On September 6, the Suffolk County Farm and Educational Center in Yaphank – operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk (CCE Suffolk) – will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the beginning of construction of a new visitor center. CCE Suffolk will also mark the opening of a new walkway into the farm. The walkway was funded by National Grid.
A working, 272-acre farm, the Suffolk County Farm provides hands-on, research-based learning with themes in agriculture, animal sciences, history, STEM, healthy living, and life skills in a unique, year-round learning environment.
Each year, the century-old Farm welcomes a total of 100,000 visitors, of which 20,000 are schoolchildren. It is home to one-of-a-kind educational programs for children pre-K thru 12th grade, summer day camps, a nature-based preschool, special events, a butterfly house, a certified Nature Explore Classroom, and much more. Its 1871 Haybarn is listed on the National Historic Registry.
In addition to representatives of CCE Suffolk and National Grid, participants will include State Assemblyman Joseph DiStefano and four members of the Suffolk County Legislature: Sarah Anker, Sam Gonzalez, Leslie Kennedy, and James Mazzarella.