When I joined Groundswell nearly six years ago, I had a vision for how we would provide equitable access to farmland beyond renting land to farmers. We would help create a pathway to ownership by making farmland more affordable.
Today, I’m excited to share that this vision has become a reality with the closing of our first farmland ownership project and will set the stage for many more in the coming years!
Landowner E Makar
In December 2020, landowner E Makar reached out to me and expressed their interest in transitioning Elizabeth Rock Farms—a 21-acre property in the Town of Verona—to a farmer who would take care of it. As a conservation-minded person, they wanted to ensure their family legacy lives on.
I was only two months in with Groundswell at that time. I remember telling E that I had a vision, but it may not come to fruition for a few more years. E and I stayed in touch (or as much as we were able to because they were busy with medical school and post-graduate residency while I relentlessly created a plan).
In 2022, I was ready to put the ideas into action. I reached out to Alison Volk with American Farmland Trust (AFT) for help. She had completed a farmland access project in Minnesota using the “Buy-Protect-Sell” land ownership model. AFT would help Groundswell acquire the farm and protect it with an agricultural conservation easement. AFT has an amazing Buy-Protect-Sell program to “bridge the gap between retiring and aspiring landowners to keep land in agriculture.” AFT was the perfect partner to collaborate with.
What is Buy-Protect-Sell? Sometimes abbreviated as BPS, Buy-Protect-Sell is a strategy land trusts use to make a piece of land more affordable. We purchase agricultural land, protect it with a conservation easement, and sell it to an emerging farmer. With this strategy, we can sometimes reduce the price of buying farmland by up to 60%. If BPS interests you, read more about it here.
New landowner and farmer Adam D’ Angelo
Adam D’Angelo’s love for trees started at a young age in New Jersey, where his family had a Christmas tree farm. He always knew he wanted to be a farmer, but he couldn’t afford to buy farmland in Wisconsin. He searched for options to buy land for the past decade but never succeeded.
“It was so hard to buy farmland because of how expensive it is. I started to contact everyone and every organization helping farmers access farmland,” Adam said. Eventually, he worked with Bonnie Wardahl from Renewing the Countryside’s (RTC) Farmland Access Navigator Team and applied to buy Elizabeth Rock Farms.
On his newly acquired farm, Adam will be growing fruit trees, including paw paw, persimmons, honeyberries, sour cherries, and hazelnuts.
Our first pilot project wouldn’t have been successful without the right team players.
We appreciate how much work Alison Volk and AFT have contributed to the project. The land protection process requires determination, resilience, and patience to get to the finish line.
We would like to thank the following partners for believing in us, and in our creative solution to farmland access and succession. They play a critical role in funding our equitable farmland access work:
- Schlecht Family Foundation
- Nimick Forbesway Foundation
- Racine Dominican Mission and Forward Community Investments
We’re grateful to our partners who provided support, expertise, and feedback for finding the farm’s new owner:
Dane County’s Land and Water Resources Department put the finishing touches on the project by funding the difference between the purchase agreement price and the agricultural resale value of the land. “Dane County is proud to partner in the permanent protection of this farmland and to work alongside American Farmland Trust and Groundswell Conservancy to bring this innovative Buy-Protect-Sell project to life,” said County Executive Melissa Agard. “This effort supports retiring farmers, creates opportunity for the next generation, and ensures this land will remain in agriculture for years to come.”
Together, we provided E an option to pass on their family legacy, helped Adam buy farmland at an affordable price, and protected 21 acres of productive farmland forever this winter.
Partnerships, faith in a creative solution, and taking some risk (when there may be unknowns) make all the difference.
We look forward to sharing our next farmland access project with you soon!
Yours in conservation,
Yimmuaj Yang
Community Director