Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture facts for kids

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture
Main building
Town/City	Pocantico Hills, New York
Coordinates	41°06′14″N 73°49′44″W / 41.1039°N 73.828844°W / 41.1039; -73.828844 (Pocantico Hills)
Established	2004
Area	80 acres (320,000 m2)
Produces	Heirloom crops and heritage breeds of livestock

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is a special farm and learning center. It is a non-profit place, which means it doesn't aim to make money. Instead, it focuses on teaching people about food and farming. You can find it in Pocantico Hills, New York.

The center is built on about 80 acres of land. This land used to be part of a big estate owned by the famous Rockefeller family. Stone Barns works to promote ideas like sustainable agriculture, which means farming in a way that protects the environment. They also support local food, which is food grown close to where you live. Another idea they promote is community-supported agriculture, where people buy shares in a farm's harvest.

Stone Barns is busy all year round, growing food and raising animals in every season. It is also home to a restaurant called Blue Hill at Stone Barns. This restaurant uses fresh ingredients, many of which come straight from the farm. The restaurant's staff also help out with the center's education programs.

History of Stone Barns

The land where Stone Barns stands was once part of the Rockefeller estate called Pocantico. In the 1930s, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. had the stone barns built. They were designed in a style called Norman and were first used as a dairy farm.

After the 1950s, the barns were not used much for farming. They were mostly used for storage. But in the 1970s, farming started again. Margaret "Peggy" McGrath, who was David Rockefeller's wife, began raising cattle there.

Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture was created by David Rockefeller and his daughter Peggy Dulany. They worked with their friend James Ford. They wanted to create the center to honor Margaret Rockefeller, who passed away in 1996. Stone Barns first opened its doors to the public in May 2004.

In 2008, Stone Barns opened its own small slaughterhouse. This allowed them to prepare their own animals for the restaurant. It also saved them from having to drive animals a long way to other facilities.

In 2017, Stone Barns published a book called Letters to a Young Farmer. This book is a collection of stories and advice about farming life. It includes writings from many well-known people, like Michael Pollan and Temple Grandin.

The Farm at Stone Barns

The farm at Stone Barns grows food and raises animals all year. About 6 acres are used for growing vegetables. The farm uses a special six-year plan for planting different crops in its fields and greenhouses.

They grow about 200 different kinds of produce throughout the year. Some are grown outdoors, and others are grown in a large greenhouse. The greenhouse is about 22,000 square feet. It uses sunlight from each season to grow plants.

The farm grows some rare types of plants. These include celtuce, Kai-lan, and hakurei turnips. They also grow New England Eight-Row Flint seed corn and finale fennel.

The farmers at Stone Barns do not use any harmful chemicals like pesticides or herbicides. They add compost to the soil to make it rich and healthy. The compost is made from manure, hay, and food scraps from the Blue Hill restaurant. It takes about six months to make the compost.

Farm Animals

Stone Barns raises many different animals. These include chickens, turkeys, geese, sheep, pigs, and bees. They choose animals that do well in the local environment. The farmers try to raise the animals in a way that matches their natural behaviors.

The chickens, turkeys, sheep, and geese live on pastures. These pastures are kept healthy by moving the animals around regularly. This is called rotational grazing. The sheep and pigs have bedding that is regularly turned and made into compost.

Farmers who raise animals this way are often called "grass farmers." This is because they focus so much on keeping the pastures healthy. They manage the grazing areas carefully. This allows the grass to grow back and provides a safe place for birds and other wildlife. This helps keep nature in balance.

In 2018, Stone Barns started managing over 300 acres of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. They began a program where different animals graze together. Pigs eat food waste, including leftover grain from a local brewery. Cattle, sheep, goats, hens, and ducks also graze on the preserve's land.

Learning Programs

Stone Barns offers many programs for farmers, teachers, and the public. Each year, about eight young farmers get hands-on training there. They learn about raising animals and growing crops. They also take classes on business, how plants are pollinated, and how to care for water and soil.

Young Farmers Conference

In 2008, Stone Barns started the first Young Farmers Conference. This event helps new farmers get ideas and learn new skills. Many farmers in America are over 65, and only a small number are under 35. It can also be hard for young farmers to buy land. The conference helps them learn about farming on a smaller scale and offers training workshops.

Entrepreneurship for Farmers

The Entrepreneurship Intensive for Farmers program started in 2019. It teaches farmers how to develop business skills. It also helps them connect with their local community.

Food Ed Program

Food Ed is a special school program for high school students. It teaches them about the entire food system. This includes how food is grown, processed, and delivered to us.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns Restaurant

The Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant opened in the spring of 2004. It was one of the first restaurants to focus on farm-to-table dining. This means they get many of their ingredients directly from the Stone Barns fields and pastures.

In 2020, the restaurant earned two stars from the Michelin Guide. This is a very high honor for restaurants. The owners, Dan, David, and Laureen Barber, also own another restaurant called Blue Hill in New York City.

Stone Barns in Media

An episode of the TV show Top Chef was filmed at Stone Barns. This was during the show's fifth season. The chefs on the show used the restaurant's kitchen. They prepared a meal for the farm's workers and their families.