WOLFE’S NECK FARM’S TEEN AG PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS learn about corn with farmers Tom and Richard.
Things are hopping out on Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport — with activities for the whole family, from kids to teens to adults.
This summer, the 646-acre saltwater farm is offering a number of educational programs to teach the public about sustainable agriculture and offer a behind-the-scenes look at farming.
One of those opportunities is the Teen Ag program, now in its fifth year.
The program runs from June through August and averages about four to six participants.
“It’s full-time. They’re out in the field, basically working. So it’s actually a really cool program, because they come and they get to learn a lot about agriculture and the day- to- day of what it means to be farming, which is really hard work and there’s a lot to learn,” said Dumont. “But it’s also often their first job, so they’re also getting some workplace skills development, which is pretty helpful too.”
“We’re really trying to educate the teens in the program about the food system in general, and helping to shine a spotlight on some of the places where the food system is struggling to meet everyone’s needs,” said Dumont.
Last year, the farm was able to provide 3,700 pounds of produce to local food pantries.
Wolfe’s Neck Farm began its first year- round growing program last year with one mobile, winterized greenhouse. That program was initiated due to the need of food pantries for fresh produce in the winter months — a need that is more acute due to heating costs and season income that affects low income households. Also, there’s simply less fresh produce to go around.
TEEN AG APPRENTICE WHITNEY SMITH learns how to clam in Casco Bay in the top photo. Teen Ag Apprentices — from left to right: Sadie Southall, Whitney Smith, Lily Kuhn and Maya Bradbury — get a lesson in making jam from fresh harvested Wolfe’s Neck Farm strawberries in the middle photo. A participant in the Farmer for the Morning Program works in the garden in the bottom photo.
“I interviewed a few of them the other day, and some were just like, ‘My mom knew about this and it sounded cool,’ while others were like, ‘I totally had this interest, and I love science and I love the environment, and I knew that this was something I wanted to do,’” said Digital Communications Manager Marissa Mastors.
Most of the teens said they were excited to work with their hands every day out on the farm.
“Not all summer jobs have that opportunity,” she said.
“It really does something fundamental, where there’s a connection to place, a connection to the production of food, but there’s also an incredible appreciation for what hard work it is and how much you need to know,” said Dumont. “The reality is, you have to be really smart and pretty inventive and ingenious to be a farmer and to make it.”
Last year, the farm began offering advanced tracks for returning Teen Ag participants. Returning teens could choose to dive deeper into the business side of farming by managing inventory at the farmstand, or helping with food prep and helping at the cafe, among other choices.
“ Being a farmer is not just about growing food or growing crops. You’ve got to be able to sell it. You’ve got to be able to present it nicely, figure out your pricing. That business piece is one of the biggest struggles we have with new farmers,” said Dumont.
“We collect some information from them before the season starts and then after, and the impact of that program is pretty profound,” said Dumont. “We can sort of definitively say that every young person that goes through it, their understanding of the food system and their respect for where food comes from is off the charts.”
“We’ve actually had a number of alumni who’ve gone into undergrad agriculture programs,” she added. “And one of our original teen ag crew members is now an apprentice in our dairy program.”
Beyond Teen Ag, Wolfe’s Neck Farm also offers the weekly Farm Camp. From week to week, they usually host about 75 youth from ages four to 17.
“There may be some registration open, but we’re pretty full much of the time,” noted Dumont.
Beyond their mainstay programs of Farm Camp and Teen Ag, the farm is also piloting a handful of new programs this year.
“One of the things that’s pretty exciting with the education programs is this year we’re really trying to develop our informal programs — programs that happen on the weekends and in the evenings. So prior to this year, that’s mostly been tours and hay wagon rides,” said Dumont. “This year, we’re kind of trying out a bunch of new things. There’s a Taste of the Farm, where you come down and we do a haywagon ride up to our Teen Ag field and harvesting some of the stuff that is ripe, getting to taste it, and kind of exploring what they’re up to and learning a bit about not only regenerative farming practices and what we’re doing up there but also about that program a little bit.”
The farm is also offering tours of their dairy program, with tastings of Stonyfield Yogurt made from their milk.
“It’s for our afternoon milking, because no one wants to come out to our morning milking at 4:30 a.m.,” said Dumont.
The nonprofit will also be hosting multiple community-oriented events, such as the Family Farm Dinner.
“The Family Farm Dinner is just a way to engage our community,” said Mastors. “It’s a really casual and informal dinner underneath the tent over by the farmstead. We’re going to have the pizza oven from the farm cafe cranking out wood fired pizzas for everybody.”
“And on July 23 is our neighborhood ice cream social that we’re having from 4-6. It’s just a way to gather our neighborhood,” added Mastors.
The farm is also hosting a free discussion series titled Dig Deeper.
“It’s just a way to offer some really targeted learning about food and farming,” said Mastors.
For a full list of programs, activities and opportunities at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, visit their website at wolfesneckfarm.org.
nstrout@timesrecord.com
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
