Farm Charm – Holcomb legacy dovetails with US history

• Holcomb Farm Offers Rich Resource to Granby Community and Region

By Bruce William Deckert

Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine Online

As the new year dawns, the Holcomb Farm team is poised to write a new collective chapter in the long-and-storied history of this agricultural jewel in northern Connecticut. 

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The historic farm is observing its 270th anniversary in 2026. Indeed, the founding of Holcomb Farm predates the birth of the United States by two decades. In case the significance of 2026 has fallen off the radar of any American citizens, this coming Fourth of July the USA is planning a nationwide celebration — from sea to shining sea — in observance of its 250th birthday.

2025 was likewise a momentous year for Holcomb — noteworthy for a serendipitous occurrence and a tragic calamity. 

The 2025 tragedy: Jenny Emery, longtime board member for the Friends of Holcomb Farm, died this past autumn in the aftermath of a bicycle accident in Vermont.

Emery joined the board in 2014, served as part-time executive director, and was board president when she lost her life in September. She also served on Granby's board of education and board of finance, and supported the Granby Land Trust. She was 66 years young. 

The mission of the nonprofit Friends of Holcomb Farm is as follows, per the farm website: "to preserve, promote and utilize a historic working New England farm for the benefit of the community."

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​The 2025 serendipity: In August, the Friends and the town agreed on a long-term lease agreement for Holcomb to manage the former West Granby United Methodist Church property adjacent to the farm.

Owned by the town, the church property had previously been part of Holcomb Farm "before being carved off for use by the church in the 1970s," according to Holcomb spokesperson Trish Percival.

By virtue of the agreement, the Friends now have responsibility for the stewardship of this property, including a barn and the five-acre parcel of land where the former church building is located.

The accord between the Friends of Holcomb Farm and the town comprises a win-win outcome: The one-time church is being repurposed to support Holcomb Farm’s growing operation, for the anticipated welfare of the Granby community and at no cost to taxpayers. 

In poetic terms, the hoped-for consequence of this serendipitous development is that the Friends will serve as the farm's arm to augment the property's centuries-long charm with no fiscal harm to citizens.

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Renovation plans for the former church building are in the works, and a building committee is overseeing construction. The anticipated time frame to complete the transformation is about two to three years. In the meantime, the Friends are in fundraising mode via donations and grants — some grants are already in place, and several generous donations have been pledged.

"This is another example of the town working with its community partners for the benefit of our taxpayers," said Granby first selectman Mark Fiorentino after the board of selectmen voted unanimously on August 18 to approve the lease agreement — he added that "this is a valuable new asset" for the region. 

The church property has a five-decade backstory.

The brother-and-sister duo of Tudor and Laura Holcomb gave the property to the West Granby United Methodist Church, along with the funds for the building, and the structure was completed in 1975. When the local congregation stopped meeting in late 2021, a clause in the original deed transferred the property to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

In September 2024, the foundation broached the idea of returning the church property to Holcomb Farm at no cost, but the Friends of Holcomb Farm first raised a key question: Was the church transaction truly beneficial for the farm operation? In May 2025, after a formal assessment, the Friends nonprofit recommended that the town of Granby retain the building for use by the farm.

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The Holcomb family had established the farm in the mid-1700s and donated the enterprise to the University of Connecticut in 1976. UConn passed the farm baton to the town of Granby in 1990.

Besides overseeing Holcomb's vibrant agricultural enterprise, the Friends 

manage the following essential initiatives: 

• A farm store featuring Holcomb-grown produce and a diverse assortment of other locally sourced products

• A year-round CSA program — a popular model nationwide, CSA stands for community supported agriculture 

• A project called Fresh Access, in partnership with regional organizations, offering farm-fresh produce to families throughout Greater Hartford who are facing food insecurity or illness 

• A 10-mile network of public trails for year-round outdoor recreation and an educational arboretum (aka botanical garden) 

• An ongoing series of community events that promote healthy living, environmental conservation and neighborly connection • 

"This is another example of the town working with its community partners for the benefit of our taxpayers" — Granby first selectman Mark Fiorentino

Since 2014, farm manager Joe O'Grady has administered Holcomb’s agricultural operation. 

He was born and raised in New York, on Long Island. O'Grady and his family live on the farm property, in a farmhouse built in 1790 by Nahum Holcomb. O'Grady and his skilled work crew provide area residents with nutrient-dense, fresh produce grown without chemical pesticides.

Established in 1756, Holcomb Farm is located​ on Simsbury Road​ ​in the heart of​ West​ Granby,​ a distinct section of Granby in Connecticut's Farmington Valley.​ Today, the farm encompasses 317 acres.

By any measure, Holcomb is a historic American farm. A strong case can be made that the heritage of Holcomb Farm — the richness of its soil and the splendor of its flora and fauna — is divinely ordained. A further case can be made that the farm's ongoing legacy is richer than the combined portfolios of Warren Buffett, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg ... such is the value of an agrarian-sylvan land blend, according to many zoning officials and city planners in Connecticut and across the country. 

Granby town manager Mike Walsh describes Holcomb as "a one-of-a-kind gem synonymous with Granby" — safe to say, countless residents in town and around the region would agree. + 

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• View Exquisite Photos — Holcomb Farm website

Featuring community news that matters nationwide, Today Magazine Online aims to record Connecticut’s underreported upside — covering the heart of the Farmington Valley and beyond

Today editor-in-chief Bruce Deckert is a multi-award-winning journalist who believes all people merit awards when we leverage our various God-given gifts for good

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• Sources — Granby Drummer • Granby Land Trust: Instagram page • Holcomb Farm: Facebook page • Holcomb Farm press release • Holcomb Farm website • Patch.​ com • ChatGPT — look for an exclusive Holcomb Farm interview in an upcoming Today Magazine Online feature