Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

About Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture

Through our interdisciplinary research, we are building a food system that benefits human health, strengthens communities, and protects our soil.

Through Crops, Livestock, Ecosystems Management, and Ecological Monitoring programs

Supporting public and private entities in strengthening their sustainability approach

Building a network of key partners across our regional food system

Collaborative research and experimentation with our restaurant partner, Blue Hill

Building an ecologically-minded community on and off campus.

Every year, our Crops program tests, selects, and saves over 300 experimental crop varieties for flavor, soil-building capacity, and climate adaptability.

Soil-based greenhouse on a ten-year crop rotation

Five acre vegetable field on two, seven-year crop rotations

Annual/perennial ley rotation integrating grazed pasture, grain, cover crops, and vegetables

On-site seed saving, breeding, and variety trialing

SBC Vegetable Field Crop Rotations↗

Winter Pea Cover Crop Trial Project↗

Sorghum

In collaboration with Cornell University, Clemson University, Empire Syrups, and Blue Hill, we are trialing seven varieties of cane sorghum to produce syrup and spirits.

Upland Rice

With retired USDA rice geneticist Dr. Anna Mc

Clung and founder of Anson Mills Glenn Roberts, we are exploring upland rice genetics to find the most nutritious, flavorful, and regionally adapted varieties.

Cover Crops

Cover cropping is a key part of our soil health management strategy. In order to incentivize more Northeast farmers to adopt the practice, we are collecting tasting data from Blue Hill chefs and creating a cover crop mix with the greatest culinary and market potential.

Livestock are a key component in our holistic management strategy. Our cattle, chickens, pigs, and goats support biodiversity, soil health, and carbon sequestration on the farm and in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

450+ acres of land managed in partnership with the Rockefeller State Park Preserve

Multi-species rotational grazing of cattle, chickens, and pigs

Invasive species management by grazing goats on woodland edges

Highest animal welfare standards from Certified Humane and Animal Humane

Retired Dairy Cow

In partnership with Blue Hill and Edacious Labs, we are exploring the potential of 100% grass-fed dairy cow beef in supporting declining dairy farms within our region.

Rockwood Hall Goat Project

For over seven years, our goats have supported invasive species management throughout the Rockefeller State Park Preserve through our Conservation Action Plan.

Waste-Fed Omnivores

With support from SARE, we are using nutritional and sensory data to develop a Waste-Feeder’s Manual; a practical guidebook for waste-feeding hogs and hens.

Our Ecosystems program is built to ensure the farm’s long term health and sustainability and cultivates balance and harmony in our growing spaces.

Mixed edible and ornamental landscapes, agroforestry, apiaries, fruit and nut orchards, pollinator hedgerows and gardens

Aerated static pile composting with wood chip bedding, municipal leaves, food waste and animal manures

Turned windrows of manures, leaves and vegetable waste

Supporting Pollinators in Your Landscape↗

Stone Barns Center Honey Bee Foraging Map↗

A Whole Community in a Catkin↗

Native Pollinator Tracking and Monitoring

Across the farm, we plant native flowers, trees, and grasses to encourage healthy populations of diverse pollinators.

Perennial Tree Crops

Our perennial tree collection, including paw paw, persimmon, and chestnut provide habitat for wildlife, feed for livestock, improve air quality, and diversify farm income streams.

Northeast Hazelnuts

With trees from Rutgers University, we are establishing a trial nursery of over 400 hazelnuts in our Front Pasture. These trees are incorporated as an alley cropping structure in our farm’s ley rotation.

Our Ecological Monitoring program monitors soil health, water quality, and insect, plant, and bird diversity to understand the system-level impact of our farming practices.

Chemical, physical, and biological soil health analysis

Greenhouse gas flux monitoring in partnership with The Columbia Climate School

Monitoring water quality in the Pocantico River watershed

Insect, plant, bird, and other biodiversity monitoring, plus forage quality analysis

Data collection and analysis to evaluate our regenerative practices and research projects

Native Warm Season Grassland Restoration Project↗

The Ecological Monitoring Program at Stone Barns↗

Conservation Action Plan

Together with the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, we manage 450+ acres of state park land through multi-species rotational grazing. Using our ecological monitoring data, we are understanding the role that regenerative farms can play in land conservation strategies.

Ley Rotation

Over the course of 15 years, we have established a ley rotation that supports pasture health and diversifies crop production. Through intensive data collection, we are able to demonstrate its benefit to soil health, carbon sequestration, and forage quality for other Northeast farmers to adopt.

Native Warm Season Grassland Restoration Project

With the Center for Native Grasslands Management at the University of Tennessee and the Rockefeller State Park Preserve, we converted 45 acres of state park land to native warm season grasses and collect extensive ecological impact data.

Soil is the foundation of health, nutrition, and flavor

No waste is generated in a natural system

Biodiversity reinforces stability and resilience

Livestock are valuable contributors to our holistic management strategy

Ecosystems and wildlife habitats support our cultivated land

Mixed rotations provide the soil with nourishment and rest, ensuring future productivity

Leading an Ecological and Accessible Food System (LEAF) directly distributes fresh food and equips families with the tools to grow their own at home and in local community gardens.

Stone Barns Center partners with mission-aligned leaders and organizations seeking to advance regenerative agriculture and food systems change.

Our farmers and ecologists engage in collaborative research with Blue Hill chefs, butchers, bakers, and preservation specialists. Together we explore the connections between soil health, animal stewardship, nutrition, and flavor.

Through the Conservation Action Plan, Stone Barns and the Rockefeller State Park Preserve manage 450+ acres of state park land through multi-species rotational grazing.

Created by Stone Barns’ Ecological Monitoring team, our interactive Story

Maps offer mixed media engagements with our research projects. Explore our database and read about our project updates.

Since 2004, Stone Barns has brought farmers, chefs, ecologists, and artisans to the table to innovate an ecological and regional food culture. View our archive of conferences and events.

Delivery & pickup

No off-site delivery. Products available on-campus only.

Specialties

• beef
• blue-hill
• crop-diversity
• dairy
• education-center
• eggs
• farm-beverage
• farm-tours
• flowers
• fruit
• heritage-breeds
• honey
• maple
• meat
• member-pickup
• michelin-restaurant
• orchard
• pastured-eggs
• poultry
• produce
• raw-dairy
• raw-milk
• regenerative-research
• vegetables

Categories

• Blue Hill restaurant
• Cafeteria
• Member pre-order pickup
• On-site market
• Pickup
• raw-milk
• raw-dairy
• pastured-eggs
• organic
• regenerative
• pastured
• flowers

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