Times Union: Pitney Meadows Community Farm aims to feed the soul, mind and belly
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Pitney family first arrived in Saratoga Springs from Vermont in the late 1830s, but the land they later acquired in 1864, now known as the Pitney Meadows Community Farm, had already been a source of timber for a sawmill and later a place to grow grain and hay for a nearby homestead.
The family farmed the land until 1992, when Bill Pitney started renting out to other farmers. From then until 2015, Pitney descendants resisted several generous offers from developers to sell the valuable property.
The following year, the family transferred the 166-acre working farm, located in the city on West Avenue, to a nonprofit to ensure it remain forever farmland. The organization, dubbing the fertile green space Pitney Meadows Community Farm, has a mission “to celebrate and explore agricultural education, healthy food production and recreation.”
“Our small, but mighty team oversees a working farm operation using regenerative practices to restore our soil and grow food for our community through our food sovereignty program, community-shared agriculture memberships and farm stand,” Executive Director Brooke McConnell said.
Affiliated with the nonprofit since its inception, McConnell recently took over the top job after a career in social justice and addressing the social drivers of health. Read More...