May 2005: The Washtenaw Land Trust has announced that it has met its fundraising goal to protect the Ann Arbor Community Farm property in Lima Township. The farm, which is located along Fletcher Road south of Chelsea, is owned by Isabelle Joy Yingling and has been farmed since the early 1990s by the Ann Arbor Community Farm, a cooperatively owned farm.

Lima Township landowner Isabelle Joy Yingling, the Community Farm of Ann Arbor, and the Washtenaw Land Trust completed a conservation agreement in 2004 to protect the 10-acre farm. The conservation agreement protects the land's agricultural and natural features in perpetuity.

Funds for this project, valued at $50,000, have been raised by the members and supporters of both the Community Farm of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw Land Trust.

"This project is the culmination of over a decade of perseverance and hard work by everyone involved," said Jim Crowfoot, Washtenaw Land Trust Board member and long-time champion of this project. "It represents a unique partnership; it brings together the landowner, the farmer, the land trust, and the community."

The farm was one of the stops on the Washtenaw Land Trust's Farmland Preservation Tour on Saturday, May 21. Tour guests took a bus-ride through the western part of Washtenaw County to learn about farmland preservation options and to visit two protected farms.

In addition to the stop at the Community Farm, the event included a farm tour at Peter DeLoof and Sara Bassett's farm in Freedom Township.

The Community Farm of Ann Arbor is a member-owned farm that grows fruits and vegetables for their members. The members, in turn, finance the farm system, providing economic stability each year. The farm uses organic and bio-dynamic methods to restore and maintain balance in the soil. Two full-time farmers and several apprentices do the primary farm work, growing the crops and raising the farm's cows, goats, chickens, and bees. (Shares are still available for 2005; for more information, contact Paul Bantle or Anne Elder at 734-433-0261.)

"It is up to us to decide what land will be available for our children's children to grow their food upon," said Anne Elder, one of the farm managers at the Community Farm.

Thanks to the conservation agreement, and a long-term lease, the farm will be able to provide delicious food for many future generations.

About the Washtenaw Land Trust:
The Washtenaw Land Trust is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that protects natural areas and working farms throughout Washtenaw, Jackson, and Ingham Counties.

Washtenaw Land Trust
info@washtenawlandtrust.org
734-302-LAND(5263)