In 2008, the 4th generation owners of Langwater Farm in Massachusetts decided to preserve eighty acres of their prime agricultural open land—the historic core of a peri-urban area. A long term revitalization of this prime natural resource was their goal.
As described on the Langwater Farm website, the farm is “80 acres total with half of the land wooded and the other half tilled for crops. Part of the property was originally de
signed by landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted, the creator of Central Park. The beautiful farmland includes fields gently curving against woods, surrounded by stone walls, dirt roads snaking through the woods and fields, all bordered by Langwater Pond to the west.”
“In the early 1900′s, Langwater Farm was famous for its Guernsey cows and Clydesdale horses. After that, the farm had been mowed for hay until the Ames family decided to seek out a farmer to begin a community farm for the town of Easton. Working with a non-profit organization [Land For Good], the Ames Realty Trust collected proposals from farmers and ultimately chose the O’Dwyer’s to farm the beautiful land at Langwater Farm. 2010 marked the first growing season at Langwater Farm, named as a nod to the rich history of the land.”
By accessing Land For Good ag-savvy technical assistance, the Ames family extended the extensive in-house expertise they already had.
LFG staff and consultants developed and presented a range of potential land uses for the 40 acres of hayfields with the objective of establishing a sustainable leasehold for an experienced farmer that would fulfill the owners goal. LFG recruited candidates, made recommendations, and drafted a 5 year agricultural lease. The process went well, and in October, 2009 a lease was signed with Stone Soup LLC, an experienced farm family team taking over operations and implementing a farm business plan that will fulfill both the farmers and owners’ needs.
One Langwater farmer told us, “Thank you. We could not have done it without Land For Good. Your expertise has been invaluable.”
Read more about Stone Soup Farmers at Langwater Farm.
