The Brookfield Board of Selectmen voted Monday, May 3, to approve an agreement for Bill Stuart, Jr., of Stuart Family Farm in Bridgewater to maintain Happy Landings. The vote to approve a licensed agreement is subject to final review by the town's attorneys, David Grogins and Neil Marcus.

The deteriorating property has remained unkempt for about three years, according to Alice Dew of the Brookfield Conservation Commission (BCC). Happy Landings had a local farmer taking care of it for the last three years, "but it hasn't been very consistent," Dew said. "We had to pay someone to bush-hog it at the end of the season because of all the weeds."

When the town attorneys have approved the agreement, Stuart may begin soil remediation, as long as it falls within the guidelines as set forth by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Stuart  said they have a five-year agreement with the town.  They will be using Crop Production Services out of Armenia, NY, to begin soil remediation and remove the overgrown weeds.  Stuart assured that "the land won't change at all."  They will leave the windmills in place, and walkers, runners and dogs can still use the land as they are getting it ready for haying.  The areas will be clearly marked when they begin work.

Stuart said they are "trying to get it back, to get rid of all the weeds and let the grass take over. It will be nicer than it has been in years."  He said the soil is very acidic and will need a lot of lime, which they get from a limestone quarry in Canaan.  It will take about three to four days to prep the land.

He has big plans for making Happy Landings a place that can benefit Brookfield and other areas as well.  "We're very involved with the Connecticut Farm to Chef Program," Stuart said.  The program encourages chefs to use local farm for their suppliers. 

They are also involved with "Plow to Play" in conjunction with New Milford Hospital.  This organization is all about promoting healthy, fresh food in the hospital instead of pre-packaged items.  Stuart noted that "it is ironic that hospitals should have the best food and instead serve food from a box."  The program promotes serving local produce and local meats.

Stuart has 150 grass-fed cattle at his farm and plans on using the hay Happy Landings produces to feed them. The farm is Animal Welfare Approved, which means his farm "promotes the well-being of animals and the sustainability of humane family farms."  Their cattle are bred to eat only grass, there are no grains used.  

Happy Landings is one of three Brookfield properties that are hayed every year; Williams Park and Burr Farm are the other two and are maintained by local farmers.

Dew said the "idea is to keep the [open space] as farmland.  It helps maintain the rural character they have," which she said is what Brookfielders want. "Part of what they want is a variety of open space, some wooded and some open fields," Dew said. "We try to maintain the character of that parcel of land and the natural habitats, wildlife and plant life that's there."

Stuart, who lives in Roxbury with his wife Deb and two sons, said he is  "looking forward to getting the property back to how it should be, like a piece of farmland."