A community takes its future into its own hands

When the 20-acre Kingsbury Farm went on the market in 2006 after 55 years of ownership by the Kingsbury family, many people in Waitsfield and Warren agreed that it would be a tremendous shame to see this scenic, riverside farm disappear. The initial sale price was so high that no one thought anything could be done to save the farm. But then, after a year on the market, the price dropped and VLT and a handful of community members saw an opportunity to act.

Robin McDermott, co-founder of the Mad River Valley Localvore Project, was one of the people who joined the initial committee meeting. “That first meeting showed how committed people in town were to seeing the farm stay in agriculture,” says Robin. “There was a strong desire to not only secure the land and find someone who would keep it in productive agricultural use, but also to find an owner who would support the river’s ecological protection, scenic preservation, and connect the community to the farm.”

In response, VLT—with a contribution from the Town of Warren, and the guidance of a local committee representing such groups as the Mad River Valley Planning District, the Friends of the Mad River, and the Localvores—purchased the farm with the goal of conserving it and finding an agricultural operation that would grow food and contribute the local-food movement in the Valley.

“The Warren selectboard set up our conservation fund years ago and it is used as a
catalyst in projects like this where there is the opportunity to do more than the Town can do on its own,” says Mac Rood, who was the Warren selectboard chair at the time and the voice for Warren on the local committee. “A quick decision was called for; all five selectboard members were in almost immediate agreement that this was a good use of the money.”

After the Town of Warren committed their support, the next step was to find a new owner of what became known as the Kingsbury Community Farm. 

The Kingsbury committee began the search for a new owner by turning the community’s dreams into guidelines for the future use of the property. A request was put out to the public for proposals from prospective farm buyers. Out of many excellent proposals, the Vermont Foodbank was selected. They intend to make substantial farm improvements and grow food for food shelves in the Valley and neighboring communities. Their plans for the farm also include a river protection zone and a public trail along the river that will become a new section of the Mad River Path.

“The Foodbank already had on its radar to diversify our food sourcing operation when we saw the request for proposals for this farm,” says Dave Thurlow, Vermont Foodbank Kingsbury Farm Project Director. “Our plan is to work directly with the local food shelves and make sure the right foods are grown on the farm.”

After a fundraising campaign with more than 300 donations from Mad River Valley families and businesses, and with generous support from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Forrest & Frances Lattner Foundation, the farm was conserved and sold to the Foodbank.

This past summer the Foodbank began preparing the land, tilling cover crops, and renovating one of the farm buildings. They plan to work with an experienced farmer who will help manage the land and grow food.

“We are now stewards of the land for the future,” says Dave Thurlow. “So we’re looking at land through the filter that VLT does: the long-term filter. This helps to give us the confidence that the land will produce nutritious food well into the future.”

Nancy Pignatello, the director of the Mad River Valley Food Shelf said that she is not surprised about the result of the Kingsbury Farm and the Vermont Foodbank partnership: “It truly is a community farm that we all have a sense of ownership for and responsibility for what happens there.”

“When I drive past the farm I get a tear in my eye,” says Robin. “What occurred here was beyond anything that we could have expected. This community really cares about meeting the needs of the most vulnerable. Now there is another chunk of land that we won’t have to worry about. It will always be there.”