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A Living Legacy
For nearly 200 years the Mayfield farm in Athens, Tennessee has produced agricultural products that have sustained many East Tennesseans. Now the farm has been protected and designated to remain an agricultural resource into the future.
Story by Deborah Petticord
Photography by David Andrews
The watershed of the sleepy Oostanaula Creek is an area of over 44,000 acres, about 70 square miles. It drains into the Hiawassee River watershed and progressively into the Tennessee River. Ultimately, Chattanoogans drink from its waters, as do all the people of the Tennessee River Valley. When Scottie Mayfield and his son Michael chose to place their 700-acre family farm in a protective easement earlier this year, they made a decision that will guard the quality of the resource we share, although they probably weren't thinking about the water.
The Land Trust for Tennessee, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Tennessee land, arranged the easement. There are benefits for the Mayfield family and the community. Yes, it will improve the family's property tax position. It will also prevent commercial and residential sprawl. With a new mission it will serve to educate people about how they get their food, and it will continue to produce food.
"I wanted to eliminate the desire of coming generations to cash in on the farm," says Scottie Mayfield, a well-known voice with a well-known face, stemming from his role as Mayfield brand spokesperson. Along with Michael Mayfield, he purchased the remainder of the farm from Scottie's siblings and the two began to ponder how it could best be used and preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Their ancestor Jesse Mayfield settled the land near Athens, Tennessee in 1820-before then it belonged to the Cherokee. He farmed the land and raised livestock. His descendents bought Jersey milk cows and began a dairy that by 1948 served the surrounding counties. The dairy bought a 10-gallon ice cream churn in 1923 and expanded to include a creamery. Today the company is owned by corporate giant Dean Foods, flexing a distribution muscle that delivers Mayfield's popular ice cream and dairy products to stores in nine states.
After acquiring the entire farm, the Mayfields talked to developer Chris Moore who had created a high-end community near Flintstone, Georgia on Lookout Mountain called Long Branch Residential Preserve. With a 400-tract Moore created a development of 20 home sites and the rest he put in to a conservation easement under the Lookout Mountain Land Trust. The easement borders 4,000 acres protected and managed by Lula Lake Land Trust. It was Moore's first development, and although impressive, the Mayfields paused.
"I looked at Michael and said I don't believe that's what I want to do. Michael looked at me and said 'No I don't think that's what I want to do either', so instead of preserving 300 acres, we donated 700 acres," says Scottie. Moore had suggested they talk to the Land Trust for Tennessee and they feel it was the right thing to do.
"They make it easy," explains Mayfield. "They sent me a document showing how it allows you to make changes and exclusions. It makes it easy to customize what you want to do-and you can do more than you realize."
Under the protection of the Land Trust for Tennessee, the historic farm may be sold, yet not subdivided and it must always be used for agriculture. "Michael is a nurseryman at heart and has a level of interest in education," says Mayfield. His plans are to create a spot "where people can learn that food doesn't just come from the grocery store." There will be roughly 20 acres in produce and much of it will be heirloom varieties not grown by mass agribusiness. About 100 acres will be set aside for fruit trees, a farmers market and a tour. The attraction will be a second stop for visitors coming to and from the Mayfield Visitor Center. The old dairy barns along State Route 307 may be used as a history center. The Mayfield farm has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm by the State Department of Agriculture. The distinction recognizes that the farm has been continuously owned by the same family for at least 100 years and continues to produce farm income from the land. This is the first conservation project for the Land Trust for Tennessee in McMinn County, according to Jean C. Nelson, president and executive director for The Land Trust. "We work with neighborhoods and communities to make sure that good growth and good conservation go hand in hand," says Nelson. "We're here to help landowners in the region make their own personal statements about conserving the land throughout southeastern Tennessee."
The Land Trust's outreach and education program is supported by a matching grant from the Benwood Foundation and with additional support provided by the Lyndhurst and Tucker Foundations.
Tricia King is the Southeast regional project manager for The Land Trust and she worked with the Mayfield family to secure the agreement. "The greater Chattanooga area is growing so rapidly that we are increasingly at risk of losing the unique landscapes of this region," says King. "The Mayfield family has ensured that the Athens community, as well as visitors to the dairy and farm, will forever benefit from its preserved history and scenic beauty. Now is a critical time for the Land Trust to work with landowners who wish to conserve what is special to them and to all of us who love the land in Tennessee."
See www.landtrusttn.org.
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