In Concord, A Call To Farm

Concord is putting out a call to farm in the form of a request for proposals to lease the town-owned property known as the McGrath farmstead.

Acquired earlier this year following the 2012 death of respected local farmer Patrick McGrath, the property available for lease includes a residence, farmstand building, greenhouse and 14 acres of farmable land off Barretts Mill Road, according to a notice from the town.

The town is looking to lease the land for a five-year term commencing in March 2014, and is making it available for a below-market rate in an effort to promote local food production, the town website says. 

Up until now, the McGrath farmstead had only ever been farmed by two families: The McGraths, and the Barrett family before them. 

Until his death last year at age 64, Patrick McGrath had devoted most of his life “to rejuvenating and maintaining the McGrath Farm on Barretts Mill Road, which his grandfather had bought from the Barrett family,” according to his obituary.

Many around town remember McGrath fondly from their visits to the farmstand, where he chatted with visitors and sold the family's famous asparagus and strawberries, among other crops. 

Following his death, friends of the McGrath family farm and volunteers rallied to keep the farm stand open. (The Journal’s Kim Hooper had a nice story about this at the time.)

Earlier this year, the town reached an agreement with the McGrath family to purchase the land.

In April, Town Meeting authorized the purchase of the property, located at 449 Barretts Mill Road, for $851,000, with another $74,000 to be expended for site improvements. 

Both then and now, the plan was for the McGrath the farmhouse to serve as affordable housing for famers working the land, and for the town to work with partners to preserve and protect the historical agricultural lands.

Affordable housing advocates have pledged additional funds to renovate the farmhouse. 

In September, the Concord Housing Foundation presented the Board of Selectmen with a $100,000 donation from one anonymous donor and committed to continuing "fundraising to aid in creating ... housing for farmers and farmworkers" on the McGrath land, according to meeting minutes. 

In an interview with The Globe earlier this year, the Concord Housing Foundation's Terry Rothermel discussed why the McGrath Farm project was a worthy one to take on.

“Concord as a town has done a wonderful job in preserving farmland and open space, and we’ve also done a good job on affordable housing,’’ Rothermel said in the interview. “But what we haven’t done enough of, in my mind, is preserving farmsteads and affordable housing for farmers.’’