![]() On a broader scale, the master plan outlines a comprehensive and sustainable farm management plan. These clusters are knit together by a network of gravel paths and a framework of new and existing site walls built of large boulders and smaller beach pebbles excavated on site. Intimately scaled and geometrically simple, they are organized to support the functions of the farm. Modest new buildings are conceived as understated utilitarian structures. The Plan uses the spine of the central 'laneway' and the metering of the existing dry-laid stone walls to frame and organize three primary compounds. Working so closely with the Architect and Client that distinctions between disciplines were blurred, the Landscape Architect skillfully integrated new built elements with existing site features to amplify the raw character of the landscape and make a vivid, imageable place on this exposed point of land. ![]() Renovation of and additions to the Head House followed. The first phase included the conversion of a nineteenth century cottage into a Guest House, and the new construction of a discretely located Caretaker's Farmyard. After a careful site investigation, the Landscape Architect developed a Master Plan for the property followed by a series of thoughtful landscape interventions and larger phased building projects. The Client wished to develop the property as a family compound and working farm with understated functional additions that honor the historic patterns and natural beauty of the site. The site's central organizing spine is an old farm 'laneway' running along the ridgeline, bisecting the property. Eighteenth and nineteenth century agrarian vernacular structures, including a modest cape, stone barn and silo, are clustered near the property's highpoint at 50 feet above sea level. The agrarian character of this coastal farm is captured in gently sloping fields, meadows, and hedgerows, which are metered by the lines of dry-laid stone walls. The property has been continuously farmed for two centuries. Marshes and dunes sustain several rare native plant species as well as a breeding ground for shorebirds. Both ponds provide important wildlife habitat, including critical spawning ground for alewives. Brackish Quicksand Pond marks the eastern border, while fresh water Tunipus Pond bounds the farm to the west. To the south lies the Atlantic Ocean, buffered by beach, marsh and dune. THE EDUCATED CONSUMER WILL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FARMS IN RHODE ISLAND.This 70-acre oceanfront farm is surrounded by water on three sides. "HARVESTING RHODE ISLAND" TAKES THEM ON LOCATION SO THEY CAN SEE THE FARMS AND LISTEN TO THE FARMER'S STORIES. A LARGE NUMBER OF CONSUMERS IN RHODE ISLAND ARE UNAWARE OF THE LOCATIONS AND VARIETY OF CROPS THAT ARE GROWN IN THE STATE AND WHERE TO PURCHASE THEM. THIS DIRECT APPROACH HAS IN TURN STIMULATED DIVERSIFICATION TO SATISFY THE ECLECTIC TASTES OF INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED CONSUMERS. . AS A RESULT FARMERS INCREASED THEIR DIRECT MARKETING THROUGH ON-SITE RETAIL STANDS, PICK YOUR OWN PROGRAMS, FARMERS MARKETS AND SELLING THROUGH FARM FRESH TO LOCAL RETAILERS. IN THE LATTER PART OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY LOCAL WHOLESALE MARKETS BEGAN TO SHRINK DUE TO LARGE RETAILERS’ AND NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS. GROWERS LEARNED HOW TO BALANCE TRADITIONAL APPROACHES THAT WERE HANDED DOWN TO THEM WITH THE VARIABLE REALITIES OF TODAY’S BUSINESS CLIMATE. ![]() THE SHOW SHARES THE CENTRAL STORY OF HOW THE FARMERS HAVE RESPONDED TO CHANGING TECHNOLOGY AND MARKETS SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO SUCCEED AS A BUSINESS. INTRODUCING THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO THE FARMERS OF RHODE ISLAND PROVIDES INSIGHTS INTO THE COMPLEX BUT EASILY TAKEN-FOR-GRANTED PROCESS BEHIND PRODUCTS THEY CONSUME. ![]() THE TELEVISION SERIES EXPLORES HOW TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS ON THE FARM CAN BE CREATIVELY MAINTAINED AND BECOME MORE OF A DYNAMIC MARKETPLACE. WELCOME TO “HARVESTING RHODE ISLAND”, A TELEVISION SERIES WITH RHODE ISLAND PBS – TV THAT PROMOTES PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT AGRICULTURE BY INTERPRETING HOW THIS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT WAY OF LIFE ON THE FARM WILL MANAGE TO SURVIVE.
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