“From spring through fall, we grow seasonal cut flowers and foliage, cho - sen for their beauty and compatibility with our Northeastern climate,” she says. This summer, the first high-tun - nel greenhouse was filled with rows of lisianthus in bloom, a rose-like prairie flower that is now cultivated at Six Dutchess Farm. Those rotate with fall dahlias, winter tulips and oth- er blooms, and there’s now a second high tunnel on the acreage. ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE Kouvant is currently developing anoth- er horse-riding ring into a test area for dahlias. Sunflowers and perennials grow nearby. “We do as little tilling as possible to do minimal physical dam- age to the soil, integrating compost as we till to enrich what we disturb,” she says. Bone meal and blood meal are the natural fertilizers; no chemicals are used. The former paddocks are home to Gotland sheep, a Swedish breed that helps repair the landscape through ro- tational grazing that puts carbon back into the soil. “We move the electric fences every few days for less disrup- tion to the soil,” Kouvant says. She intends to plant cover crops like mus- tard seed to protect and nourish the soil and encourage root development. The couple spent time observing their land before deciding what edi- ble crops to plant. “We’re a microcli - mate within a microclimate, and since we've been here, climate change has brought a lot of flooding and weather extremes,” she says.
Six Dutchess Farm originally had a small orchard on the property that yielded no fruit. Kouvant introduced two honeybee hives and planted pol- linator crops under the trees. Now the trees produce hazelnuts, Asian pears, chestnuts, quince, pawpaws (a native North American fruit), and jujubes (Asian dates.) Red and black currants, gooseberries, mul and elderflower ber - ries also grow on the property. Sixteen hives now occupy four quadrants on the property, producing enough honey to sell at nearby farmer’s markets. But Kouvant has noticed the im- pact of climate change in the last few years. “The bees woke up in February this year, and we started the flower season earlier and may end later,” she says. Flooding has gotten worse, and she’s planted sea buckhorn to control erosion and water flow. One year there was a late frost in May. “You never know how the crops will respond,” she adds. Common Ground Farm in nearby Beacon, New York, has experienced similar effects, according to Farm Manager Rhys Bethke. “Last year was too wet and the year before too dry,” they say. “This past June, there was a heat wave, and the lettuce started to bolt. We had to rush to get it out of the fields. Every year is unpredictable in a different way, which makes it hard to plan.” As climate change causes tem- peratures to rise, the insects have more time to reproduce, too, Bethke says. Flea beetles infested some of the crops at Common Ground, while gyp- sy moths invaded Six Dutchess Farm. Regenerative farmers shun chemical
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SUSTAINABILITY OUTLOOK 2025
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