A family farm’s enduring commitment to agriculture
At a time when small farms across the region are being pressured to sell their land, there’s at least one family farm that’s not going anywhere.
Thanks to a conservation project with ASA, the Lindgren Farm in Hebron will forever be used as farmland.
Situated in the rolling hills of Washington County, the 170+-acre farm was purchased in 1981 by Ronald and Virginia Lindgren. The couple, along with their family, spent the first several years growing familiar with the expansive property that includes a mix of fields and forest as well as the vital headwaters of Black Creek. Many hours were spent remediating the soil for optimal agricultural production.
When Ronald passed unexpectedly in 2014, the couple’s son Mark, moved his organic dairy operation onto the property. He currently uses much of the pasture for grazing his “rainbow herd” of multiple cow breeds whose milk is sold to Organic Valley, while the remaining pasture is used to grow haylage for winter feed. Additional acreage is rented out for crop production.
Since moving his operation to the property, Mark has continued the family legacy of maximizing the potential of the property’s natural resources and, in turn, boosting the herd’s production. One such effort involves planting annual, drought-resistant grasses to extend the grazing season. In addition, he’s careful to choose breeds based on genetics that lend themselves to optimal forage-based production. With a deeper understanding of and experience in breeding, he aims to begin selling calves for their enhanced genetics.
As the person running the operation on the farm, Mark is grateful for the secure land base conserving the land provides and looks forward to diversifying operations even further in the future.
For Virginia, the most important thing conservation offers is protection from development. “I get offers all the time for the land,” she says, “but I would hate to see it developed.” While she wasn’t raised on a farm, through the years of watching her husband and family work and manage the property and resources, she fully appreciates how essential farming is to everyone and how necessary it is to protect land. She adds, “I’ve seen so many small farms in Washington County close. That’s not what I want for this farm.”
By conserving the land, she’s ensured that will never happen. Instead, the Lindgren Farm will forever be used as farmland while also providing an easier land transfer between generations and improved financial stability.
Funding for this conservation project was provided by a grant through the Dairy Transitions Farmland Protection Initiative administered by the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets as part of the Environmental Protection Fund.
