Two articles in the January issue of Growing for Market prompted us to write a description of our attempt to address the challenges that face many farmers. The articles, one on how young people begin a life in farming and the other on how established farmers effect the transition to a new generation of farm stewards, point to many of the underlying social and economic realities that put sustainable farms in a tenuous position. The high cost of capital compared to the profits generated from farming, access and control of farm land and its value compared to other development possibilities, cost and quality of farm labor, and the breakdown of farm communities are a few of the problems. These problems call for creative approaches and in less than one year we have transformed our horsepowered, Biodynamic, Davis Family Farm into The Cold Pond Community Land Trust and The Cold Pond Community Farm.

When we bought our unimproved hill land in 1983 we knew we wanted to farm. We planned on making this our permanent home and were ready for the long years of hard but satisfying work ahead. Our 45 acres was originally part of a larger farm that had been subdivided a few years prior to our buying it. It had everything we thought we needed: woods, open fields, water, and even a little bit of history at the old water powered mill and dam site.

That first year our garden yield was practically nothing. We got a late start and had no compost or manure with which to enrich the run-out soil. The next year was better and it continued to improve each year as we gained experience and improved the soil. We couldn’t farm full time to begin with and it was necessary to work off the property in order to make ends meet. We worked at all kinds of jobs, from soap making to sugaring. We purchased a bred Percheron mare that foaled soon after we got her. We trained and worked with her on the weekends and when the colt grew big enough we trained and worked them as a team. We added chickens, turkeys, some cattle, as well as a cat and a dog and a baby boy.
After five years of living in a 12 x 16 cabin we moved into the log home we had been building. Working as the town librarian and carpenter for income, we continued to expand the garden and to manage our wood lot. We threw in two more children for good measure , built various barns and out buildings, and in 1993 started an apprenticeship program. By 1998 we had acquired the skills, accumulated the equipment, and built the infrastructure that enabled us to quit our outside jobs and live on farm and craft income alone. Our CSA started with 16 families in 1999 and grew to 40 families in 2000. We provide our shareholders with a wide variety of products including; vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy (usually yogurt), meats, grains, prepared foods (pickles, salsas, etc.), maple syrup, honey, culinary and medicinal herbs, and of course, flowers.

In 1997 we began using Biodynamic techniques and started looking at our farm in a different way. In his Agricultural course, Rudolf Steiner posed the ideal of the self-contained farm – that there should be just the right number of animals to provide the compost for fertility, and these animals should, in turn, be fed from the farm. Without saying the word, he was talking about sustainability back in the 1920s. When viewing our farm in this manner we knew we needed more land and that we needed more hands to help work the land. We attended a Biodynamic conference in Spring Valley, NY, and were impressed not only with the gardens and the farmers but with the community and how everyone had an important role in making it prosper. We wondered how we could apply this model to our farm.

When borrowed pasture land went up for sale, we asked for help from a community development consultant and began exploring ways of acquiring control of the land we needed for production. We decided to form a cooperative farm, the Cold Pond Community Farm, with other farming families, and the Cold Pond Community Land Trust (CPCLT), a nonprofit corporation. The CPCLT would own and oversee the land needed by the farm and by its residents for their livelihoods. Eventually, the pasture land including a modern house and small barn, was purchased with community resources, gifts from local supporters, and low interest loans from a private individual and The Equity Trust, a nonprofit lender specifically lending to CSA farms.

The continual pressure to develop agricultural land for commercial and residential uses has been one of the factors in driving smaller family farms out of business. Farmers must earn higher and higher profits from land that is under development pressure. This leads to cutting costs to the point that the land and surrounding environment are degraded. Eventually the land is sold to the highest bidder regardless of ecological, community, or food security concerns. The CPCLT offers a way to keep land affordable for families to live and work on . The incorporation of the trust and deeds/lease agreements will keep the land as open space. Land speculation is eliminated by using a resale formula that keeps CPCLT values even with the rate of inflation.

Finding a way to reconnect parcels of farmland turned residential, by making it economically possible for families and individuals to live and make their livelihoods on that land, takes new approaches in how these lands and neighborhoods are viewed. Having the land held in trust, as one larger parcel, reconnects these properties into a farm-sized unit, while still allowing families the benefits of building equity in their home and farm. Then through the land trust, these families and representatives of the surrounding community have the tools for maintaining control of and making decisions about how the land is used.

Community, the interaction of people with common interest living in a particular area, is eroded when people leave their neighborhood to meet their needs. Conversely, as needs are met locally, interaction between neighbors increases. Strong communities are those where people trust and rely on each other in good times and bad and respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The CPCLT intends to further the connections between the CSA members and farm by making land and resources available to individuals and families who are interested in adding to the variety of goods and services that are produced on the CPCLT land. Adding new families to the farm business lightens the burden on farmers especially during the busiest season. People bring skills that are lacking on the farm and energy to start new projects. The sharing of responsibilities frees up time so that everyone can pursue interests besides those of running the farm and have time for re-creation.

The cooperative farm allows young families to become part of a functioning farm with all the equipment and livestock for a very modest initial investment. The 99-year inheritable lease allows farmers to pass their interest in the farm to their children, but the farm already has trained farmers that will keep the farm running even if the original families decide to leave the land trust.

Of course, effort must be made to keep lines of communication open with Land Trust directors and between families working on the farm and difficulties will arise, but learning to cooperate with neighbors is what community is about. The gains will be immeasurable. The CPCLT can offer direction to farms interested in exploring Community Land Trusts and is seeking families interested in building a farm community. All inquiries should be sent to CPCLT, Box 95, Acworth , NH. or cpclt1@email.com.