QCFM_FY24AnnualReportFinal

annual report volume xxi fy 24

executive letter | FY24 Dear Friends, As we reflect on the past year at Queens County Farm Museum, I am struck by the resilience, growth, and deep sense of community that defines this historic site. Each season brings new challenges and opportunities, and through it all, we have remained steadfast in our mission to connect people to agriculture, history, and the environment.

This year, we have cultivated more than just crops — we have cultivated relationships, ideas, and a renewed commitment to our role as a vital green space in New York City. Our fields, orchards, and gardens have provided not only fresh, locally grown food but also a place of learning and inspiration for visitors of all ages. Our programming has expanded, engaging schools, families, and lifelong learners in meaningful ways that deepen their connection to the land.

As stewards of this historic site, we continue to honor its 328-year legacy while ensuring it remains a resource for future generations. We have strengthened partnerships, welcomed new supporters, and expanded our reach, all while embracing regenerative practices that will sustain the farm musuem for years to come. From educational initiatives to cultural events, from conservation efforts to community-building programs, our work is driven by a shared vision: to provide a space where history, agriculture, and people come together to celebrate and learn.

None of this would be possible without the support of our dedicated staff, volunteers, board members, funders, elected official and, most importantly, you — our community. Your belief in our mission fuels our ability to grow and evolve. As we look ahead, we are excited to build upon our successes and continue to explore innovative ways to serve and engage.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you visit the farm, participate in our programs, or support us in other ways, you are a crucial part of what makes Queens County Farm Museum thrive.

With gratitude,

david hughes Executive Director Queens County Farm Museum

queens county farm museum | 01

president’s message This past year the Board of Directors’ main goal has been to achieve as smooth a transition as possible from one Executive Director to another. We welcome David Hughes into the Museum’s leadership role, who began in May 2024.

With COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror, the City has revived the project to rebuild what we often refer to as the Horse Barn. It has been repurposed from horses to offices and public assembly space. This building burned to the ground in the 1970s and was rebuilt by the Museum utilizing a high school work training program. As with all projects on NYC parkland, once built, no matter by whom, the title transfers to the City. The City decided it wanted to improve the basement foundation and structure of the 2nd floor; The Farm Museum wanted to reconfigure the 2nd floor layout, remove the unneeded skylights, replace the garage doors, and redesign the handicapped ramp, among other improvements. Construction on this project is expected to begin in May 2025.

We are also envisioning work on the Adriance Farmhouse, with a new roof and stabilization of the east foundation wall among the improvements we seek to undertake. In addition, we are continuing to advance progress on constructing a new multi-function building in the parking lot area which will be our first new building structure, as opposed to an adaptive reuse of existing buildings. This is an exciting project that may cost upwards of $50 million dollars. We have raised a large portion of that goal, but are redoubling our efforts to complete the fundraising. We are calling this building an Education Center which will include exhibition space, offices, orientation center, library, café, demonstration kitchens, classrooms, gift shop, toilets, and many other amenities.

It will transform how we operate and allow us to be more of an all-weather, year-round destination.

All the work we accomplish is not done in isolation. We acknowledge the generous help from our elected officials who support us with funding. It is also done with the goal of providing a educational and recreational resource for the general public. The public has responded by making us what we believe is the busiest farm museum in the world, and the busiest museum in Queens. We thank our visitors for their support.

We are not far from celebrating the 50th Anniversary of our founding in 1975.

Stay tuned for celebratory events to be announced. We hope you will join us in commemorating this milestone.

Regards,

james a. trent Founder and Board President Queens County Farm Museum

02 | fy24 annual report

Visitor Services The Queens County Farm Museum (QCFM) had an outstanding year in FY24, building on its longstanding mission of connecting the community with agricultural history, sustainable practices, and hands-on educational experiences. With 495,629 visitors throughout the year, QCFM continues to serve as a cultural hub for families, students, and visitors from across New York City and beyond. visitor engagement and attendance In FY24, QCFM experienced a significant increase in membership and visitor participation.

Our membership base grew from 240 in January 2024 to 320 members by June 2024, reflecting a strong commitment from local residents and supporters across the boroughs of New York City.

Notably, the majority of our members reside in Glen Oaks, with members from every borough engaging with the museum in various ways. This growth is a direct result of our ongoing efforts to enhance visitor services and provide meaningful experiences for all.

