FARMLAND PRESERVATION

COUNTRYSIDE INITIATIVE:

By | Jill Sell

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ABOVE: Goats galore, including Tennesee Fainting Goats can be seen at Keleman Point Farm in Boston Township. Photo courtesy: Melissa Keleman

ABOVE: Mike and Melissa Keleman stand with the CVNP sign, marking their partnership with the Countryside Initiative. Photo courtesy, Melissa Keleman

WORKING FARM LAND IN CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

WheN vIsItors hike, bike or use the bridle paths through the Cuyahoga valley National Park (CvNP), they expect to see deer, squirrels or chipmunks. If they are lucky, they may even glimpse beavers or great blue herons. But tennessee Fainting goats? that’s possible when in Boston township and near Keleman Point Farm.

Keleman Point Farm is just one of 10 restored working farms operating under the Countryside Initiative, a private, nonprofit program that partners with the CvNP. Participating farmers within the park boundaries are expected to use sustainable practices and serve as models to the community.

established in 1999, the Initiative sought to maintain the rural aspect of land within the CvNP. It is still considered a somewhat novel public/ private partnership in the united states. the small farms, totaling about 300 acres within the 33,000acre national park, are home to goats, sheep, pigs, turkeys, bees, chickens and horses. entrepreneurial and innovative farmers, some of whom were new to farming when they were awarded a lease, offer honey, duck eggs, blueberries, pumpkins, apples, wine cider and much more (including wool blankets) onsite and at three local farmers markets.

tracy emrick is the chief executive officer of Countryside, the program’s parent. emrick calls the late Darwin Kelsey, “a visionary” who had an expertise for historical farms and living history properties, and credits him for the beginnings of the program.

“our biggest challenge has been to know what pivots to make, to understand what works about farming in a national park and what doesn’t,” said emrick. “the park’s obligation is to the land, but we also need to know what works for the farmers. It’s coming to that sweet spot that matters.”

the competitively-awarded leases are publicly posted only when a farm becomes available, but the process to become a Countryside farmer can be lengthy and intense. “and it’s a tough program,” admitted emrick. “and farming is a hard job. It takes people a while to realize if it is really what they want or if it is harder than they thought. the profit margin for agriculture is very small. It’s not for everyone.”

Because the leased farms are on federal land, the restrictions for farmers, expected to be good stewards of the land, are extensive. “You can’t be

COUNTRYSIDE continues on pg. 8

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a farmer here and wake up one day saying you are going to build a barn. Darwin used to say that putting up a fence post is a federal case,” said emrick.

still, many Countryside farmers who have been successful say they wouldn’t trade the experience of working the land with both historic and/or new methods and raising their families in a rural area for anything. these “showcase farms,” as emrick calls them, bring more than 100,000 people into the park annually and can claim an economic impact of more than a million dollars a year.

the 12-acre Purplebrown Farmstead in Boston heights was established in 2016 on land that was initially farmed in the 1830s. sasha miller is a fulltime farmer who left the urban life of Chicago with her husband, James, and their two sons to embrace farming on leased parkland.

the highly diverse farm offers a bit of everything from mulberries and mushrooms to heritage pork. But “apples and cider are the core of the farm, pun intended,” noted sasha miller, who grows a variety of apples mostly in traditional orchards. the millers embrace permaculture, working with nature instead of against it to work their land and raise their animals. other ideas include vermicomposting, using cover crops and a swale and berm system for the apples.

“my favorite apples are the ones I can pick off the trees. they are like diamonds to me. But we will see which apples work well and then fine tune the orchard,” said miller. “every community needs its own farm. We can’t all be farmers, but we should have access to one.”

and about those goats…In 2020, farmers mike and melissa Keleman took over a 60year Countryside lease that had been held by the property’s previous farmers for about 16 years. the Kelemans “inherited” a herd of tennessee Fainting, or myotonic goats. they animals don’t really don’t faint, but when stressed, briefly stiffen and fall over on their backs or sides with their legs pointing upwards, considered a muscular phenomenon.

“It’s caused by a recessive gene,” explained mike Keleman of the 48-acre Keleman Point Farm, originally worked in 1875. “It doesn’t hurt the animals at all. sheepherders were the original ones to have these goats. When they were up in the hills with their sheep, wolves would attack the fainting, more vulnerable goats and leave the sheep alone. It seems brutal, but it makes sense because goats were worth less than sheep in those days.”

Sustainable farmer Sasha Miller of Purplebrown Farmstead in Boston Heights promotes the Countryside Initiative mission by providing local food resources. Photo courtesy: Sasha Miller

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James and Sasha Miller along with their two sons yield much from the Purplebrown Farmstead, including cider, apples, mushrooms, and prime heritage pork. Photo courtesy, Sasha Miller

the 60-plus goats that roam Keleman Point Farm are fenced and safe from predators and overly curious park visitors who can view the animals from nearby bridle paths or akron Peninsula road. the multi-colored goats win the most Fascinating animal award among all the Countryside farm critters. Keleman, whose background includes working with plants (particularly orchards), admits he had to take “a crash goat husbandry class.” Now he wouldn’t “have it any other way.”

the Kelemans also raise heritage breed turkeys and chickens, and will renew their commitment to beekeeping this year. In addition, elderberries, known for their tonic properties, are expected to hold an important position on the farm once established. In 10 years, the plan is also to raise scottish highland cattle, whose manure will help naturally fertilize farmland.

Keleman calls himself first and foremost “a grass farmer,” whose rotational grazing practices allows for heathy livestock. It also fulfills his desire to take care of his piece of earth without toxic chemicals. “I practice organic weed control, and besides CovID, that has been our greatest challenge,” said Keleman, who named several invasive species that play havoc in ohio farm fields, including the multiflora rose, a thorny shrub.

additional Countryside farms include: Canal Corners Farm, Greenfield Berry Farm, Neitenbach Farm, oxbow orchard, sarah’s vineyard, spice acres, the spicy lamb Farm and trapp Family Farm.

In addition, the Countryside New Farmer academy in Bath township is a multi-year program that connects interns, employed apprentices and mentor farmers and teaches sustainable agriculture as well as the business side of farming.

For more information about the academy or Countryside, visit www.countrysidefoodand farms. org.

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