Boerson Farm’s Conservancy Land
Aerial view of Boerson Farm looking to the southwest with Green Lake in the background.
by Mat Boerson and Thomas L. Eddy
During the growing season, it’s another bustling Friday afternoon at the local farmer’s market outside Green Lake Town Square. Produce growers and consumers alike, their livelihoods interconnected through soil, seed, and sustenance, recognize why this market flourishes—healthy land grows healthy food.
This is a story about a partnership that germinated and then grew between Boerson Farm and Green Lake Conservancy (GLC) land trust. What makes it compelling is that Boerson Farm is private conservancy land— agricultural land that is protected in perpetuity by a conservation easement held in trust by GLC.
Organic farmers Dani and Mat Boerson from Boerson Farm extol the virtues of healthy soil as the foundation of healthy land. One teaspoon of topsoil may contain more than six billion microorganisms that underpin global cycles and ecosystem services supporting myriad biodiversity, soil formation, pollination services, water storage and purification, carbon sequestration, and climate regulation. Our quality of life and survival depends upon these services made possible by healthy land. Science informs us that sustainable land practices promote greater resiliency to environmental challenges, including climate change, invasive species, and pest infestations.
It all started in 2013, when two co-property owners in Brooklyn Township approached GLC to explore ways to protect their 120 acres of rural land by adopting sustainable agricultural practices. Because GLC supports best management practices on farmland and holds experience protecting agricultural land by conservation easement, approximately one-half of the property was gifted to GLC. Additionally, it was determined that, for tax purposes, the remaining 64 acres would be conveyed five years later.
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In 2016, facilitated by GLC, Boerson Farm acquired the remaining 64 acres and moved their farm operation from St.
Marie to Brooklyn Township. Mindful of the original landowners’ intentions, Boerson Farm is now transforming the land from a traditional monoculture to a thriving polyculture that feeds people, improves soil health, and supports greater biodiversity. Along with the legal title to the rolling fields and small woodlot came a great deal of responsibility. Caring for the soil while running a financially viable farm business is a delicate balancing act that requires long-term thinking and investments. In the fall of 2018, driveway easement, a well, electricity, and fencing were installed in accordance with the parameters established by the conservation easement. The stage was set for this parcel of land to begin producing a diverse array of crops, all while increasing the ecosystem services that are central to the work of the GLC. The Boerson land-use plan that was developed and implemented over the previous 18 months came to fruition the following spring. Native
Photograph by Eric Ratering
The Healthy FOOD CONNECTION
