Congratulations to Baylee Drown and Ryan Quinn of Long Table Farm! They have been selected by the Board of Directors and staff of the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District – https://www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal/ – to receive the 2022 Cooperator Award. The award is being given in recognition of their sustainable growing practices focused on enhancing biodiversity and soil health, for their work collaborating with NRCS to implement conservation practices to protect natural resources, and for supporting the community through soup kitchen donations and a share scholarship program.

The award will be presented at the 75th Annual Meeting of the Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District on November 5, 2022, 2pm at Saybrook Point Pavilion in Old Saybrook.

The Lyme Land Trust (LLT) is very proud to be agricultural partners with Long Table Farm. Along with their farm on Beaver Brook Road, they hold a lease with LLT to practice sustainable farming on the Bloom and Hand Smith Preserves on fields that have been preserved for agricultural use. The Land Trust is very happy to be working with a local organic farm, and to be able to provide them with acreage to support their production. Baylee is a self- proclaimed “soil fixer” who is committed to spending unlimited hours in the field to replenish the soils of the preserve fields to a nutrient-rich state. The farm combats climate change by sequestering carbon in the rich soil which has been carefully built up. Long Table Farm recycles nutrients through composting and uses preventive methods of farming that don’t require synthetic chemical treatment of disease and pests. The farm provides Community Supported Agriculture shares to 170 local families, in addition to selling nutrient rich veggies at two farmers markets. They also donate produce to various organizations.