I was pleased to learn on Tuesday morning that the former Thimble Farm, the land that the CSA and others have been working for eight years to protect as an Island resource, has finally made it into the hands of an Island nonprofit. Island Grown Initiative (IGI) will be the new owners, thanks to Eric Grubman, who purchased the farm in 2007, and a very generous family from Chilmark.

This is great news for the Island and great news for Vineyard agriculture. It is my hope that this effort will inspire future land acquisitions and preservation efforts that may be necessary to protect the agricultural heritage of our Island. This was a very challenging project which so many individuals and organizations lent a hand in. While it came down to the wire, I was always confident that we had the means and the will to find a way to make it work. Our Island is unique in that way and once again, proved that it cares about our future.

I want to thank all the supporters of the CSA and all of the members of the community and organizations that helped sustain this effort long enough to see this to fruition. While the exact plans of the farm may take years to develop, I am confident that IGI will be excellent stewards of this magnificent resource for generations to come.

Andrew Woodruff
West Tisbury