What happens after a farm is protected by CFT?

The transformation of New Mercies Farm in Lyme, protected by Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT) in 2017, to Long Table Farm involves three different farm names, two different couples, and one happy community.

Deborah and Rod Hornbake founded New Mercies Farm in 2012 on the site of a former colonial-era homestead. The couple bought the land to conserve it and create a farm where one had not been before. They wanted to preserve land for agricultural use, provide wholesome food for the community, and create opportunities for young farmers.

The Hornbakes honored that mission by leasing the land to a young farming couple in 2016. Baylee Drown and her partner Ryan Quinn have since bought the farm with the help of a CFT conservation easement.

“We could not afford to purchase New Mercies without the easement,” said Baylee. Now, she and Quinn are heading up a thriving farm business on the land.

“I expect that the farm will long endure under their stewardship. Baylee is visionary in her grasp of how to grow and expand,” said Rod Hornbake of the new owners. “Young people need and deserve our respect and support…A surprising number of them want to be full-time farmers, and many of those are committed to saving the planet in the process.”

From Upper Pond to Long Table

Baylee Drown grew up on a conventional dairy farm in Michigan. While earning her BS in Animal Sciences, she took an animal ethics course that changed her life course from conventional farming of animals to a deep dive into organic, sustainable plant-based farming.

Baylee came to Connecticut to take a job as a farm manager and ended up leasing the land to start her own business, Upper Pond Farm, in 2013. Baylee and her partner Quinn chose to manage the new fruit and vegetable farm with sustainable, holistic methods. They quickly had families sign up for seasonal, weekly CSA boxes (also known as community-supported agriculture subscriptions) and the happy customers kept on coming!

Quickly, Baylee and Quinn realized that they needed more land with housing for the venture. “We started to look for a farm that we could afford to buy in the Old Lyme region,” said Baylee. When they were introduced to the Hornbakes by chance at a farm dinner, the two couples quickly saw the potential for collaboration.

In 2017, Deborah and Rod donated a conservation easement on their 4.6-acre farm to CFT. The preserved acres comprise the smallest farm CFT has protected to date.

Once New Mercies Farm was officially preserved, the Hornbakes began the process of selling the farm to Baylee and Quinn. Because of the conservation easement, the young farmers could afford to purchase the property.

Access to land is a major challenge facing beginning farmers and conservation easements help them meet that challenge. By prohibiting non-agricultural development, conservation easements reduce a property’s value and make the land more affordable for beginning farmers.

Once they completed the purchase of New Mercies Farm in 2019, Baylee and Quinn asked the 250 families who have a CSA subscription with the farm to vote on a new name for the entire business. Long Table Farm, covering both the Upper Pond and old New Mercies plots, and two Lyme Land Trust properties, was born later that year.

Baylee and Quinn have been charging ahead with their Long Table Farm. They are diversifying into animal products, specifically sustainable pork, and building a barn to serve as a year-round farm market. Recently, Baylee launched an online store to make sure customers have a no-contact option for getting their produce during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We have a model that is good for the land, for the food that we grow, and for the community,” said Baylee. “We are actively engaged in the community—woven into the community. They appreciate the sustainability of the farm and want us to stay.”

“We are actively engaged in the community—woven into the community. They appreciate the sustainability of the farm and want us to stay.”

– Baylee Drown, owner of Long Table Farm

Baylee and Quinn invest in the care of the land and in the quality of food that they produce. In turn, the people of their community invest in them – as it should be. The future of Long Table Farm is bright, and as a CFT supporter, you should be proud that you have helped to make this evolution possible.