Sweet Farm Foundation

SWEET FARM FOUNDATION IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ANIMAL SANCTUARY AND SUSTAINABLE FARM DEDICATED TO EDUCATING AND INSPIRING PEOPLE TO LEAD A HUMANE AND SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE.

SWEET FARM IS THE FIRST EVER CLIMATE SANCTUARY. FOUNDED IN 2016 AS A FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY, IT QUICKLY BECAME CLEAR TO OUR CO-FOUNDERS THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL THE STORY OF HOW OUR FOOD SYSTEM AND CLIMATE ARE INTIMATELY CONNECTED, WITHOUT FOCUSING ON ALL ASPECTS OF WHERE OUR FOOD COMES FROM. BY THE END OF 2017, THE ORGANIZATION HAD BUILT OUT ITS PROGRAMS TO INCORPORATE REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE AND TECH & INNOVATION.THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS WE ADDRESS THE IMPACTS OF FACTORY FARMING ACROSS ANIMALS, THE PLANTS, AND THE PLANET. BY LINKING CLIMATE EDUCATION, REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE, FARM-ANIMAL RESCUE, AND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT IS SUSTAINABLY DISRUPTING FOOD AND AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION SWEET FARM IS FOCUSED ON DRIVING CHANGE TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.SWEET FARM HAS EXPERIENCED THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE FIRST HAND; EVACUATING OUR ANIMALS DUE TO WILDFIRES IN 2020 AND BEING FORCED TO CLOSE OUR AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS IN 2021 DUE TO CALIFORNIA'S DROUGHT. WITH NO END TO THESE CLIMATE DISASTERS IN SIGHT, IN 2021 WE MADE THE DECISION TO RELOCATE OUR FARM, ANIMALS AND PROGRAMS TO THE MORE CLIMATE SECURE REGION OF UPSTATE NEW YORK. THIS MOVE WILL BE COSTLY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, BUT OUR NEWLY BUILT 50 ACRE FARM WILL PROVIDE A MORE SUSTAINABLE HOME TO ALLOW US TO GROW THE IMPACT OF OUR PROGRAMS IN THE LONG TERM.OUR EXPERIENCE AS CLIMATE REFUGEES PUTS US IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO CONNECT OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO THE REALITIES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. WE ALWAYS TAKE A PRAGMATIC AND POSITIVE APPROACH IN OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AMPLIFYING INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT CAN MOVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD TOWARDS A MORE COMPASSIONATE AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD.CENTRAL TO OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ARE THE STORIES OF OUR FARM ANIMAL RESCUE ANIMALS ALSO KNOWN AS OUR ANIMAL AMBASSADORS. IN 2021 SWEET FARM RESCUED 48 FARM ANIMALS. WE REHOMED 32, AND TOOK IN 16 NEW RESCUES AT SWEET FARM. ADDING NEW RESCUES TO OUR SWEET FARM FAMILY WAS DONE THROUGH CAREFUL INTEGRATION. THE CARE OF OUR ANIMALS IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, WHICH INCLUDES DAY-TO-DAY CARE, MEDICAL CARE AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES TO MAKE SURE OUR ANIMALS ARE HAPPY AND HEALTHY. IN 2021 WE CONTENDED WITH HIGH COSTS FOR MEDICAL CARE FOR OUR ANIMALS. MANY OF OUR ANIMAL AMBASSADOR SPECIES ARE TRADITIONALLY RAISED FOR FOOD AND NOT FOR LONG LIFE, WHICH LEADS TO A HIGHER FREQUENCY OF MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS AS THE ANIMALS AGE. EVEN WITH THE CLIMATE CHALLENGES AND DAUNTING TASK OF PREPARING TO MOVE AN ENTIRE FARM, IN 2021 WE REACHED OVER 25,000 PEOPLE THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. WE DEVELOPED A WIDE VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS RANGING FROM: A) TECH & INNOVATION TRENDS IN FARMING, B) HIGHLIGHTING TRADITIONAL & SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES LIKE FERMENTATION AND HUGELKULTUR, C) DEBUNKING PLANT BASED MYTHS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO SHIFT TO A MORE PLANT BASED DIET, D) BACKYARD COMPOSTING AND WINDOWSILL HERB PLANTING & E) KIDS PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON ANIMALS, PLANTS AND THE PLANET. WE WERE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF THE MANY REPEAT BOOKINGS FOR VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS AND TOURS FROM COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE, PALO ALTO NETWORKS, FACEBOOK, MCKINSEY AND MANY OTHERS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2020, THIS PROGRAM ALONE HAS REACHED OVER 350,000 INDIVIDUALS, COMPLETING NEARLY 6,000 CORPORATE EDUCATION EVENTS, 2,000 PRIVATE EVENTS, AND OVER 700 FREE EDUCATIONAL TOURS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATORS AND THEIR CLASSROOMS. OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION PROGRAM REMAINS A CORNERSTONE OF HOW WE SCALE OUR IMPACT GLOBALLY. IN TOTAL, THIS PROGRAM HAS PROUDLY HELPED SECURE OVER $10M IN INVESTMENT FOR START-UPS AIMED AT GLOBAL DISRUPTION OF OUR FOOD SYSTEM FOR THE BETTER.IN 2021, SWEET FARM CO-HOSTED THE NORDIC FOOD INNOVATION SUMMIT, AN EVENT FOCUSED ON AMPLIFYING AND SUPPORTING NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE AIMED AT MAKING FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTION MORE SUSTAINABLE. WE CO-PRODUCED AND DEVELOPED A NEW SPEAKER SERIES; HUMANE PLANET: THOUGHT LEADERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD. THE FIRST EDITION WAS LAUNCHED IN 2021 AND FEATURED SWEET FARM'S CO-FOUNDER NATE SALPETER AND CEO OF IMPOSSIBLE FOODS PAT BROWN. THIS SPEAKER SERIES IS PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC, FREE OF CHARGE, AND PLANS TO HOST A TALK WITH SENATOR CORY BOOKER IN 2022.IN 2021, OUR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE PROGRAM REMAINED CHALLENGED BY THE ON-GOING CALIFORNIA DROUGHT, AND SO OUR FOCUS TURNED TOWARD PREPARING FOR A FUTURE IN NEW YORK STATE WITH AMPLE ACCESS TO WATER AND MORE ACREAGE TO GROW. WITHOUT EVEN FULLY RELOCATING TO THE AREA YET, WE'VE DEVELOPED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORNELL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE THAT WILL AMPLIFY OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH INNOVATIVE START-UPS AND GIVE US A SOURCE OF LOCAL ADVICE AS WE BEGIN CROP PLANNING FOR OUR FIRST NEW YORK SEASON. WE'VE ALSO IDENTIFIED SEVERAL LOCAL RESTAURANTS AND NONPROFITS WHERE WE CAN DISTRIBUTE OUR REGENERATIVELY GROWN PRODUCE WHILE EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY ON OUR MISSION FOR A MORE CLIMATE STABLE WORLD.AS WE LOOK TOWARD OUR FUTURE IN ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING CLIMATE STABLE REGIONS IN AMERICA: THE FINGER LAKES REGION IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, WE HAVE A VISION OF CREATING A UNIQUE LOCATION THAT WILL ALLOW SWEET FARM TO HOUSE MORE ANIMALS, EXPAND OUR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES AND BUILD OUT AN EVENT AND FARM-STAY LOCATION THAT WILL REACH MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER BEFORE. IN 2022 THE BIG MOVE IS PLANNED, WHICH WILL BE A CHALLENGING TRANSITIONAL YEAR, BUT ONCE COMPLETE IT WILL SET THE ORGANIZATION UP FOR SUCCESS INTO THE FUTURE.