Brookvale Farm: A Heritage Connecting Generations

In an era when the number of small family farms has plummeted, the recently reestablished Brookvale Farm in Strafford, VT, stands out in many ways. It’s a hopeful sign and an authentic team effort made possible by family, friends, neighbors, and individuals across the region, united in their support of local agriculture.

In 2017, UVLT worked with members of the Manning family, who for generations owned the property. In the face of development pressure arrangements were made to protect their farm property through conservation easement. This made the farm’s selling price affordable for neighboring Rockbottom Farm, the home of Strafford Organic Creamery, allowing Rockbottom to pasture cows on the land and grow their business.

To pay for the conservation easement, UVLT pledged monies it had raised through a region-wide capital campaign to support transformative land conservation projects. Additional funding was raised via a matching challenge and contributions from more than 60 households in the area.

Keeping the land in productive agriculture was a success story on its own, but an even more remarkable outcome was in store. After a spell in the Northeast Kingdom, Asa Manning and Kim Lakin returned to their home roots. Asa worked full-time at Rockbottom and reconnected to the land that had been in his family for so many years, and Kim worked part-time as well.

Rockbottom’s owners, Amy Huyffer and Earl Ransom, are true friends and supporters and, last fall, sold the former Manning farm to Asa and Kim. The property was rechristened “Brookvale Farm” – its name from Asa’s grandparents’ day.

“The land holds deep meaning for us,” says Kim. “Asa’s roots run through these hills as the third generation, and now our children will become the fourth generation.”

“With the Upper Valley Land Trust being involved, it helped Rockbottom be able to purchase it at a price that a farmer can afford,” she continues. “And then, Amy and Earl, they could have sold it to us for more than they bought it for, but we only bought it back for what they put into it. It made it affordable enough for us to be able to work and create a business around it.”

“UVLT is thrilled that this farm has found its way back to the Manning family and that we could play a role in that journey,” says Vice President for Stewardship Jason Berard. “We’re actively promoting more positive outcomes like this through the AFT Navigator program, which helps to connect the next generation of farmers with farmland.”

One-third of America’s farmland may change hands in the next 15 years as aging landowners sell their properties, and it’s evident across the Upper Valley that more must be done to connect retiring and aspiring generations. “Just with what we see in people that I know, the farms that I grew up with, they’re all people of my parents’ generation,” says Asa. “All those people are no longer farming. They’ve also sold their cows. There’s not one of them I can think of that has passed it on to another generation.”

The close relationship with Rockbottom has continued, with Asa as an employee. While Brookvale is planning to change its primary focus from dairy to maple, Rockbottom cows will continue to pasture on Brookvale land. Asa and Kim have also been building their own fully registered herd of organic Jersey cows, which, along with Rockbottom’s Guernseys, produce milk for the Strafford Organic Creamery.

The couple are grateful for how things have turned out and excited about what the future may bring. “It’s a lot of hard work and stress, but we’re building something that we’re hoping we can eventually pass down to our kids,” says Asa. “We had a situation where we could come work for Amy and Earl. They were in a position to be able to buy that property and then it all aligned that we were ready to move back to the area at that time they wanted the property back into our hands and see us succeed. They’ve given so much support to us over this whole process.”

“This land is a dream, a legacy, and a future we are eager to grow into,” says Kim. “We cannot wait to see all that unfolds here.”