To better understand the needs and preferences of our visitors, we sent out a visitor survey to our newsletter recipients. A total of 424 responses were collected via a Google Form, and the feedback provided valuable insights into how we can continue to improve the visitor experience.

The top three responses to the question, “What do you most look forward to when you visit QCFM?” were: enjoying the farm grounds, interacting with the farm animals, and attending public events. These responses have guided decision-making and program planning, helping us prioritize what our visitors value in their experience at the farm.

queens county farm museum | 03

Throughout the year, 844 volunteers contributed to work across various agricultural initiatives. These volunteers have played a crucial role in maintaining the farm and supporting our mission of accessibility, sustainability, and community engagement.

volunteer highlights

community and volunteer engagement

844

volunteers

1,540 hours given

19

corporate volunteer groups

cuny food drive: fighting food insecurity In FY24, QCFM served the community by continuing to host a food drive in partnership with the Queens College Food Pantry.

After the harvest season, we collected non-perishable food items to support food-insecure CUNY students. The food drive ran through December 31st, where visitors were encouraged to drop off items like canned goods, pasta, rice, and shelf-stable foods, as well as personal hygiene items. This initiative reflects the museum’s commitment to contributing to food security in our community.

04 | fy24 annual report

Public Events Queens County Farm Museum’s signature events continue to draw thousands of visitors to the site to engage with history and culture.

thunderbird american indian powwow For the past 44 years, Queens County Farm Museum has celebrated American Indian Culture through music, dance, Native American crafts and food with our incredible partners, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers.

This spectacular 3-day powwow features intertribal Native American dance competitions by over forty Indian Nations. The program also features an expansive market of authentic Native American art, crafts, jewelry and food.

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In FY24, our community celebrated connecting the public to Native American traditions and cultures, and to one another. For the 44th year of this tradition at QCFM, we welcomed 4,285 visitors from all parts of New York City and beyond.

amazing maize maze This year’s Amazing Maize Maze was landscaped in the shape of a 1954 Ford tractor donated to the farm by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, celebrating the rich agricultural history of the site as well as the recent celebration of the landmark 40th Annual Queens County Fair. In FY24, over 8,800 visitors of all ages navigated through the Maze to get to Victory Bridge, which generated over $130,000 in revenue to support the organization.

06 | fy24 annual report

The Year in Agriculture At Queens County Farm Museum, agriculture is more than our roots — it’s our mission in action. We steward the land through regenerative farming practices that connect past to present and inspire future generations.

blooms at queens farm FY24 marked the inaugural year for our new pick-you-own tulip program called Blooms at Queens Farm. We welcomed 2,347 guests to our 3-acre tulip field.

the annex FY24 marked the first year the farm’s recently annexed 1.6 acre parcel of land was put into full production. We yielded over 9,850 pounds of produce from this field alone including potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions and winter squash. These crops were available for sale at the farm’s onsite and offsite farmstands. queens county farm museum | 07

annual agriculture highlights

200+

crop varieties grown

36,842 pounds of produce grown

710

pounds of honey extracted from our hives

2,685 dozen eggs sold

20

heritage breeds of livestock raised on the farm vegetable and herb plants grown at qcfm We grew and sold over 700 plants to community members including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, greens, and assorted herbs, generating $3,400 in revenue. We plan to greatly expand this effort in FY25.

08 | fy24 annual report

IAL CO LO N E N RD A G HERB HO N GA EYB RD EE EN

E D IB L E TEACH IN G GARDE N

FA R M NG TEACHI S E GARD N

Education ER AN R K N’S E T E L WA ILDR N CH ARDE G

BU T GA TER RD FL EN Y

Education at Queens County Farm Museum brings history, agriculture, and sustainability to life. We engage learners of all ages in meaningful, hands-on experiences that foster connection to the land — and to one another! teaching garden development In April of FY24, we restored four of the Education Department’s teaching gardens that were neglected due to the pandemic, and then created a 5th teaching garden. Our Walter Kaner Children’s Garden, Honeybee Garden, Butterfly Garden, and Colonial Herb Garden were revived with new rock borders, gravel pathways, colorful perennials, a new well, bridge, and archways. We created a new Edible Teaching Garden that contains 36 raised beds where we planted and harvested over 80 different types of herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In conjunction with the introduction of this new garden, we developed our popular Grow and Gather family gardening program, inviting local families and school children to participate in hands-on seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, and sampling. We hosted over 3,000 people in this garden from April through June.

