As real estate agents, our jobs take us to many different areas of town — maybe ones we’d never have an excuse to visit otherwise. We experience diverse landscapes each neighborhood offers firsthand, including those with acres of nearby farmland. These dairyland vistas are often beloved by homeowners and prospective buyers who enjoy some visual elbow room.
Not only beautiful, Wisconsin’s land is also precious. Glaciers helped shape the rich soils that make much of our state well suited for agriculture — from growing crops and produce to supporting livestock. And between 2001 and 2021, Dane County lost more than 76,000 acres of agricultural land to development — an area roughly one and a half times the size of the City of Madison.
Our Nonprofit Spotlight this month, Groundswell Conservancy, is committed to protecting this local farmland, and helping pass it along to the next farmer at a fair price. This past winter, Groundswell Conservancy closed on their first “farmland ownership” project. After a landowner reached out about making sure their 21 acres of farmland in Verona was not lost to development, Groundswell Conservancy worked with American Farmland Trust (AFT) to find an emerging farmer interested in purchasing it. The land was sold at an affordable price to Adam D’Angelo, a farmer early in his career, and the land was permanently protected with a conservation easement in the process. This year, Adam (pictured) started planting everything from persimmons to tart cherries to hardy kiwi on his farmland — already rich with nutrients from decades of use. Congratulations, Adam!
Photo of Adam D’Angelo, courtesy of Groundswell Conservancy
Chances are, Groundswell has worked to protect areas in your neck of the woods, too. Check out this interactive map, and read more about their many other conservation endeavors at groundswellconservancy.org.
