Bree-Z-Knoll Farm

Bree-Z-Knoll Farm is the last working dairy farm in Leyden, Massachusetts and produces approximately 400,000 gallons of milk from 170 milking cows. Bree-Z-Knoll Farm is a founding member of the Our Family Farms dairy cooperative.

Ownership

Warren Facey

Year Protected

2014

Property History

Bree-Z-Knoll Farm started in 1968 when Warren and Sandie Facey bought their first two cows for their three children as part of a 4-H project. In 2001, Randy began taking over farm management responsibilities and in 2004, he married Angie. Together, this second generation currently runs the farm. In 2010, Warren asked his neighbors to join the farm in a shared land conservation project. Warren helped his neighbors learn about a new state grant, the Landscape Partnership Program, in the hopes that his farm could also be protected. Ultimately, thirteen properties and more than 700 acres were conserved through the Leyden Working Farms and Forest Conservation Project. Mount Grace led the collaboration, which also involved Franklin Land Trust, the New England Forestry Foundation, and the Town of Leyden.

“There were sixteen dairy farms here when we started, and we’re the last one.  This is an opportunity to invest in the farm and help make sure that Bree-Z-Knoll will be a farm forever.  It won’t just be growing houses, like a lot of the land out here.”  Warren Facey