Tedeschi Farm

> > >

Credit: Jerry&Marcy Monkman

In the 1600s, the Hayward family purchased 74 acres from Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag native people; for nearly 300 years, generations of Haywards used the land to operate a dairy farm. After the family sold the property in the 1970s, it remained an open landscape and active farm through a succession of different owners. In recent years, however, the site's location near West Bridgewater's busy commercial area has made it the focus of several plans for commercial development plans-including one for a big-box store.

Recognizing that small farms are an important part of the local food system, the community wanted to ensure that the land would remain in use for agriculture. The Trust for Public Land secured an agreement with the current owners, the Tedeschis, to acquire the farm. We continue to work with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of West Bridgewater to raise funds to place an easement on the land and sell it to a farmer that will use the farmland to produce food for local tables.