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Farmland Preservation
Farmland Preservation
Our farmland preservation work includes Waltham Fields Community Farm which consists of seven acres of land at the UMass Field Station and three acres of land at the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Massachusetts. We also are leading efforts to preserve and maintain the 56-acre Umass Field Station site.
- Waltham Fields Community Farm, a successful model of community farm management
- Friends of Waltham Field Station, an overview, Vision Statement and User Summary
- Farmland Preservation at the UMass Field Station, Spring 2004 article
- Farmland Preservation at the UMass Field Station, Fall 2004 article
photo by Kendra Michaud
Waltham Fields Community Farm
Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) is a successful model of community farm management. Leasing seven acres on what is commonly known as the UMass Field Station in Waltham, Massachusetts and three acres at the nearby Lyman Estate, CFO operates and manages a vegetable, flower, and herb farm using organic principles. The seven-acre farm site is situated within a larger parcel of 56-acres that has a rich and fascinating history that informs its current use. In 1921, a prominent Waltham philanthropist and dairy farmer, Cornelia Warren, specified in her will that the property be used for agricultural and educational purposes. Subsequently, the site was conveyed to the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts). From that time to the present, the property has hosted numerous agricultural and educational programs. The reclamation and transformation of dormant fields once used for scientific crop research into a productive urban farm restores the land to its historical roots as a working farm.
Consistent with the CFO mission, Waltham Fields Community Farm has integrated charitable and educational programs within the community farm model. The development of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program lends yet another dimension to the project, enhancing the economic viability of the farm while providing shareholders opportunities to participate in our charitable, educational and land preservation projects. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, one that strengthens community bonds as shareholders become members invested in the mission.
Friends of Waltham Field Station
Community Farms Outreach is taking a leadership role in the efforts to preserve, protect and promote the 56-acre UMass Field Station site. In 1999 the founder of CFO convened an informal association of users, the Friends of Cornelia Warren Farm, to discuss the broad ranging issues related to the needs of the Field Station and how to secure our tenancy. The Friends group has since changed their name to Friends of Waltham Field Station (FWFS). Continued concern about the future of the site is warranted given the precarious financial situation of the University of Massachusetts, its lack of academic programs, and a cautionary warning received two years ago.
Members of CFO have taken the initiative to form a subcommittee of FWFS that has surveyed user needs and developed a vision statement with tangible goals to guide future planning. Results of the survey indicated strong support for continued and expanded future use. Tenants include a diverse group ranging from botanical scientists to horticultural therapists, from community gardeners to the National Park Service, and from the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets to 4-H program administrators. For many decades, the Field Station has supported regional chapters of renowned Horticultural Societies, including, The New England Rose Society, the Daylily Society, the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society, and Ikebana International among others.
Working with University representatives, FWFS seeks to establish itself as the primary voice representing those with a vital interest in the property. A priority need will be to identify a long-range financing plan to continue operations and to improve the aging infrastructure including deteriorating greenhouses, barns, and buildings. To ensure our own long-range security at this farm and in accordance with our mission, Community Farms Outreach will continue to take a leadership role in the efforts to preserve, protect and promote this unique urban agricultural resource, historic property and Cornelia Warren’s legacy.