by Colleen Gundlach

Combining the beauty of 200 contiguous acres of cropland with an understanding of how this land can be part of the climate change solution, Freund’s Farm in East Canaan is an example of how local farmers work for farmland preservation while protecting the environment. To share both the beauty and the science, the Freunds have been offering a Stroll & Graze series of tours this summer, with two still to come.

While walking the dog she adopted (as many people did) during the pandemic, Amanda Freund was thinking about how she never tires of walking the farm acreage and how much she loves the rural landscape and wants to share its beauty with others. This gave her the idea of working with other family members to develop Stroll & Graze, an evening outdoor event, which that willwould offer people the opportunity to stroll the farm and discusslearn about such issues as soil health, protecting the waterways on the farm and howhow farming can affect, even mitigate climate change. 

The “graze” portion of each of the evening strollsthe evening will beis a boxed sampling, called a Taste of the Season, which wilof fruit and vegetable hors d’oeuvresrves from the Freund gardens, as well as a sampling of dairy treats from the farmer-owned cooperative, Cabot Creamery. Taste of the Season will beboxes are prepared by Theresa Freund, a well-known chef and baker and the matriarch of the Freund family.

The Freund Farm sits on a total of 455 acres of agricultural land, (300 acres of which 300 acres areis cropland ), but also includesand 150 acres of forest land at the base of Canaan Mountain. Two rivers, the Blackberry and the Whiting, flow through the landproperty. For 70 years, the Freunds have been stewards of this propertyland, which is a responsibility they do not take lightly. Amanda Freund, a Cornell University graduate, explains that “there is a precision to what we are doing. We utilize cropping practices that protect the environment and improve the soil as a tool for holding on to carbon.” She explains that cows and wetlands emit methane (CH4), and that dairy farmers have implemented processes such as no-till cropping, which keeps the soil intact and holds crop residues in the field. “Soil is an important tool of ours to continue to sequester carbon.” 

In addition to soil management, the Freund family has heated their home with methane gas for more than 20 years. On the farm isIn their methane-digester tank, naturally occurring microorganisms digest the waste, producing methane. The gas is captured and burned as a biogas. “There is a huge potential here, to utilize the byproduct of animal agriculture for producing renewable energies,”. says Amanda Freund, “but this requires policy change and state and federal incentives to make it financially feasible.”

These issues and more will be open for informal discussion during the Stroll & Graze events, along with time to meander through the fields of Freund’s Farm. “This is an opportunity for us to share with the community while helping to promote farmland preservation,” says Freund. As a way of giving back, 50 percent of the proceeds received from the $20 per person fee for the Stroll & Graze will be given to a good cause. The beneficiary of the first stroll, held in early July, was the Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry in Canaan; and the second, held on July 29, was the Working Lands Alliance.

The next stroll, to be held on Aug. 19 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will benefit the Connecticut Farm Bureau. ; and pProceeds from the Sept. 30 event will go to the Connecticut Farmland Trust.  

To register for one of the upcoming Stroll & Graze events, go to the farm’s website.