Our Land

Ashippun River Farm

The Ashippun River Farm consists of 88 acres bordered by the Ashippun River on its eastern side and a marsh on its northern side. We purchased the farm in 1994 to protect both the river and the marsh from encroaching development. Currently, we are also conducting a side-by-side comparison between conventional and organic cropping techniques. The agricultural portion of the farm has been planted entirely in alfalfa, but 50% of the alfalfa is being treated conventionally with herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizer while the other half is being treated organically with minerals and compost tea. Compost tea is a mixture of compost (decayed plant material) and water that is spread over the alfalfa plants providing each plant with necessary nutrients.  This study is still on going and therefore we have not yet drawn any conclusions.