Remembering David Rockefeller

Dear Friend,
2017 was a year of unprecedented “natural” disasters – city-leveling hurricanes and storm surges, farm-destroying wild fires, earthquakes, climate refugees. Climate change is upon us, and farmers are on the front lines of confronting it.
We know that agriculture can help mitigate and protect against climate change’s effects, and at Stone Barns we are working to build a sustainable food system that is both resilient in the face of these challenges and makes strides to fend off further destruction of our environment and communities. This work goes hand in hard with giving the next generation of farmers and eaters the tools and knowledge they need to build a better system.
Stone Barns’ mission to change the way America eats and farms is squarely positioned to help address some of the most urgent crises of our time. By demonstrating resilient agriculture, training young farmers, fostering a farm-centric food culture, and activating the next generation of food citizens, we are changing the conversation about the promise and potential of regenerative agriculture. There has never been a more critical time to invest in this work.
We are excited to share 2017’s accomplishments with you here in our Annual Report. In 2017, we published our first book, Letters to a Young Farmer. We launched our first national teacher training program, as well as the first year of the Stone Barns Exchange Fellowship. And our farm operation continued to lead the way on agroecology, from saving 100,000 pounds of food from landfills to feed our waste-fed pigs, to developing and improving tools for small farmers, to testing 100 varieties of vegetables that aren’t yet commercially available.
We are deeply grateful to all of our members and donors for your ongoing support of this mission and work. We could not do this without you.
Stone Barns’ mission...is squarely positioned to help address some of the most urgent crises of our time.
Jill Isenbarger, CEO
Focused on amplifying the impact of public, education and training programs to create a healthy and sustainable food system that supports us all.
Chair
President Emeritus