In Nightingale, the Abbott family has 30+ acres of land available, and we are looking for farmers interested in sustainable and regenerative uses. These fields lie along Mashamoquet Brook with some soils of state and national importance, water for irrigation and access to electricity (we can tap into). We also have the possibility of rental housing to offer within two miles of these fields.
The land is in Pomfret, in Northeastern Conn., in a green corridor of woods, fields and wetlands in the Mashomoquet Brook and Nightingale Brook watershed, on the homelands of the Mohegan, the Pequot, the Nahaganset, the Nipmuk and the Wampanoag nations.
The Abbott family has cared for the land and woods here since the 1930s. Nightingale is part of a larger property that now runs a haying operation (through Spring Farm LLC) and some light timbering. Tony and Deborah Abbott and their children hold Nighingale.
We are looking for farmer(s) willing to work independently as entrepreneurs, with a viable business plan for the area. We see opportunities here, as the older agricultural structures are re-forming — we have an expanding local community of small farmers and farmers markets, and regional cities with farm-to-table restaurants, and reach to Boston, Providence, Hartford and Worcester — and an academic community including UCONN and Storrs nearby. Pomfret is also known for its high schools — Rectory school, the Pomfret School, Woodstock Academy.
We are open to ideas …
• CSA for meat or veg, eggs, cheese …
• Permaculture, native perennials
• Pick-your-own or farmstand
• Restaurants and co-op markets …
• Rare or specialty crops or goods — cheese, ice cream, chestnuts …
And we are looking forward to hearing yours and talking with you.