public education programs We served 1,000+ people in our Public Education Programs in FY24. We offered free programming to families, highlighting our American Chestnut trees in partnership with SUNY ESF; workshops that focused on growing your own vegetables in an urban setting; raising your own backyard hens; garden insects and how they help your gardens; botanical and horticultural-focused programming such as wreath making and terrarium building; culinary offerings such as honey harvesting, wild edible foraging, colonial style butter and cheesemaking; plus artistic and wellness programs such as weekly yoga and watercolor classes. These programs generated $28,516 in revenue.

adriance farmhouse tours In March 2024, we reinstated our popular historic Adriance Farmhouse weekend tours, free to the public.

We welcomed back over 1,000 visitors from March through June.

school trips grounds during daily school field trips. Our School Field Trips were revised and updated to offer more levels of programming for a wider age range (pre-K through 12th grade), aligning with NYS Standards of Learning.

cultural after school adventures With generous support from NYC Council Members Ariola, Brooks-Powers, Caban, Lee, and Moya, we were able to further develop our Future Foodies program, working with 8 schools and 240 students plus transferable knowledge to the families of those 240 students. We delivered 10 weeks of after-school programming to each school on topics such as sustainable agriculture, indoor and outdoor gardening, self-sustaining ecosystems, the rainforest, waterways, wildlife, nutrition and healthy eating choices, colonial history, and pollination. Our teaching artists brought supply packets and snacks each week to the eight designated schools, and each week the students completed at least two activities that aligned with the week’s theme.

supporting seniors in the community We welcomed over 100 seniors to the Queens Farm for a full morning of activities including a tour of the farm visiting the animals, hands-on herb garden planting, hayrides, lunch, and all left with a full goody bag of fresh produce from our farm.

Special thanks to NYC Council Member Holden for his generous support of this enriching program.

education highlights

In FY24, we welcomed 30,845 students, teachers, and parent chaperones to our

35K

school children served

$

302K

school field trip revenue

2.5K self-guided tour participants

200

virtual tour participants

154

insider tour participants 10 | fy24 annual report

farm summer camp In partnership with Commonpoint Queens, the Farm Museum welcomed 679 campers over an 8 week period in FY24. We delivered over 480 hours of hands-on programming that focused on caring for the environment, compost education, planting and weeding in our crop fields, examining garden insects, scavenger hunts, vegetable painting, three sisters salad, basil pesto, the earth and sky, owl pellet dissection, wool spinning, and making art out of recycled materials.

john bowne high school visits In FY24, the Farm Museum welcomed approximately 100 students from John Bowne High School’s Agriculture program for guided tours of the farm with special attention to the apiary, planting fields, and gardens. Students enjoyed hayrides, lunch, and engaged with the farm’s Livestock Manager and Beekeeper, with the opportunity to ask questions that pertained to careers in Agriculture and associated fields. Special thanks to Council Member Gennaro for his generous support of this program.

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Our Impact | FY24 BY THE NUMBERS

328 years of farming

47acres

500K visitors $3.79M operating budget

% 90 council member ~

districts served

nutrition assistance farmstand sales of:

88

employees ft/pt

18.8%

34,000 EGGS SOLD 1,490LB

PRODUCE DONATED TO LOCAL FOOD PANTRIES

100 s 40,000 cultural events

pounds of produce harvested for market

12 | fy24 annual report

Statement of Activities | FY24

Without Donor Restrictions

2024

2023

With Donor Restrictions Total

Total

revenue Educational tours and seminars Special events Museum shop and vending machine sales Produce and livestock sales Memberships

$

Investment income Total Revenue

400,685 1,084,505 164,177 451,959 9,491

$

-

$ 400,685 1,084,505 164,177 451,959 9,491

$

389,027 1,109,240 169,701 481,502 11,920

90,519 2,201,336

-

90,519 2,201,336

46,883 2,208,273

165,450 24,507 979,199 1,169,156 3,370,492

847,755 (979,199) (131,444) (131,444)

1,013,205 24,507 1,037,712 3,239,048

1,172,285 39,896 1,212,181 3,420,454

683,437 1,125,353 995,390

-

683,437 1,125,353 995,390

486,885 900,340 743,866

519,954 290,549 3,614,683 (244,191)

