Marist Revisits Financial Relationship with Sprout Creek Farm

Marist has issued an official statement regarding the future of their financial relationship with Sprout Creek Farm, a nonprofit farm in Poughkeepsie.

According to the statement, Sprout Creek Farm was “a separate nonprofit entity, struggling to sustain operations and remain viable.” In 2018, individuals associated with the Farm and the Society of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic order of nuns, contacted Marist for help.

Shortly after, control of the operations of the farm was transferred to Marist under the administration of former President David Yellen.

“Sprout Creek will play a key role in Marist’s experiential learning programs by serving as a living classroom and providing hands-on learning opportunities for students in a variety of academic disciplines,” Geoffrey Brackett, Marist Executive Vice president, said at the time.

Since then, the College “learned of some issues facing it that had not been disclosed to the College prior to the transfer of control,” according to a Feb. 25 official Marist statement. 

Hudson Valley residents’ concerns about the future of the farm have been made apparent on social media.

A Facebook group titled "Save Sprout Creek Farm" claimed that the presidential leadership change at Marist resulted in a funding cut for the farm. Organizers in the social media group claimed that the farm is currently struggling to produce its award-winning cheese owing to the halt of a creamery construction project on-site. 

The group has since been deleted.

“The College’s involvement gave the Farm a lifeline to continue operating,” the statement said. “During the past two years the College has, in good faith, undertaken significant initiatives to facilitate the long-term viability of the Farm, a local organization with an important mission.”

Marist has continued to subsidize the Farm’s operations and has made a substantial financial investment into improving its infrastructure, the statement said. Therefore, the college has determined it necessary to reassess its relationship with the farm moving forward.

“These facts, coupled with the unanticipated expenditure of continued time and resources, have necessitated a reassessment of the arrangement,” the statement said. “At this time, the College is working to determine the best path forward with all of the involved stakeholders, including the Farm and the Society of the Sacred Heart.”

Read the full statement on the future of Marist’s relationship with Sprout Creek Farm here.