MidHudsonNews [dot] com is reporting Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie has closed, according to website post. “After many years of serving the Dutchess County community, Sprout Creek Farm’s Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to suspend Farm operations. Effective Fri., Apr. 17, Sprout Creek Farm will be closed and will no longer offer educational and agricultural programming.” The board thanked the community for its support over the years. As an independent non-profit organization, Sprout Creek relied on agricultural and educational programming to generate revenue. For several years, the farm had not generated enough revenue to independently operate without external financial support. In the current COVID-19 environment the inability to conduct any programming has resulted in significant financial hardship, according to a statement. Marist College assumed operational control of the farm in 2018. The farm would likely have closed at that time, but for the intervention of the independent liberal arts college. The animals at Sprout Creek Farm will all be "appropriately and humanely managed during the process of suspension of farm operations, as directed by the farmer and his staff." Sprout Creek’s land is protected by a conservation easement and any future use would need to focus on agricultural and educational programming. Read the full story at MidHudsonNews [dot] com.