Secure the
Long-Term Home of Brookfield Farm!
Did you know that only 20% of the land that Brookfield Farm tills each year is owned by the BFCT?
Simply put this campaign will enable the BFCT to purchase 100% of the land that Brookfield Farm stewards each season, securing the legacy of all who contributed to making it what it is today, as well as its vibrant future.
Total Funds Needed: $550,000
Total Pledges To Date: $558,183!!
The Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust, Inc. (BFCT) is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and all donations to it are 100% tax-deductible. Created in 1986 by Claire and Dave Fortier, it’s mission is to create and support responsible agriculture by furthering all aspects of sustainable, biodynamic, organic, or other environmentally, economically, and spiritually healthy agricultural techniques.
THanks TO The Old Fashioneds for a great Campaign Celebration On July 31st!!
This campaign is now public & needs Your Help to Get to the finish Line!!
Check-out what happened at the Campaign-Kickoff to learn more about the impact of this campaign on Brookfield's capacity to serve the community for years to come! -
The full-length video
Farmer Dan lays out the goals of the campaign
Peter Littell, BFCT Board President on how the campaign will strengthen the mission of the Trust
Nicki Robb, our pioneer farmer talks about how the farms’ roots were set
Kerry & Max Taylor, our new farmers on how the campaign will impact the future of Brookfield
THE CaSE FOR SUPPORT
For generations to come. These words have been at the heart of Brookfield Farm since its inception in 1986, when it became the 3rd CSA in the U.S.
It is how Dan Kaplan and Karen Romanowski have held Brookfield Farm for close to three decades; with this belief that what they do today will have a lasting impact tomorrow, and for generations to come.
When Dan and Karen arrived in 1994, the BFCT owned eight acres of tillable farmland donated by Claire and David Fortier. Our first-generation farmers, Ian and Nicki Robb, had transformed this previously abused and depleted land into a living biodynamic farm serving 150 families: a vibrant, ecological foundation for Dan and Karen to begin their stewardship.
Over the years, they developed and nurtured relationships with 4 neighboring farms and landowners, enabling Brookfield to care for an additional 45 tillable acres and expand to serving over 700 families each growing season. Dan and Karen have carefully stewarded this vital partnership with the landowners, providing decades of regenerative agriculture for our community.
As we transition to the next generation of farmers at Brookfield Farm, we find ourselves at a rare moment; Dan and Karen want to ensure that what they have worked for will be secure into the future. Some of the land we now use will certainly change hands in the next few years, creating a degree of uncertainty for our farm’s production, for land use in South Amherst, and for our new farmers, Kerry and Max Taylor.
The timing is perfect for our community to honor the legacy of our past farmers by securing the future for our new farmers. This campaign to secure the land of the Brookfield Farm community for the future is our boldest endeavor yet. Right now, only 20% of the tillable land we use is owned. In order to secure the land needed we need to raise $550,000. By owning rather than leasing the land, we secure the legacy of all that has been built over the past four decades. We will preserve a productive farming future for a wide swath of South Amherst. We will also give our new farmers the assurance they need to go beyond maintenance and delve deeper into the mission of the Trust. Instead of concern about land tenure, they will be able to focus on land improvements and building on our social infrastructure; Outreach to underserved and underrepresented communities, diverse apprenticeship participants, on-farm education, and greater accessibility to the outdoor resources of our farmscape.
This is also a chance for us to recognize the impact of Dan and Karen, along with our past farmers, apprentices, workers, and volunteers. As they stand ready to complete their 27 years of work at the farm, your contribution will help secure the enduring connection of humans and nature through agriculture, for generations to come.
• COMMITTEE MEMBERS •
Joanna Ballantine • Dan Kaplan • Peter Littell • Marcie Meuhlke • Jen Veshia • Abbe Vredenburg • Jessica Wolff • Heide Zajonc • Erika Zekos
If you’d like more information about the campaign, please reach out and we will have someone get back to you right away.
DONOR LIST
Over 330 Gifts - see here for full list
A letter from A pioneering shareholder and farm guardian angel….
June 30, 2021
Dear Friends,
My kids grew up knowing where their food came from because very often, along with their classmates, they were the ones who planted the seeds or the potatoes during the Spring at Brookfield. They also had this very vital knowledge about food source because the strawberries or peas or beans that were on their plates for supper on any given night were the very ones that they had handpicked earlier that day at the farm. And when we had carrots in the salad, they very proudly announced that they had helped plant the seeds!
That was over 30 years ago. Today, my kids live on the other side of the country, in California and Hawaii, so they don’t get many chances to eat the strawberries or beans that I still pick at the farm. However, when they do get home for a visit, they both have a “walk at ‘their’ farm” on the top of their to-do list! And if a pick-your-own crop is in season, they are right in those rows doing something that they learned how to do as a child, just for the joy of it today.
