Carbon Farm Tour
The Carbon Farm Tour, organized in partnership with New York Textile Lab & the Carbon Farm Network, brings together farmers, designers, makers, and community members to explore regenerative approaches shaping the future of textiles.
Through farm visits and conversations, participants learn about carbon farming practices such as rotational grazing and soil stewardship that support Climate Beneficial™ fiber production and healthier ecosystems. The tour also creates space for connection and collaboration across regional textile systems, highlighting the relationships between land, fiber, and finished goods.
During the experience, participants engage directly with conservation farming methods such as composting, rotational grazing, and soil health management. Conversations throughout the day focus on carbon farming principles, Climate Beneficial™️ fiber systems, and how designers, students, and consumers can support regenerative agriculture through their material choices and investments.
(09.13.25) This year’s tour took place at Faraway Farm Alpacas, one of the farms participating in our Carbon Farm Network Program and producing regional Climate Beneficial™ fiber in New York State. Farm owners Steve and Leda Blumberg welcomed attendees with a tour of the farm, sharing its history, their experience with regenerative agriculture, and demonstrations of their soil-building practices.
We were also joined by Mary Kate Randolph, Climate Beneficial Systems Director at Fibershed, who spoke about carbon farm planning protocols, and Clyde Carpenter, Lab Manager at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who led a live on-site micron fiber testing demonstration.
Following the tour, attendees had the opportunity to explore climate beneficial knit goods from New York Textile Lab and Imperial Yarns, & regional woven fabrics by Tuscarora Mills.
2025
Panel discussion moderated by Laura Sansone, Executive Director of New York Fibershed, Founder of NY Textile Lab, and Professor at Parsons School of Design.
Panel Speakers
Dave and Heidi,Owners of Tuscarora Mills
Eric De Feo, Head of Operations at Made X Hudson
Stephanie Virissimo, Alumni Coordinator at Custom Collaborative
Susan Easton, Product & Marketing Director at NYFIC.
Mahdiyyah Muhammad, Fabric Alchemist & Educator, Black Fiber & Textile Network
(09.28.24) Hosted at Faraway Farm Alpacas, this year’s tour offered an inside look at regenerative fiber production in practice.
Farm owners Steve and Leda Blumberg shared the history of the farm, their journey into regenerative agriculture, and guided attendees through the property while demonstrating their on-site soil amendment practices.
We also had the pleasure of hearing from Harmony Varner, Carbon Farm Planner under tUSDA’s Partnerships for Climate Beneficial Commodities program, who shared insights into the carbon sequestration process and the role carbon farming can play in supporting healthier ecosystems and climate-beneficial fiber systems.
The day concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Laura Sansone, featuring Mary Kate Randolph and other leaders working across regenerative agriculture, textiles, and regional supply chains.
2024
