Read below for an essay excerpted from 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People, Wildlands’ 50th anniversary book honoring the partners and volunteers who have made remarkable contributions to land conservation in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Read “The Next Remarkable Chapter,” our series introduction by President Karen Grey.

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Working lands, the farms and forests that sustain livelihoods and produce human necessities like food and building materials, are disappearing across Southeastern Massachusetts. Our region has lost over 70 percent of its farms in the past 50 years as retiring farmers opt for soaring offers from commercial and residential developers for their land. Farms are integral to our communities’ economic, cultural, and ecological vitality.

Our partnership with Whip’s Farm in the Chiltonville village of Plymouth exemplifies how a land trust and an operating farm can work together for the benefit of the community.

Whip’s Farm is owned by Nuff Withington, who has lived on the land for most of his adult life. Passed down to Nuff by his grandfather, Sherman Whipple, these beautiful agricultural fields serve as the centerpiece of one of the most important agricultural corridors in the region, and certainly one of the most scenic neighborhoods in Plymouth.

Wildlands Trust owns 60 acres of farmland adjacent to Whip’s Farm, which we license to farmers who produce hay, corn, and hops for local craft beer. We rely on the crew from Whip’s Farm for the hard work, expertise, and equipment they donate to ensure that our fields are productive and well-maintained. Thank you to the Whip’s Farm crew, who do so much for Wildlands Trust: Tommy, Stephanie, Kathy, Jimmy, Nuff, Heidi, Ann, Jock, and Willa, the farm dog.

Purchase 50 Remarkable Years, 50 Remarkable People today: wildlandstrust.org/shop50

Click through the gallery below for more photos from Whip’s Farm.