GENESEE LAND TRUST ACQUIRES 140 ACRE HUMBERT FARM IN WAYNE COUNTY

Genesee Land Trust, a non-profit land conservation organization ,the local land trust for the greater Rochester area has announced the acquisition of a 140 acre farm in the town of Arcadia, Wayne County. The preserve includes a 20 acre working organic vegetable farm as well as hay fields, woodlands, and wetlands along Ganargua Creek.

This acquisition represents a new kind of preserve for the Trust, as it is not only preserving land but also preserving local agriculture. Peacework Organic Farm currently farms a portion of the land and provides seasonal, fresh, organic produce to the Genesee Valley Organic Community Supported Agriculture (GVOCSA) and will continue to do so under a long-term lease arrangement with the Trust. GVOCSA, one of the oldest CSA’s in the country, is made up of 300 families from Wayne and Monroe County who enjoy fresh food from a local, sustainable farming operation, and share in the risks and rewards of farming each year.

“This project is an innovative way to keep land available for the next generation of farmers,” says Ora Ruthfuss, agriculture development specialist for the Wayne County Planning Department.

“This initiative breaks new ground for us, “says Genesee Land Trust Executive Director, Gay Mills. “We’re creating a productive partnership among the Trust, the Peacework farmers and the GVOCSA members, in addition to conserving a wonderful stretch of Ganargua Creek and adjacent natural areas.” The Trust also owns the Ganargua Creek Meadows Preserve, 56 acres in the town of Macedon.

“We’re excited to be among the first land trusts in this country to act on the concept that preserving farming in America is about more than just preserving farmland,” says Genesee Land Trust Board Member and longtime GVOCSA member Suzanne Wheatcraft.

Genesee Land Trust currently protects 2000 acres in greater Rochester. Visit www.geneseelandtrust.org for more information.

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