One of my favorite summer activities is visiting a pick-your-own farm to harvest fresh produce. I love everything about it: the chance to choose the particular apples I’ll snack on later, hearing the multitude of languages spoken as people pick their way among the fields and imagining what they’ll cook, and getting great-tasting produce while supporting local farmers.
I’m excited to share that one of Columbia County’s most beloved community icons for pick-your-own produce, Thompson-Finch Farm, has now officially changed hands for the first time.
Ten years ago, Don and Marnie MacLean faced a difficult situation. The fifth generation of farmers, they had grown crops and cared for the Ancram property’s soil, water, and wildlife since 1982. But they were in danger of losing the farm after Marnie’s parents passed away and expected funding fell through. They needed to raise $1.5M to purchase the farm from her parents’ estate. They turned to CLC to learn about what conservation options might be available for conserving the land, which includes more than 90 acres of prime soils and over a mile of frontage along the sensitive Roeliff Jansen Kill.
In March of 2019, CLC, with the support of 300 community members, organizations, and partners, purchased this beloved property to protect it from being sold and developed. This property will remain a farm, forever.
This property is protected with not only a conservation easement (held by Dutchess Land Conservancy), but also with a measure of protection known as a ground lease. Under the terms of a ground lease, CLC owns the land, but enters into a 99-year lease with farmers. The farmers own any structures and improvements made to the property while they occupy it. When the farmer is ready to retire or move on from the land, they sell the structures and improvements to the next farmer at their appraised value. This enables the farmers to build equity, encourages investments in infrastructure and other improvements, and keeps farmland affordable for the next generation. This arrangement is CLC’s first-ever ground lease, and one of only a handful across the country.
When Don and Marnie indicated they were ready to retire, CLC helped them begin a search for the next stewards of the land. Interested farmers were invited to submit resumes and letters of interest, and Don and Marnie chose three finalists to submit business proposals, prioritizing those that would commit to continuing the farm’s you-pick operation, which draws over 10,000 families a year. A review committee comprised of CLC staff and partners provided qualitative feedback on the business plans, which the couple used to make a final decision. Sixteen farmers submitted applications – the interest in this property highlights the need and desire for affordable farmland.
CLC is excited to share that this April, farmers Jason and Finnegan of Steelbow Farm joined Marnie on the land to spend a season by her side. Jason and Finnegan have more than twenty years of farming experience, having worked on farms in the Northeast and in Central Texas. As long-time organic farmers, they will continue to operate the farm organically, and have already planted nearly 30,000 strawberries to prepare for next year’s you-pick season.
Stories like this one don’t always have such happy endings. In the last decade, New York lost close to 14% of its farms and over 9% of its farmland. Over the last 20 years, the price of farmland per acre in New York State has increased by more than 150%. In Columbia County, these increases are even higher. When land comes on the market, it moves quickly. Without donors like you and organizations like CLC stepping in to secure these lands, we stand to lose so much that can’t be replaced: not only high-quality soils, but also our farming heritage and the sense of community that springs up around a place where people come each year to celebrate the bounty of the land.
“For the Columbia Land Conservancy to step in to help my family in the generational transition, and now to hold the land in perpetuity for future people of the land is a gift of incredible insight into the future. I am so very grateful to CLC for having made the thoughtful effort to protect the history of the Indigenous Peoples and those who have and will farm and steward it,” says Marnie.
CLC has nearly completed a countywide conservation plan – The Plan to Conserve Columbia County. Using the best available science and input from our community, this ambitious plan identifies the next important farms, forests, and waterways to conserve as part of a goal to permanently protect 30% of critical landscapes in Columbia County by the year 2035. The Plan focuses on five priority areas: abundant access, fertile farms, healthy habitats, linked landscapes, and winding waters. Each of these priority areas includes specific strategies and action steps to ensure CLC and partners meet the 30% conservation goal. In addition to developing these priorities, consultants also developed a tool that will help CLC to identify and rank the conservation values of prospective conservation lands. Taken together, these two tools will make it possible for CLC to engage in strategic, proactive conservation on a grander scale.
Together, we will keep supporting our local farmers, our landscapes, and each other.
Sincerely,
Troy Weldy
President
