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THE LEGACY CAMPAIGN FOR THE BERRY CENTER FARM
IMAGINE: Student farmers from throughout Kentucky and the nation learning the best practices of sustainable, responsible farming on a fertile, verdant farm in the heart of Henry County, Kentucky, and that same farm is a learning laboratory for our independent family livestock farmers.
This kind of resource has been a long-held vision of the founders, staff, and farmers who are part of The Berry Center. Our focus, “farmers in the middle” live from farming, within an appropriate scale and are able to provide food for a region. Conversely, they are the demographic of farmers disappearing the fastest.
We are now in the process of purchasing a 200-acre farm located in Port Royal in Henry County, perfectly situated for use by these farmers, members of Our Home Place Meat (a program of the Berry Center), and the student farmers in the Wendell Berry Farming Program of Sterling College. Thanks to generous upfront funding to allow us to commence purchase of this property, we are pleased to announce a $1.35 million campaign to complete the purchase of the farm, equipment and livestock for its programs, and renovation of onsite buildings that will be used by farmers, students, faculty and staff for years to come. The Legacy Campaign for The Berry Center Farm seeks to fulfill the vision of a working farm “classroom” that creates a lasting impact not just on our community but will be a replicable model for others in our state and nation.
FUNDING THE BERRY CENTER FARM
With generous early funding providing the seeds to our endeavor, we now seek to raise $1.35 million in support of:
• Purchase of The Berry Center farm so that it can be put to use immediately in support of the Center’s programs, available as a debt-free resources for the coming decades.
• Purchase and renovation of farm equipment and several on-site buildings that will be used in support of the students of the Wendell Berry Farming Program (WBFP) and participating livestock farmers in Our Home Place Meat.
• Essential renovations to the historic building in Port Royal that serves as classroom and office space for WBFP students and faculty.
The ongoing additional cost of annual operations and support of the newly acquired Berry Center farm will be easily accommodated in the projected annual revenues that come from existing funding sources to the Center and so they are not included in the proposed campaign.
As of the summer of 2021, we are pleased to report gifts and pledges totaling $575,000 allowing us to proceed with the purchase of the farm and its buildings. The additional $725,000 we now seek to raise will be used to cover the final costs of acquisition and renovation of the buildings. Fortunately, we have short-term financing in place that allows us to offer pledge terms to donors who require two or more years in order to accommodate their commitments to this important project. The Legacy Campaign is guided by our volunteer Board of Directors and we plan to conclude our outreach for Phase 1 by the end of 2022.