Freeport, Maine—Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment and its partner organizations were awarded up to $35 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program to support the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices on farms nationwide. This award will expand Wolfe’s Neck Center’s leadership role in advancing agriculture’s ability to become a solution to climate change through its global collaborative, Open Technology Ecosystem for Agriculture Management (OpenTEAM). 

“We are honored to be collaborating with such a distinguished group of awardees to achieve our shared goals. This represents the first important step in a larger endeavor that will support urban and rural economies, regenerate our working landscapes, increase access to conservation incentives, and build the critical shared technological infrastructure needed for transformative change,” said Dorn Cox, Research Director at Wolfe’s Neck Center.

Wolfe’s Neck Center will lead an alliance of over 60 national and regional buyers, funders, and organizations to launch and support climate-smart agricultural pilot projects on farms and ranches in the Northeast, Mountain West, and California. This will provide land stewards, farmers, and ranchers with direct soil health planning and technical assistance to access financing for practice implementation such as cover cropping, managed grazing, or no-till planting. 

The alliance will train agricultural service providers, provide open-source technology, and develop a robust, accessible marketplace for climate-smart products. As part of the USDA’s $2.8B investment in 70 projects, the alliance bridges local, regional, and national efforts to make climate smart agricultural knowledge accessible at all scales across diverse production systems. 

“This project and the many others funded through this program are a positive step forward on making agriculture a solution to climate change,” said David Herring, Executive Director at Wolfe’s Neck Center. “The transition to and implementation of climate smart agricultural practices is one that we are deeply committed to supporting – here in Maine, New England, and across the U.S.” 

Key organizational partners include Point Blue Conservation Science, Zero Foodprint, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, American Farmland Trust, the Organic Trade Association, Oregon Tilth, California Certified Organic Farmer, Field to Market, and Carbon A List as well as many important regional, market, and technical partners. 

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About Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment

Wolfe’s Neck Center is a nonprofit, farm-based education, research, and visitor center on a mission to transform our relationship with food and farming for a healthier planet. By facilitating knowledge and best practice sharing, educating a wide variety of learners, and convening a community of people who care about the future of food and the planet, Wolfe’s Neck Center aims to help make agriculture a solution to climate change.  

Wolfe’s Neck Center sits on 626 acres of coastal farmland, with forested trails, livestock education barns, and an oceanfront campground. Learn more about all there is to do, see, and learn at Wolfe’s Neck Center.

Led by Wolfe’s Neck Center, Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management (OpenTEAM), is a farmer-driven, collaborative community committed to improving soil health and advancing agriculture’s ability to become a solution to climate change through the codevelopment of an interoperable suite of tools. By acting as a convener, technology steward, and facilitator, OpenTEAM is increasing the integrity, interoperability, and knowledge shared across the agricultural technology landscape for a more sustainable technology ecosystem. To learn more about OpenTEAM, click here.

Link to the USDA announcement

Wolfe’s Neck Center Press Contact
Madison Moran
Marketing and Communications Manager
Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment
mmoran@wolfesneck.org | 207-865-4469 x 105