multispecies pastured livestock, grains, field crops, greenhouse, fruit, flowers and compost in a four-season agroecological system. He also oversees the greater public and wild landscape as elements of the whole farm system. Jack is a leader in the farm’s innovation programs and is integrally involved in training beginning farmers.

On the side: With his wife and fellow farmer, Shannon, Jack has two farm-raised sons. He plays the drums, is captain of the local volunteer fire department and sits on the board of Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Young Farmers Conference at Stone Barns

December 05, 2015 in Photo

The Young Farmers Conference, at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, is convening some 250 young and beginning farmers for intensive workshops, demonstrations, business courses, conversations and dancing. Part of the Center's Growing Farmers Initiative, the conference is unique in scope and reach, bringing together thought leaders, creative practitioners and business experts in the sustainable agriculture movement with farmers eager for ideas, information and connection.

Young and beginning farmers attend to talk about improvements they want to make to their farms and, for most, dream about the type of farm they hope to have one day. They gather to share ideas, business models, tools and experiences that can help them meet the challenges of small-scale farming.

A study conducted in 2011 by the National Young Farmers Coalition not only quantifies those challenges but gives voice to the frustrations and fears of the farmers dealing with them. Lindsey Lusher Shute started the coalition in 2011 to help define the issues confronting this generation of young farmers and bring about the policy changes needed to give them a leg up. In a nationwide survey of 1,000 farmers, Lindsey found that some of the top barriers impeding them are lack of capital, credit and land.

The annual Young Farmers Conference, together with Stone Barns Center’s Growing Farmers Initiative, is designed to give beginning farmers the resources and information they need to overcome these hurdles, as well as be a vital forum for education and training.

Problem: Lack of Capital and Access to Credit. Finding the money to start a farming operation can be daunting. Inputs are expensive and the margins are slim. Of the farmers surveyed by the National Young Farmers Coalition, 78% ranked “lack of capital” as their top challenge. Yes, there are loans available from the USDA Farm Service Agency, but current rules are too restrictive, small loans are hard to secure and loans can take a long time to process. Financial straits frequently force beginning farmers to work second jobs: 73% report they rely on off-farm income to make ends meet. This year, the Young Farmers Conference is offering a Business Planning Track—a five-workshop series focused on establishing systems to promote efficiency and help farmers find their market niche.

Problem: Access to Land. According to the survey, approximately 78% of beginning farmers did not grow up on a farm. Without inheriting farmland, the prospect of buying land, and at affordable prices, can be unattainable for many, especially for those in areas with high real estate prices. Several conference workshops will explore the access to land issue from different angles, from urban farming to farm ownership.

Problem: the Need for Education and Training. All beginning farmers need hands-on training—both technical and practical. They need to learn techniques and ideas from experienced farmers and have an opportunity to put them to work. The survey cited farm apprenticeships as one of the things that currently is working—and arguably one of the things that Stone Barns Center does best for young farmers, with its dozens of apprenticeships offered annually. As the only national annual conference of its size and scope, Stone Barns Center’s Young Farmers Conference is leading the way in educating and convening young farmers. And it offered up education and practical courses in spades: backyard beekeeping, the basics of soil science, pasture-raised laying hens, greenhouse management, sheep-handling skills, poultry-processing, crop rotation, whole-animal butchering—just to name a few.

To learn more about the Young Farmers Conference visit virtualgrange.org!

Stone Barns Mobile Kitchen Classroom

May 17, 2015 in Photo

Ben Hider - Event Photographer based in New York City and Westchester

The Mobile Kitchen Classroom will empower high school students to become food citizens, actively contributing to the creation of a new, healthy and sustainable food culture. This intensive, semester-long program explores the history and science of food, diverse food cultures, resilient agriculture and cooking. The students' experience will culminate in the preparation of a Mindful Meal and production of a creative project to help spread the word about what it means to be a food citizen.

This Mobile Kitchen Classroom's innovative curriculum uses hands-on, project-based learning. Students will be immersed in engaging projects, lively discussions and meaningful interactions with farmers, chefs, educators and creative storytellers.

Stone Barns Center and SHFT Co-founders Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer are proud to partner in bringing the Mobile Kitchen Classroom to high school students in New York City and beyond.