Environmental Expert to Guide Agricultural Planning, Education and Preservation
HYDE PARK, N.Y. (March 27, 2020) – Bellefield Development Partners, the team behind Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park and an affiliate of T-Rex Capital Group, LLC, is proud to announce that farming and environmental expert Annie Farrell has joined the organization as Head of Agriculture.
The environment, farming principles and sustainability are at the heart of Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park, a world-class hospitality, culinary and sustainable agrihood destination in development directly across from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Farrell will leverage her decades of agricultural expertise by overseeing land planning, plantings, trail systems, community-supported agriculture programs, residential farming, educational programming and community outreach.
“I am thrilled to help nurture and fortify Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park as a shining example of environmental stewardship and conservation across the Hudson Valley and beyond,” Farrell said. “This is an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate the ongoing importance of smart farming and agricultural design to quality of life in the Hudson Valley now and in the future.”
Farrell has been a pioneering consultant, educator and researcher known for championing contemporary and traditional land-use techniques that optimize agriculture, the environment and conservation. Her advocacy of locally sourced foods, planned farms, watershed preservation, humane livestock treatment and organic farming, as well as issues of food security and climate change, have powered numerous advances in sustainability.
Additionally, Farrell wrote the master plan for David Rockefeller’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a restaurant serving farm-driven cuisine within the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, Westchester County. The importance of her accomplishments is recognized by New York University’s Fales Special Collection Library, which now preserves Farrell’s decades of records and files, largely through the efforts of Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor and Professor Emerita of Nutrition of Food Studies.
“Annie Farrell’s addition to our team exemplifies our rich commitment to agricultural, environmental and land-use conservation – a heritage deeply rooted in the Hudson Valley,” said Thomas Mulroy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of T-Rex Capital Group, LLC. “These priorities are deeply integrated within every aspect of our 2-million-square-foot development. We’re confident that Annie’s experience and expertise will fuel powerful contributions to the success of Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park as a community focal point enjoyed by all.”
Over 50% percent of Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park’s 340 acres are being preserved in their current wooded and undeveloped state, and 48 acres are being devoted to agriculture. Farrell, a North Salem resident, also will apply her expertise to management of forest gardens, orchards, vineyards, native plantings, pollination pathways, nature-walk designs and wetland plantings. The transformative $500 million Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park project is destined to become a weekend getaway destination and must-see attraction for domestic and international travelers alike.
About Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park
Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park is a $500 million dollar tourism destination under development on Route 9, across from the Culinary Institute of America. Plans call for development of two hotels, a conference center, a free-standing signature restaurant, a spa and culinary-based retail establishments. Fifty-eight percent of the site’s 339 acres will remain wooded and undeveloped with another 48 acres devoted to agricultural use to preserve the natural beauty of the site. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Mid-Hudson Regional Council has selected Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park as a “priority project.” For more information about Bellefield at Hyde Park and T-Rex Capital Group LLC, visit BellefieldHydePark.com.
Photo: Annie Farrell
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