The School at Kerber’s Farm, Inc. and Suffolk County Park just announced a 20-year agreement for Kerber’s to lease and manage 20 acres of land directly across the street from their property located at 309 West Pulaski Road in Huntington, New York. The agreement, which was spearheaded by Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi and unanimously approved by the Suffolk County Legislature, will allow the school to expand its farming education programming.
The 20-acre parcel is part of the 312 acre Frohleich Farm Preserve, which was acquired by Suffolk County in 1991. The additional acreage will be used by the school to further their mission to teach students the importance of farming, sustainability, and healthy eating practices. The school also aims to address food insecurity in marginalized communities and educate students about the carbon footprint of their food choices. Increased public access will also be made to the existing walking trails of Froelich Farms through the West Pulaski Road site.
Students of all ages that visit the school will have the opportunity to have real-life, hands-on farming experience where they can learn about agriculture and plant and harvest vegetables. They then can go into the school’s 32 seat interactive classroom and cook a meal with the items that the farm grows. The school hopes to run 10-15 classes per week for students of all ages, as well as a summer camp program.
ABOUT KERBER’S FARM
Kerber’s Farm was founded in 1941 and was saved from developers in 2013 when it was purchased by Nick Voulgaris. Mr. Voulgaris, who is passionate about historic preservation, frequented the farm as a child with his parents and did not want to see it destroyed. During Covid, Mr. Voulgaris created a school on the property to help people reconnect with farming and agriculture. The School at Kerber’s Farm Inc. is a registered 501-(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our school, and I am grateful for the support of Legislator Bontempi and County Executive Ed Romaine and Nick Gibbons from Suffolk County Parks. We are excited to teach our community about farming and highlight the rich history of farming in Suffolk County,” said Nick Voulgaris
“This farm is set up to teach students about farming. This is a nod to our past and where we have come from and our agricultural heritage. Let’s support our farmers and keep our agricultural tradition going strong in Suffolk” Said County Executive Ed Romaine.
“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to support local agriculture and educate our local youth about the importance farmland sustainability,” said Legislator Bontempi.