(131,444)

519,954 290,549 3,614,683 (375,635)

539,115 283,276 2,953,482 466,972

3,575,113

244,560

3,819,673

3,352,701

support Grants Contributions Net assets released from restrictions Total Support Total Revenue and support

expenses Program Services Educational Events Agricultural Supporting Services Management and general Fundraising Total Expenses Change in Net Assets

net assets Beginning of the Year End of Year

queens county farm museum | 13

$

3,330,922

$

113,116

$

3,444,038

$

3,819,673

farm support & revenue Public Events

33%

Government Support & Grants

31%

Produce & Livestock Sales

Investment Income

14% 13% 05% 03%

Membership & Contributions

01%

Education Farm Store

farm expenses Public Events Agriculture Education Management & General Fundraising

31% 28% 19% 14% 08%

board of directors

staff

James A. Trent, President

David Hughes, Executive Director

Eric Duarte, Operations Team Member

Paul DiBenedetto, Vice President

Laila Lamniji, Director of Finance/HR

Jhon Otero, Operations Team Member

Dev Viswanath, Treasurer

Emily Gross, Director of Visitor Services

Ronnie Eros, Operations Team Member

Christina M. Wilkinson, Secretary

Laura Graney, Director of Education

Juliza Melendez, Operations Team Member

John P. Albert

Hayden Cubas, Director of Marketing

Mark Duras, Operations Team Member

Robert J. Bishop, Esq.

Courtney Sartini, Director of Agriculture

Danny Martinez, Operations Team Member

Doris Bodine

Ed Vilar, Director of Operations Chris Lord Barry, Adriance House Curator

Grace Bonilla Nyisha Howell

Jack Ciardullo, Livestock Manager

Carmel Gray, Senior Educator

Helene Kornstein

Ethan Partyka, Seasonal Farmer

Marty Jackel, Senior Educator

Stuart Nachmias

Phoebe Greenberg, Seasonal Farmer

Frank Barry, Senior Educator

Hersh Parekh

Ashley Aloe, Seasonal Farmer

Renée Tone, Senior Educator

Dr. Neal Vichinsky

Sara D’Aurio, Seasonal Farmer

Savietri Singh, Senior Educator

Melissa Young

Elaina Harper, Seasonal Farmer

Natsuko Isono, Senior Educator

Grace Powell, Seasonal Farmer

Diane Squilleri, Senior Educator

Joyce Pasteliner, Farm-to-Table Coordinator

Leslie Colon-Nori, Senior Educator

Maressa Mingo, Seasonal Farmstand

Marcella Caetta Cigdem, Educator

Meredith Horsford*, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Delegate to the Commissioner Phil Ballman*, Queens Borough President Donovan Richard’s Office *Ex-Officio

Stephanie Hammond, Seasonal Farmstand Elizabeth Frickey, Seasonal Farmstand Stephen Phillips, Seasonal Farmers’ Market Ari Westrich, Seasonal Farmers’ Market Ariana Marquez, Farm Store Sarah Joseph, Farm Store

14 | fy24 annual report

Queens County Farm Museum is grateful to its generous supporters for planting the seeds to success The Board of Directors

Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams

Aline Euler

NYC Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams

Henry Euler

Commonpoint Queens

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

Frank Ferraro

Con Edison

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards

Alan Ginsberg

Dr. Neal Vichinsky

NYC Council Queens Delegation

Sandra Karczewski

Euler-Revaz Family Foundation

NY State Senator John Liu

Anthony Lisotta

Historic House Trust of New York City

NY Assemblymember David Weprin

Jessica Murphy

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

NYC Council Member Brooks-Powers

Phillip Roncoroni

Joan N. & Norman Bluestone Foundation

NYC Council Member James Gennaro

Samuel Shapiro

Lower East Side Ecology Center

NYC Council Member Robert Holden

Richard Spivack

Minuteman Press of Bellerose

NYC Council Member Linda Lee

Stephanie Wentz

Northwell Health Community Partnership

Andrea Wong

One Point of Light Foundation

Diane Alaggia

Whole Cities Foundation

Daniel Bianco

And all of our individual

Carol Cannova

donors, members and

Michele Castelli

volunteers

queens county farm museum 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, New York 11004 Queens County Farm Museum is operated by the Colonial Farmhouse Society of Bellerose, Inc.

queensfarm.org