Martin County - Monday April 3, 2023: Mattamy Homes hosted a “First Planting” at Newfield Farm March 30, the first onsite event at the highly anticipated new community in Martin County.
The “First Planting” event last Thursday served as a non-traditional groundbreaking for Newfield Farm. It featured children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC) planting seasonal vegetables.
“The on-site event shined a light on a unique aspect of Newfield—its sustainable farm,” said Dan Grosswald, president of Mattamy Homes’ Southeast Florida division. “The farm, along with the massive preservation areas and an extensive network of trails, comprise what Martin County residents look forward to most about Newfield—its genuine integration with food, nature and healthy living.”
Newfield Farm will eventually encompass more than 100 acres, and incorporate sustainable farming practices to produce year-round access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods. Future Newfield residents and the broader public will be able to select from vegetables, herbs, flowers and other produce grown at Newfield Farms through its on-site farm stand, regular green market, and other avenues.
“We’re honored to have had kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs break ground for Newfield Farm and plant the first seeds of our community,” says Grosswald. “In many ways, it’s symbolic of the countless new beginnings that will take their first root at Newfield.”
Agricultural Foundation
With agricultural production as its foundation, Newfield Farm will also serve as a dynamic community resource for farm-based experiences, educational programs, communal gardens, and a multitude of events ranging from intimate farm-to-table dinners to family-friendly seasonal festivals.
Professionally managed by Agmenity, which specializes in designing and operating community-based agricultural amenities to facilitate the growth of holistic, healthy relationships between people, place, and food.
At the First Planting, Agmenity worked with current on-site farmer John Long, a previous recipient of the Southeast Farmer of the Year, to lead the BGCMC kids through the planting ceremony. Thanks to a partnership between Mattamy Homes and BGCMC, the kids will return regularly over the weeks and months ahead to nurture their plantings till harvest.
“Experience is the best teacher, so we aim to create special and positive learning experiences for our kids,” says Keith “Fletch” Fletcher, CEO of BGCMC. “This exposure not only steers them away from harmful situations, but also enriches their understanding of life and expands their awareness of the many opportunities that are out there. We’re extremely grateful to Mattamy Homes for creating one of these moments and giving our kids a role in the earliest history of Newfield.”
BGCMC members operate a food truck, Fork in the Road, from which the kids created and served meals to attendees at the March 30 event.
About Newfield
Newfield was introduced several years ago by nationally known economic journalist Knight Kiplinger and was greeted with overwhelming support across Martin County. Mattamy Homes, the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, now serves as master developer and will bring to fruition Newfield’s innovative design incorporating traditional town layout, functionality and placemaking.
Approved for 4,200 homes, Newfield is the largest mixed-use project in Martin County in more than 40 years. Phase 1 of the project encompasses 139 acres, 1,250 homes and a town center.
Newfield earned widespread public support for its permanent protection of 70 percent of the total 3,400-acre property. While preserving in place thousands of acres of expansive prairies and dense, old-growth, forests of slash pines, cabbage palms, saw palmettos and oaks in their natural state, Mattamy Homes is finalizing a vast network of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Mattamy plans to open the trails to the public later this spring and break ground on home construction at Newfield later this year.
About Mattamy Homes
Mattamy Homes is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with 40-plus years of history across the United States and Canada. Learn more about Mattamy homes at: www.mattamyhomes.com.