Happy New Year! The Friends of Holcomb Farm have so much going on, and some exciting news to share, so let’s get to it.
Important Investments
Working with the Friends, the town undertook some important capital investments at the farm this fall, making great use of American Rescue Plan Funds. With the increased utilization of the tree trail on the east side of Simsbury Road, a crosswalk was needed for people to safely get from the parking lot and campus buildings, across the road to the trails access. We are happy to report that this crosswalk now exists. At the same time, some walkway repairs and new fencing was completed at the farmhouse, where our farm manager and his family live. Also, new audio/visual equipment was secured for both the Workshop and the North Barn Pavilion, enhancing these spaces that the town manages as rentals. Finally, together with a neighborhood assistance act grant that the Friends secured, the town contracted for the installation of energy efficient “mini split” ductless heating and cooling for the previously unheated Annex—the portion of the farmhouse where some of our summer farm crew resides each year.
Successful year of food production means winter shares
While there remains much work to repair the soil after the torrential rains of 2023, and ongoing investments are needed for increased sustainability, Joe O’Grady and his farm crew produced a bountiful harvest this past summer and fall, allowing for the Winter CSA to return. Coupled with incredibly productive greenhouses with luscious, mid-winter greens, by the time you read this we will have wrapped up four hearty Winter CSA distributions, with one left to go. We have also been able to offer winter share distributions to one of our Fresh Access partners, Wheeler Health, and have visions of expanding this in future years. That’s the good news. The challenge is that winter-friendly workspace is virtually non-existent, making the effort required to prepare the produce for our customers and partners a true labor of love. Which leads us to exciting news in the article at right.
Winter Trail Work
Meanwhile, our work on the trails and tree trail continues, with winter being a great time to tackle invasives. Volunteers are invited to dress appropriately and come with a variety of tools every third Saturday of the month. In January, a crew of eight hearty souls showed up, loppers in hand, and worked to clear the rock wall that stretches to the west, downhill from the pond in the East Fields.
Take a Hike, Virtually
Never been there but not up for hiking? Love hiking but not in the dead of winter? Miss the beauty of the trails and meadows overlooking the Holcomb Farm? Thanks to a donation from Put and Nannie Brown, and to our board member/volunteer Sue Canavan, we now have a lovely video that can transport you to this special place from the comfort of your couch. Search YouTube for the Holcomb Farm Tree Trail. We hope it warms you as it does us.
Exploring the Repurposing of the West Granby United Methodist Church
In 1975, the West Granby United Methodist congregation opened its new church facility, funded with a gift from Tudor and Laura Holcomb, on five acres of land carved from the Holcombs’ farm. For almost 50 years, this congregation thrived, utilizing the space to provide community, connection and service to both members and other neighbors and community members. Changing times, a pandemic, and a leaky roof led to the closing of the church at the end of 2021. Ultimately, as called for in the original deed, the property was transferred to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and in November 2024, working with support from the Friends of Holcomb Farm and the Granby Land Trust, the town accepted it from the Foundation and successfully repatriated the property to the farm.
The Friends immediately set out to assume usage of the former tobacco barn and the land, which is immediately adjacent to the CSA Barn and Farm Store at 111 Simsbury Road. This left the question: what to do about the church building?
Some context is important. The Friends of Holcomb Farm have been exploring ways to expand facilities to better accommodate our farm crew, provide year-round, temperature-controlled space for post-harvest processing of produce and increase CSA and Farm Store sales opportunities in the November to May timeframe.
Can the church building be repurposed to meet our needs? Would the use of this building contribute to the economic viability of the Friends of Holcomb Farm whose farming programs are and must continue to be the self-supporting resource engine of our nonprofit community service organization? We don’t know for sure … yet.
The Friends’ agreement with the town allows us a six-month period—until mid-2025—to assess the feasibility and viability of assuming operational control of the church building. During the study phase, the Friends have assumed all costs associated with the building. A church task team has been formed, comprised of several town representatives, former church members, and appointees from the Friends Board of Directors. We are grateful to the town for allowing us to explore this opportunity which, if it comes together, can make us an even stronger partner of the town, the community and the region.
The economic question—does the revenue opportunity justify the cost—is important. Equally important, we believe, is the question of how and whether this fits with the intent of Granby’s most prolific benefactors, Tudor and Laura Holcomb. To put it succinctly: can the Friends’ use of the building continue the legacy of support for community, connection and service that the West Granby Methodist Church represented? Stay tuned.