Where creativity meets clarity, and vision meets action.
Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.
Growing Farms Grow Food
Our upcoming initiatives focus on expanding regenerative farming, community programming, and on-farm production. Plans include renovating and expanding Pick-Your-Own fields, increasing vegetable production, improving soil health and watershed outcomes, and growing our floral program. We will also expand farm-to-fork and value-added offerings, continue seasonal events and educational partnerships, and strengthen land stewardship efforts through invasive species removal and collaborations with local conservation organizations.
Our goal is to significantly expand cultivation. The Eckharts previously farmed approximately 19 acres; we have increased that to 22 acres for the 2026 season. We are committed to continue farming more of the land year over year.
Proposed Buildings
Since purchasing the farm in March 2025, we have been carefully evaluating the existing buildings and infrastructure. We have found that they are insufficient to support current and future farm operations.
Over the past year, we began planning the design of new farm-related buildings to support our agricultural initiatives. These include an agricultural barn to expand our growing and land stewardship work, as well as replacing the current farm market and café with updated spaces designed to showcase produce grown on the farm and to better connect the community to local food. These proposed buildings are intended to address our core operational needs in a safer, more efficient, and more permanent way.
Our intention with these new buildings is to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the farm while remaining thoughtful about our surroundings. The scale, placement, and use of these buildings are being planned with great care, with an emphasis on agricultural purpose, environmental responsibility, and respect for our neighbors.
The Planning
Lighting is not required for the master plan. We plan to have dark skies complaint illumination (required by the Town). In the next phase, we will create a professional illumination plan showing how the light will not spill over the lot lines.
We must adhere to established standards relating to stormwater runoff. Stormwater design is also not complete at this time, but we appreciate all of the concerns and we are paying close attention to sensitive areas.
Buffer planting is required along residential property lines. This will be shown in the planting plan when we are at that phase.
We are also working with an acoustic specialist to understand the sound element.
A traffic study prepared for the next round of hearings (preliminary plan), but it is not required for the master plan hearing.
Land Trust Easements
We’ve heard the questions and concerns regarding the Aquidneck Land Trust easement, and we appreciate the community’s engagement. We understand that land trust easements and covenants can be complex and, at times, difficult to interpret. We encourage everyone to read the letter the Aquidneck Land Trust released that was released.
The topics around the easements are important, and they will be formally addressed at the upcoming Planning Board meeting on May 13. We encourage anyone interested to attend, listen, and participate in the discussion.
Events
Regarding events, SBF operates under special use permits that authorize several farm accessory uses, including events held inside and outside of a barn. Historically, SBF has hosted—and will continue to host—a variety of events, including farmers markets, harvest fairs, field trips, occasional live music, arts programming, weddings, and more. While we are still determining the frequency of events that may extend into the evening, we will work closely with the Town of Middletown to ensure full compliance.
The Eckharts recognized the value of events in supporting the farm but paused hosting them when they decided to sell the property. We have since resumed hosting events throughout the farm.
We believe that holding events inside a new barn structure will be beneficial to neighbors, as it will reduce the need for outdoor gatherings. We have also engaged an acoustic specialist to ensure that we are not only in compliance with town ordinances but also responsive to the needs of our neighbors.
Our Orchards
We currently have just under 3,700 apple trees.
These are dwarf trees—not traditional New England varieties—and they have a lifespan of approximately 15 to 25 years. The vast majority of our trees were planted before 2000, meaning many are past their most productive years.
Over the next 5 to 10 years, we will need to replant the orchard in its entirety. Approximately 1,100 new trees are scheduled for delivery in May 2026.
Our goal is to expand, not reduce, the orchard—from 3,700 trees to between 5,000 and 6,000 trees over the next 5 to 7 years.
Vegetable Production
In 2025 we planted ⅓ of an acre of vegetables and we are expanding that to two acres in 2026. Various seed starts have been selected in alignment with our prepared meals and cafe menu offerings.
Due to poor soil conditions, we needed to act quickly to prepare for the 2026 season. As part of this effort, we:
Invested in a well on property
Cover cropped fields over the winter
Brought in 280 cubic yards of high-quality loam
Installed two hoop houses
Planted 10,000 onions, 5,000 garlic bulbs, and 5,000 shallots this past winter
Chickens
We purchased 100 chickens in 2025 and expect to have 200 chickens on-site in 2026, with a goal of reaching 500 chickens over the next three years.
Chickens play an important role in soil restoration and provide valuable farm-based inputs for food production. This past winter we donated our eggs to the Martin Luther King center.
Meet the Team
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Monet Goode
FOUNDER
With a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience.
They set the tone for everything we do. -
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Emmett Marsh
SALES MANAGER
Focused, approachable, and driven by results, our sales manager is all about building strong relationships. They help connect people to the right solutions—with clarity and care. -
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Eleanor Parks
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Creative and strategic in equal measure, our marketing director brings fresh ideas to every campaign. They turn insights into action and help our message resonate with the right audience. -
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Karl Holland
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Friendly, attentive, and always ready to help, our customer service manager ensures every interaction is a positive one. They keep communication clear, timely, and human.
