Freeville, NY, Tompkins County
Acres Available
Open Tillable Acres
Wooded (or other) Acres
Condition & Current Use
This place has three major areas: about 3.5 acres of forest, a 1.5 acre field in the front with road frontage & a gravel entrance, and a 10 acre field in the back. Fields are oriented east-west, and some of the back field is seasonally flooded and could someday be converted into pond as part of creek restoration. Most acres have been fallow for 3 years or more, haying before that, now mowed minimally to prevent woody succession in select areas or allowed to reforest with some strategic interventions in the rest.
In part of the front field, a small hybrid hazelnut hedge-style orchard is growing, with alleys that could be plowed and planted. Throughout the front field, various fruit, nut, and support trees are growing from seedlings and seeds, oriented as hedgerows or forest garden patches. Some wild tending to promote and propagate hickories, oaks, and ramps has been done throughout. For the most part though, especially over the 2023-2024 growing seasons, this land has had little human intervention. While some tree crops are doing well and others limping along, aggressive non-native species like multiflora rose are creeping up in the field and out from forest edges.
In the forest, there is an overstory with mature black locusts, shagbark hickories, black willows, and other trees. The woodland edge on the higher, northern side of the property has some nice sugar and red maples growing. Understory is primarily honeysuckle and buckthorn, with multiflora rose in hedges. Herbaceous cover in forest includes wild leeks we've tried to spread with some success.
In 2020-2022, the back 10ac field was leased to beginning farmers. They tried vegetable farming and shifted to livestock due to heavy, wet soils and a challenging growing season in 2020. Due to lack of winter housing for sheep, they eventually leased barn space closer to their home and have since transitioned year-round to that site. They have some bigger infrastructure in the back field yet to be moved and potentially for sale, including a garage on skids and 4 IBC totes stacked and plumbed for 1000 gallons of water storage (pumped using 12V battery power).
Soil Types
Farm History & Past Use
Occasional haying 2009-2019, mowed in 2019. Purchased in 2019 as subdivision of larger parcel. Adjacent to town conservation land to the south, and surrounded by single-family residential lots throughout the area with deed restrictions against subdividing. So far, all immediate neighbors I've met have been kind and open-minded. Many surrounding lots are recently subdivided and the community is expanding with newcomers.
You can read more about farmers' use of the land from 2020-2022 in the description of current conditions above.
Tenure Options
I am open-minded to possibilities and prioritize 'productive conservation' and reforestation, as in silvopasture and other agroforestry practices. I have related expertise and can provide technical assistance (especially with tree crops for nuts and fiber) but I do not have capacity to help with implementation or management directly.
I aspired to grow tree crops on this land, while leasing sections for complementary kinds of farming, but life has taken me in different directions. At this time I am looking to transition stewardship, to ideally transfer the title into an agrarian commons with assistance and potential funding available from Agrarian Trust and its partners.
Some background on Agrarian Trust from their website: "Agrarian Trust is a national land trust working with communities to catalyze land ownership and stewardship opportunities. Our legal tools, fundraising campaigns, federal and nonprofit grant writing experience, strong relationships, and national platform all combine to support communities seeking to collectively own and steward land."
Conversations with Agrarian Trust about this have sounded promising so far, but it is a process that calls for patience and planning. Long-term farming leaseholders and a community board would come together to make it happen over time, and raise funds as a not-for-profit to setup additional infrastructure to start growing food for the community with earth care, people care, and fair share. Agrarian Trust can facilitate this process, along with its partners, and can even contribute funds through grants they have been awarded. I have experience setting up cooperative businesses as well and am familiar with sociocracy. I am comfortable either participating in or stepping out of development of a commons here. Most likely I would be involved through a sale and title transfer into an agrarian commons and would stay on board relatively short-term after that.
Alternatively, I'd consider leasing to a reliable tenant long-term, or most straight forward would be selling the property to someone who shares the principles of Agrarian Trust (https://www.agrariantrust.org/principles/).
Are you willing to mentor a new or beginning farmer?
Do you require a farmer who qualifies for agricultural assessment?
Production Preferences
Livestock / Crops Description
The soil is heavy and the water table is high, so farming relying extensively on machinery will be difficult, and larger-scale vegetable production would require significant effort to setup. Nearby farmers raise livestock (cattle, horses, sheep, bees) using small tractors. This land is best suited for lighter equipment, livestock, and human-scale agriculture. Permaculture approaches are a good fit given soil fertility and plentiful wood and moisture to work with. As the land reforests, its range of meadow, woody brush, and woodland thickets would be well suited to silvopasture systems. Tree crops such as hybrid hazelnuts, locusts, and hickories are growing well in this area. Farmers who leased the site for 2 years found rotational grazing sheep to be a good fit and they are willing to talk with future stewards about their experience. Those farmers also kept bees, which is a great fit considering the abundant meadows and flowering trees in the area.
My suggestion would be to start rotational grazing and short-rotation woody crops such as willows, elderberries, hazels, and woody cut florals. Farmers in the area I look to for inspiration include Edible Acres and Food Forest Farm.
Crops Permitted
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Vegetables
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Fruits
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Flowers or Ornamentals
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Grains
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Hay
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Maple
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Other Crops
Livestock Permitted
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Cattle - Beef
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Cattle - Dairy
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Equine
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Goats/Sheep
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Pigs
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Poultry
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Bees
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Other Livestock
Preferred Farming Method
Farm Infrastructure
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Barns - Equipment Storage
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Water access
Water Access
Small creek, high water table. In the front field, a deep water well with DC-powered (battery/solar) pump is installed, allowing summer irrigation in droughts or source of potable water with further treatment. Past farmers still have 4000L of water storage on site (4 food-grade IBC totes).
Additional Property Information
Lot has deed restriction against further subdivision, it also has percolation test and building envelope laid out as part of sale in 2019. The Town of Dryden has a Right to Farm law generally favoring agricultural land uses. The area near this property has a number of small farms, as does the broader Tompkins County. On the same road as this property there is a small herd of beef cows, an equestrian center, and chickens in many yards.
No public utilities on site but road is served by grid power. From what I know, most neighbors are on the grid with well water and septic. There are some tiny homes and natural buildings in the Freeville / Etna area.
I'm open minded to uses but have a general preference for productive conservation and minimal use of fossil fuel-based inputs. In my own tree-related work at this place I used mostly hand tools, a pickup truck for moving materials, and organic permaculture growing methods. My background is in forestry and agroforestry, with some education in agronomy and experience with cooperatives, and I can provide technical assistance but no direct management or implementation support. Some contractors and friends in the area assist with monitoring and management as needed.
Is the Property Conserved
Current Land Zoning
Is the property located in a NY Agricultural District?
Can the public be on the property as a part of the farm business?
Additional Information About This Property
Upon request I can share a survey map and my own GIS map of front-field plantings, infrastructure, and mowed areas.
If you are interested in starting an Agrarian Commons with this land, or adding this land to an existing Commons, please let me know and I will connect you with the Agrarian Trust team member who's been exploring that possibility with me and other potential partners.
