Whippoorwill Farm Makes Final Plea for Future

For many of us, Thimble Farm, also known as CSA, has been an Island mainstay for as long as we can remember. However, the is now more uncertain than ever.

In a newsletter released this week, Whippoorwill Farm owner Andrew Woodruff wrote, “Eight years ago Whippoorwill Farm had an opportunity to lease Thimble Farm to expand its operations. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. In making that decision there were two goals that we had in mind. One was to establish a more efficient and viable farm at this location by taking advantage of the land and infrastructure; the other was to find a way to permanently protect the farm for food production. While it is no secret that the farm has had its struggles, I am pleased to note that we made money last year and we are working hard to insure that we stay on that course. More importantly, however, the effort of saving the farm and placing it into the hands of an island nonprofit has been elusive and unsuccessful so far.”

The land is currently owned by Eric Grubman who purchased it in 2007 when it was under threat of being turned into a private estate. Grubman leased the land to Woodruff, giving the Island community time to develop a long-term plan for the farmland’s future. Last June, Grubman decided that he wanted to sell the land and asked Woodruff to come up with a plan to take it over by the end of the year.

As a response, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Island Housing Trust, The Farm Institute, Vineyard Conservation Society, Island Grown Initiative and Whippoorwill Farm CSA formed what they called the Martha’s Vineyard Farm Project. They hoped to purchase the land from Grubman, place it under nonprofit ownership and lease it long-term to local farmers, provided that the crops produced were intended for Island consumption.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank owns an Agricultural Protection Restriction (APR) on the property, which prohibits subdivision or residential development of the land. However, the APR does permit a range of other agricultural uses, such as equestrian estates. That makes the land potentially very valuable—too valuable for farmers to afford, should it be put on the market.

Sadly after months of meetings, efforts and planning, the MV Project dissolved due to an inability to raise enough funds to begin discussions with Grubman about purchasing the land.

Woodruff praised Grubman’s patience and dedication over the past five years in his newsletter.

“I cannot thank Mr. Grubman enough for his willingness to help with this effort. In my mind it was a very generous offer to give the island an opportunity to save this farm,” he wrote.

While there has been little success so far in raising money, Woodruff expressed hope that a solution could still be found.

“I still can’t help but wonder if there is a means to find a way to keep this land in food production forever. With close to 100 million dollars raised island wide each year to fund our annual town budgets, and with billions of dollars in assessed land on the island and one of the wealthiest seasonal communities in the country, I am still struggling to see how we can let this land slip through our hands. While it is not certain what the next owner may plan for this land, it is highly unlikely that an opportunity like this will come along again. Sadly, what is even more disturbing is that many of the farms on the island have antiquated restrictions already in place such as Thimble, and over time I believe we will see some of the best food-producing farms lost because of rising real estate values and other uses.

“So I ask, again, if you are a person with interest in a sustainable food system on our island; if you know someone who may have the means to participate in an effort to save this land - the time to act is now.”