More than a century after their grandfather purchased the family farm, two Lenawee County sisters have ensured the 78-acre property will remain productive farmland forever–just as their late father hoped.
“It’s what Dad wanted,” Judy Harsh said. “We knew from a young age that preserving this farmland and its cherished piece of our family’s history was important to him.”
Working with Legacy Land Conservancy over the last four years, the sisters Cathy and Judy Harsh placed a conservation easement on their property, permanently protecting active farmland, a large woodland and pond, and important natural features that support clean water and local agriculture.
The Harsh Family Farm project is Legacy Land Conservancy’s first completed conservation project located entirely within Lenawee County since expanding into the county in 2021. It reflects growing interest in voluntary conservation across the region, and serves as inspiration for more land protection in the area.
The property contains prime farmland that has sustained a farm-dependent community for generations. Recently though, according to the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture, Michigan lost 292,021 acres of farmland from 2017 to 2022. In Lenawee County alone, it lost 58,529 acres.
Despite these alarming trends, the farm has remained in the family’s care for more than a century. Purchased by the sisters’ grandfather around 1908, it has supported generations of agriculture and family memories.
“Seven of us grew up on the farm,” Cathy said. “Our best memories are of drinking fresh milk from cows we raised and eating vegetables straight from the field.”
Surrounded by changing land uses and increasing development pressure, the sisters wanted to make sure their family’s farm would continue serving agriculture, wildlife, and future generations. Today, Cathy and Judy lease the property’s three active fields to two local farmers, ensuring the land continues producing food in private ownership while remaining conserved forever.
Beyond its productive farmland, the property includes woodland and a pond that help provide habitat for wildlife, filter runoff, and improve water quality throughout the River Raisin watershed, which drains into Lake Erie. By maintaining its natural state, the property helps protect the quality and flow of water for the Adrian and Blissfield areas and other communities downstream, supporting everything from local drinking water to the health of nearby ecosystems.
The sisters are also restoring the open fields along the woodlands through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Reserve Program planting native grasses and wildflowers that support monarch butterflies and other wildlife.
“Every land protection project starts with one family deciding their land has a future beyond themselves,” Legacy Land Conservancy Executive Director Diana Kern said. “We’re hopeful this project encourages more Lenawee County landowners to explore conservation and strengthen a growing network of protected farms, forests, and waterways.”
Landowners interested in learning more about conserving their land should contact Legacy Land Conservancy at (734) 302-5263 or fill out an inquiry form.
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