A Regenerative
Renaissance
at Linden Farm
by ellen gordon
We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was
good for us would be good for the world. We have been
wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible
to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the
world will be good for us. And that requires that we make
the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.
- wendell berry, the long-legged house
L
iving through a time and much of its early history—a crop
place drastically transformed
by pandemic Originally part of a larger tract, it
that aggressively depletes soil.
and strife over racial injustice became the Lawrence Wright Farm
can be the opportunity we need in the 1880s, by which time it had
to reflect on how we can better transitioned to grain production
know the world. If we are successful,
perhaps we can emerge with a of the Dickerson railroad station in
and raising livestock. The opening
philosophy that is healing for the 1873 increased the economic feasibility
of grain and beef production
world—and healthier for us. While
it’s true that there are many ways by insuring a fast system for transporting
goods to market. The farm
of farming that can produce food,
the change that Sugarloaf Citizens’ changed hands a couple of times,
Association (SCA) is bringing to and finally, during the Depression
era, was purchased by Walter
the farm that we steward will yield
healthier food, nourish the soil, Matthews, who diversified production
by expanding into dairying,
begin mending the ecosystem and
help to ameliorate climate change. delivering milk by truck as far as
Linden Farm, SCA’s headquarters,
has been farmed for at least family also converted part of the
Washington, DC. The Matthews
200 years—and perhaps much farm into a private commons,
longer. It was almost certainly known as Linden Park, complete
used for growing tobacco for
with a bandstand. Family members
were active in the Poolesville Band
and large groups often gathered
in the park for picnics and musical
celebrations.
In 1980, Montgomery County
bought the farm, with the intention
of using a portion of it
for composting sewage sludge.
Because of SCA’s labors, that
aspect of the farm’s history was
short-lived, and by 1986, that same
portion was instead converted to a
less noxious leaf and grass composting
facility. The association
has continued oversight of that
use and our efforts culminated in
gaining stewardship in 1996 of the
farm’s remaining 150 acres. Now
dubbed Linden Farm, the fields
have been leased to local farmers
for conventional wheat, corn, and
soybean rotation.
Sugarloaf Citizens’ Association
was founded in 1973 to promote
and advocate for sound environmental
stewardship in the rural
north of Montgomery County, an
area that wasn’t designated as an
Agricultural Reserve until 1980. For
nearly a half century, SCA volunteers
have been a powerful force
for preventing the destruction
of farmland and open space, and
thwarting increased water and air
pollution. Now, as we plan for the
next fifty years, we will be actively
promoting a vibrant and healthy
vision for Linden Farm where food
is grown following regenerative
principles, one where the greater
community will be invited to learn
how it’s done.
Regenerative, generally
speaking, refers to the use of a
resource where it is increased
and/or enhanced for future use,
as compared to unsustainable or
8 plenty I Spring sowing 2020