Garden Symposium: The Sustainable Kitchen Garden

Jack has been actively farming for more than two decades and has trained a generation of young farmers in organic and biodynamic farming practices. He oversees the extensive farming operations at Stone Barns, integrating a holistic farm team that works together on multispecies grassfed livestock, grains, field crops, greenhouse, fruit, flowers, wild landscapes, and compost in a four-season regenerative system. Jack leads Stone Barns' programming in innovative tool design, breeding, and monitoring work that supports the efforts of small- and mid-size farmers and was part of the core team that developed the Conservation Action Plan that led to Stone Barns' management of 350 acres of public lands in the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. He holds a B.S. in horticulture from the University of Rhode Island.

Tony founded Harlem Grown to address the health and academic challenges facing public elementary school students in Harlem. In 2011, Tony began volunteering with a local elementary school in Harlem and witnessed first-hand the lack of resources allocated to these schools and the poor nutrition of students. He noticed an abandoned and overrun community garden across the street from the school, and rallied volunteers and raised dollars needed to transform the lot into a thriving urban farm, kicking off Harlem Grown’s first-ever growing season. In 2019, Harlem Grown expanded to partner with five local Harlem schools, 12 urban agriculture facilities, reached over 4,500 youth, composted over 20,000 pounds of food scraps and grew over 6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables that are then distributed to families-in-need throughout the community. Through his efforts and leadership, Harlem Grown plants seeds, but grows healthy children and sustainable communities.