The Poland and Polachek families have been stewards of the land in Loudoun County, VA for generations.
In an article published by the Washington Business Journal, one farmer says the Poland Farm “sticks out like a sore thumb” in a sea of sub-divisions west of Washington, D.C.
The article describes the farm as the hole in the doughnut, and anyone familiar with the development of rural America knows all too well how fast that hole can be gobbled up.
It’s the farmers who are considering rezoning and developing the land, which would allow 143 new single-family residences. It can be an enticing proposition, bringing short-term cash (a lot of it) instead of long-term grueling returns on hard labor.
This farm, though, is exactly the kind we’re trying to save. What could be more attractive to a farmer than hundreds of surrounding suburban families, turning more and more to locally grown food.
The prospect of getting food from “the farm down the street” is one that has faded for many Americans, a reality more and more families are beginning to lament. These same fresh-food-seekers are seeking out local farmers markets and CSAs. Think hundreds of cars driving to markets, and farms trucking their hauls there to meet the demand, driving hours to sell the food. It’s not hard to see the environmental benefit of reversing this split and rejoin model.
Add this to the educational, economic, community and other benefits of having a local farm and it’s enough to lead us all to hope the Poland and Polachek families change their mind, before the sun sets on this deal.
Read the Washington Business Journal article and help keep local agriculture in your backyard.
