Farming at SPACE on Ryder Farm

Ryder Farm is one of the oldest continuously held family farms on the East Coast, first established by Eleazer Ryder in 1795 and stewarded through the years by successive generations of the Ryder Family. SPACE assumed management of the farm’s organic agricultural operations in 2019. The organization is proud to follow in the footsteps of the Ryder Family members and indigenous peoples before them, who have called this land home and cared for it through the generations.

To learn more about the history of Ryder Farm, click here.

Ryder Farm was an early adopter in the organic farming movement in the 1980’s. The farm was certified organic in 2004, and continues to be today. Ryder Farm is a participant in the Watershed Agricultural Council’s East of Hudson Agricultural Program and has implemented a Whole Farm Plan, a comprehensive environmental conservation plan which identifies different natural and built characteristics of farms enabling them to match management and appropriate land use. SPACE’s farm team is dedicated to using natural methods that replenish the soil, protect pollinators and yield healthy and nutrient-rich food.