Just two years after Dutchess County”™s Sprout Creek Farm was rescued from closing by Marist College, the nonprofit known for its award-winning cheeses and educational center, announced that it would be shutting its doors for good.
The farm, which was founded in 1982 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, said in a statement that its board of directors decided to suspend operations.
“We greatly appreciate the community support the farm has received over the years and the chance we”™ve had to be part of the lives of so many children and their families,” the statement read.
For several years the farm had sustained operating losses. In the fall of 2017, Sprout Creek”™s Executive Director Mark Fredette had posted a message on the LaGrange farm”™s Facebook that stated simply, “Save The Farm.”
The farm needed assistance closing a $250,000 budget gap to continue its legacy as a top cheese producer and education center.
In January 2018, Marist agreed to assume operational control of the farm from the Society of the Sacred Heart of USA and Canada, which no longer wanted to financially support it.
Since that time, the Poughkeepsie college provided more than $2.5 million to improve the infrastructure of the farm through personnel, capital improvements, including the creamery, as well as the educational programming.
In its statement, Sprout Creek Farm said the COVID-19 pandemic hurt its ability to generate revenue and made its business model “unsustainable.”
However, there was a note of optimism in the statement. “Various options for the future of the farm are still open, including partnership with external organizations or sale.”
The farm said, “if a new owner or entity takes over the operations, any and all of the former functions (education, cheese making, hosted events) ”¦ could be restarted.”
The farmland is protected by a conservation easement and future use would need to abide by those guidelines, which focus on agricultural and educational programming.
As for the cows, goats, hens and other animals on the 200-acre spread, Farm Director Sean O”™Sullivan said they would not be sent to slaughter.
“It is a priority to Sprout Creek Farmers that all animals are relocated to new homes and given the best care that local farmers can give them. All efforts are being made to ensure that the transitions are accomplished with the emphasis on animal safety, health and welfare. We have taken great pride ensuring that the animals have been very well looked after and that the care and attention we have given them will continue.
“The animals at Sprout Creek Farm will all be appropriately and humanely managed during the process of suspension of farm operations, as directed by the capable hands of our farmer and his staff. We have always operated this way at Sprout Creek Farm.”
In a reference to past criticism of how the animals were cared for, O’Sullivan said, “While we respect people”™s opinions about the management of our animals, Sprout Creek Farm has a long and distinguished history of excellent animal care. This process will be no different.”
Sprout Creek Farm got its start in Greenwich, Connecticut, on the campus of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic K-12 girls”™ school. Its purpose was to connect the students with nature. Its operations were moved in 1990 to LaGrange, where it the name of the stream that runs through the property.
The farm has raised free-ranging cows, sheep, goats, free-range turkeys, guinea fowl, chickens and pigs. In addition to selling its cheeses, the market was a source for Hudson Valley milk, eggs, vegetables, crafts, and gifts.
Inquiries in regard to the farm and/or its animals should be sent to farmer@sproutcreekfarm.org.
