Christine Whitney weeding lettuce in a greenhouse at Phoenix Farm in Cromwell.
Cromwell Organic Farm Protected by Department of Agriculture
CROMWELL - One of the last working farms in Cromwell will forever remain available for agricultural production after its owners conveyed development rights to the state under the Community Farms Preservation Program, according to Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky.

       Phoenix Farm, which dates to the late 1800s, grows more than 80 varieties of organic fruits and vegetables that are sold directly from the farm, as well as at several area farmers’ markets and a large local supermarket.

       Located on Nooks Hill Road just a few miles from Middletown and the busy intersection of I-91 and Route 9, Phoenix Farm is the first in Cromwell to be preserved under the state program.

       Owner Christine Whitney, whose parents Margaret and Carl Lassen bought the 47-acre farm in 1957, said she and her husband John decided to preserve it after witnessing much of the town’s farmland be replaced with shopping plazas and residential developments over the years.

       â€"Our heritage was agriculture and now we grow condos,” she said. â€"Everything around here is being built up and commercialized. You see farmland disappear and once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

       The Community Farms Preservation Program (CFPP) focuses on smaller farms, often in close proximity to population centers, and which do not qualify for the state’s long-standing Farmland Preservation Program.

       Combined, the programs have preserved 318 farms, including 15 in 2015, and nearly 42,000 acres of farmland.

       â€"Maintaining and growing a strong agricultural presence near densely-populated areas is extremely important, both for farms and for the communities they serve,” Reviczky said. â€"Agricultural staff has worked diligently with local officials and farmers to protect these critical resources and I applaud the Whitneys for taking this step to maintain their family’s legacy.”

       The CFPP also encourages municipalities to participate in the protection of farms of local importance. A significant portion of Phoenix Farm lies within the floodplain of the Connecticut River, and is directly connected to the river via the 10-acre Dead Man’s Swamp that is part of a wildlife preserve.

       Citing the need to protect its dwindling farmland and wetlands, the town of Cromwell made a financial contribution to the conveyance. Other funding was provided by the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.

       â€"Conservation easement programs keep land available for farming, improve agricultural sustainability, and encourage on-farm conservation,” said Connecticut NRCS State Conservationist Thomas L. Morgart. â€"We are committed to preserving working agricultural lands for future generations of farmers, and to restoring and protecting vital, sensitive wetlands that provide important wildlife habitat and improve water quality.”

       The farm is also adjacent to the Cromwell Fish & Game Club and the Upper 40 Farm, owned by the Caruso family, who for years leased some of the Phoenix property to grow organic crops.

       â€"The Carusos were our organic mentors,” said John Whitney, who also works as operations supervisor at a large retail complex in Canton.

       Christine Whitney ended her 29-year career in human services last year to begin farming full-time and is determined to continue the gradual but steady growth of the farm.

       When the couple took over the farm six years ago, they grew only watermelons and pumpkins, sold from a small roadside table. Now, along with the dozens of varieties of fruits and vegetable, they also raise free-range chickens for eggs and sell honey, maple syrup and award-winning pickles.

       Short-term plans include building a permanent farm stand, starting a CSA next year and continuing to expand their roster of customers, which now includes the popular Flatbread Company pizza restaurant in Canton. The Whitneys supply the restaurant year-round with vegetables used for pizza toppings.

       â€"We tell them what we have that week they’ll make specials from those items,” Christine said.

       Earlier this week, the couple was tending to a variety of greens and other cool-weather crops they are growing in winter for the first time in one of their greenhouses, where the thermometer read 39 degrees.

       â€"As long as it stays in the upper 20s to the 40s these guys are happy,” Christine said of some lettuce plants she was weeding with a hoe.

       Preserving the farm will allow it to be potentially taken over by their daughter Danielle, who graduated several years ago from the Vo-Ag program at nearby Middletown High and now works on the farm.

       John Whitney said he is particularly proud that the farm is the only one in town that sells its own certified organic crops directly to retail customers.

       â€"That’s one of the reasons it is so important to preserve this as a farm,” he said. â€"People these days really want to know what’s in their food and we want to keep growing for the local community.”
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