I was not able to attend the Land Legacy Campaign kick-off celebration at the farm on Saturday. So I was so happy to watch the video of the rally last night. Being able to again hear the story of this magnificent farm’s growth from some of the people who guaranteed its very existence as well as Kerry and Max, who are now joining that group, was such a treat. In the midst of watching it, I realized that I didn’t know if my kids were aware of this initiative since I don’t know if they were on the Farm’s mailing list. I sent them each a link to it. They are adults and whether they contribute to this oh-so-important campaign is absolutely their own choice. However, I wanted to be sure that they had the opportunity to support this magnificent institution that had provided them with such firm grounding, in their bellies AND in their hearts.
So I suggest that all of you Brookfield member parents (and grandparents) let your offspring know about this chance to help guarantee the bright future of this land and the continuation of the mission of the Biodynamic Farmland Trust. Send them a link to the video so they can bask in their past and perhaps decide to contribute to the farm’s future, knowing that this farm’s model has contributed to the future of farms all over the world.
And you don’t necessarily have to wait until all your kids are adults to do this! Allowing even your young ones who still get to go to the farm and pick their own strawberries to donate pennies, nickels, and dimes to this campaign is a great start to teaching them about one of the many ways we can offer our service to the world. I learned a long time ago from Heide Zajonc, a very active member of Brookfield’s Legacy Campaign, that how much you give to a cause that you believe in is not as important as the fact that each and every interested party shows up and gives something. There is power in dollar signs, for sure, but there is much more power in heart-based actions.
Here's to all of us creating an over-the-top tally for the Brookfield Farm Land Legacy Campaign.
Warmly,
Rosie Pearson
Testimonials
these are from shareholders:
Thank you for providing such a vital resource. Having safe access to fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruit has always been important, but at the moment, it feels downright critical. At the risk of sounding dramatic, Brookfield Farm feels a bit like a lifeline right about now – Brad - shareholder
When I look at the photos in Dan's weekly 'Shoptalk.....and see you all sorting tomatoes, washing carrots, posing on filled crates of squash and pumpkins, tired from your hard and rewarding work of the day - my heart once again is filled with the deepest gratitude that such good spirit goes into the food I am blessed to be eating. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being farmers. Thank you for providing food that glows with life force and your good vibes. Wendy - shareholder
It does feel like my farm, and for this I am so grateful. I’m not very outgoing, so I don’t feel like anyone really knows me very well there, but I love being there. I love being out in the fields, picking various foods. I love seeing how the farm changes throughout the season. My dad always gardened and being in his garden growing up was a big, important part of my childhood. Being at the farm connects me to him, and though he passed away many years ago, I always feel a sense of peace thinking of him while I am there. I really love my weekly farm fix, it calms me down so much.
and this from a past apprentice:
how do you thank someone for setting you on your life's path that has continued to bring meaning & purpose to me and my family?
On the consideration of Dan & Karen legacy – from Catherine – a shareholder.
Dear Dan and Karen (and everyone else),
I've been meaning to write you for, oh, 20 years or so, to say thank you. But the news of your transition inspired me to actually do it.
We can't imagine Brookfield without you. And we can't imagine our own lives without Brookfield. I don't know if you can fully imagine how big a part of our daily / weekly / yearly way of being it is, given that we're just regular shareholders. But my guess is that it's like this for all your shareholders. It's not just eating the glorious food you've grown, although that is certainly the main part of it. But it's also planning meals around the bounty, and developing recipes, and teaching myself how to can and freeze and ferment to preserve the harvest, and having long conversations with each other while we walk to the blueberries or pick beans. "The farm." We talk about it all the time, plan our days around it, watch the weather because of it.
We thaw pesto in January, pop open tomatillo salsa in March, thaw strawberries in November. Right now I am roasting plum tomatoes to make enchilada sauce, which we will have in the freezer, like money in the bank--like a little bright spot in what looks to be a gloomy season ahead. The tomatoes this summer! Oh my god. We can't remember a better tomato year. We've eaten them every day, every which way, and have felt so, so lucky.
We have learned so much from you and we're so thankful. How to be generous and brave and community minded. What hard, loving work looks like. How to raise children. What matters, maybe. I don't know. I don't want to veer from loving to crazy-horse, so I should probably stop here. But please know that we are so thankful.
We're excited to see you on the other side, too, but it is bittersweet. Congratulations on all the beauty you have wrested from the sun and soil. – Catherine – shareholder
From a pioneering shareholders adult child!
To another 30 years for the farm! Thrilled to hear that there are continued efforts to secure the long-term home of the farm – grown child of pioneering shareholder
The Biodynamic Farmland Conservation Trust, Inc. (BFCT), a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation and all donations to it are 100% tax-deductible. Created in 1986 by Claire and Dave Fortier, it’s mission is to create and support responsible agriculture by furthering all aspects of sustainable, biodynamic, organic, or other environmentally, economically, and spiritually healthy agricultural techniques.