By Doug Fabbioli

I was at an event the other evening, when the topic of land in Loudoun County came up. When I moved here in 1997 from Northern California, the saying that kept coming up was, “Don’t Fairfax Loudoun!”  Twenty-six years later, the saying still applies.  We all need a place to live, roads, schools, places to work and places to shop.  More than anything, we need a place to call home.  Our local leaders see economic development as a great thing for jobs, tax revenue, prestige and attracting new business.  As a farmer, it is tough to do the job of farming on land in the middle of a neighborhood — especially if that neighborhood has agriculture restricting HOA’s.

Folks love farm land until they need a place to build and live.  Folks sometimes move next door to farmland with a bucolic notion of what that means, only to learn it can sometimes be loud, and sometimes emit animal or plant smells not necessarily appreciated or understood. How do we find the balance between the growth, the culture, the land and the lifestyle we choose to live? These choices will affect us long into the future.

Our 25 acres in Lucketts is now surrounded by houses. Fortunately, our neighbors appreciate our farming efforts and patronize our business.  We have broken the mold a bit with our relationships.  For the past few years, we have also been leasing plots of our land to other folks to farm. The plots are in an area too low for grape growing, but have proven beneficial to gardeners who have overgrown their current spaces and need bigger spaces than a 20’x20’ plot at a park will give.  With irrigation already installed, and deer fence protecting the land, our plots fit into a business plan for some folks to actually farm and sell their products.

The question has come up a few times about creating a formal agreement for these leased spaces — a written lease about the land, permitted uses, expectations and such.  Well, I am pretty old school.  A hand shake and a few conversations have tended to fill in the holes and build a relationship and understanding.  The goal for me is not to get rich, but to share the land and keep it productive.  We like having the land used, looking productive and well maintained for our customers to see and enjoy too.  We have the tractor and implements and can also help the farmers when needed with different preparations or projects. We also have seasoned farm labor they can hire on the side when they fall behind in the growing season or just need an extra hand.

With these pieces in place, is it possible to come up with a repeatable model, a business plan or an agreement to encourage more land owners to share their land with others?  Virginia Cooperative Extension here in Loudoun has a list serve for land and services at http://www.loudounfarm.exchange, with the goal to help connect folks.  But, having more models and agreements and ideas of how this can work can be helpful.  I am NOT a lawyer and I know it is too easy to get myself into situations that I could not imagine or foresee.

A local nonprofit recently lost their space to farm and grow because the land they were leasing was sold to a new owner.  In the absence of long-term leases, and legal agreements, it can be difficult for some to keep farming and keep working land working for all of us.

How do we keep the spirit and the goals up front to ensure the success of this concept?  Will conservation easements play a role in this landscape of working agriculture, business needs, and a place to call home?  Can our litigious culture handle these concepts in a way that allows us to keep the green space, balance our land development needs and continue to keep agriculture as a presence here in Western Loudoun County? These are great questions to contemplate and discuss over a bottle of quality crafted, locally grown, Virginia wine. Enjoy the lands, enjoy each other, and give a bit more than you take.

My New Years Resolution is to take more steps towards a sustainable lifestyle.  Land, body, mind, relationships.  I know I can’t keep doing what I have been doing in the same way.  Time to set the next stage for the next evolution.

About the Author: Farmer, winemaker, entrepreneur, educator, and leader, Doug Fabbioli has been accelerating the growth and quality of Virginia’s wine industry since 1997. With his wife Colleen, Doug is the owner/operator of Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, VA. He is the founder and director of The New Ag School, which focuses on teaching the next generation of farmers and agriculture-related leaders. No wonder they call Doug Fabbioli the Godfather of DC’s Wine Country.