Willard Family Continues Farmland Protection Efforts

A total of 609 acres in the town of Lima and Avon are now permanently protected as farmland thanks to the efforts of members of the Willard family: Marc Kreiger, Dorothy Krieger and Donna Brongo.

Marc, a 5th generation farmer, operates Willard Farm along with his cousin Bill Willard, the 4th generation of the farm.  Marc, along with his mother Dorothy and Aunt Donna, own the newly protected ground in both towns.

History of Land Protection
Farmland protection efforts in the family date back to 1998 when Marc’s grandfather Van Willard protected 35 acres in Pittsford through Pittsford’s Greenprint Program – a farmland protection effort whereby land protection agreements were purchased from landowners by the Village, ensuring productive farmland and important open space would remain in the fast-developing Village.  The Willard Farm in Pittsford is one of several protected properties through the Village’s program.

Van Willard used proceeds from this project to help Marc, his grandson, put a down payment on his own 300 acres (the former York Farm) in Lima and Avon. This comprises about half of the land Marc has now been able to protect as farmland forever.

History of Farming
Marc began farming straight out of high school, working alongside Van and Bill.  Development, however, was always a limiting factor in those early years. Most of the land that was farmed was rented from developers who would soon be building houses on the land, making planning for the future or expansion almost impossible.

Rented land added uncertainty to Marc’s early years personally – would he have enough acres to work and sustain himself as a farmer – as well as from a business perspective – financial investments in the land and improvement projects were risky to make because he could not be certain if they would have access to the field long enough to see those investments pay off.

Selling a conservation easement on 35 acres of farmland as part of the Pittsford Greenprint Program helped Van support grandson Marc purchase his first 300 acres in Lima, the land Marc and Bill continue to work today.  This was a turning point, helping Marc become established in a way that meant his business was not subject to the threat of rental agreements and he could start thinking longer term about his business and the investments he made.

Over the years Marc was able to increase his land base as his farm business expanded.  While renting land continues to be part of his business, he is now working 700 acres of owned ground, including acreage owned by his mother and his aunt, as well as land owned in partnership with his cousin Bill in Rush and the original Willard lands in Pittsford.  

The family farm began in 1860 in Pittsford as a general farm, later including a dairy heard and then becoming a cash crop and grain farm in the mid 1960’s.  Today, the farm is growing corn, soy beans, kidney beans, wheat and hay, along with other vegetable crops.  They sell some of their products direct to consumers via a produce market operated by Bills’ wife Paula in Pittsford.  This market includes a large pumpkin display in the Fall.  They also do custom harvesting and own a seed dealership.  Recently, another cousin - Anthony Brongo - joined the operation after graduating from Livonia High School in 2024.  Bill’s son and granddaughter also help with the produce stand.

Protecting Land (Again)
This year, Marc, Dorothy and Donna completed a farmland protection project on 609 acres the family owns in Lima and Avon, protecting the core of the operation and ground the family has worked for decades to acquire and improve.

Through protecting their land in partnership with Genesee Valley Conservancy via the Livingston County Farmland Protection Program funded by New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the family has been able to extract some of the financial equity from the land, without giving up the critical acres needed for the farm operation, and can now re-invest that capital in way to support their family and farm operation into the future.

Quality Farmland
The lands protected as part of this project are 81% USDA Prime and 9% Soils of Statewide Importance.  Soil quality is just one factor considered as part of the selection process, which saw the Willard Farm score in the top six of applications considered in Livingston County in 2021.  A farm’s location, proximity to development pressure, and distance from protected farmland are among the many factors scored, to determine which farms best meet the criteria for the limited funding available from New York State to permanently protect farmland.

Beautiful Views
In addition to protecting the soils for continued agriculture, this project also secures the protection of three miles of scenic road frontage which will remain as intact vistas of the rural, agricultural landscape that defines Lima and Avon’s character and that of the broader Livingston County. 

Summary
This conservation project involved accepting five conservation easements, including the Conservancy’s 155th in its 35-year history, as well as the 8th easement in the Town of Lima and the 31st in the Town of Avon. 

This project was the result of a collaboration between Genesee Valley Conservancy, Livingston County Board of Supervisors, Livingston County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board, Town of Avon and Lima and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. 

To-date, the farmland protection program of Genesee Valley Conservancy has resulted in over $48 million being invested in protecting 26,199 acres of some of the State’s most productive agricultural lands, right here in the Genesee Valley.

Genesee Valley Conservancy works throughout the Genesee River watershed to protect high quality habitat, open space and farmland for the community.  The Conservancy now oversees the protection of 37,105 acres.

Landowners in the Genesee River watershed interested in pursuing conservation options for their property, be it farmland, habitat, or a potential public nature preserve, should contact Genesee Valley Conservancy for more information.

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Genesee Valley Conservancy is a nationally accredited non-profit conservation organization working to protect the habitat, open space and farmland in the Genesee River watershed.  Over 37,105 acres of natural habitat and productive farm and forest land have been conserved by Genesee Valley Conservancy in partnership with private landowners.  The organization also owns nature preserves open to the public for recreation and education.  For more information visit www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org