East Haddam's Anita Marie Gelston Ballek, who died this May at the age of 93, deeply loved her hometown and the farm she grew up on, land that has been in her family since 1662. She was a lifelong advocate of "clean soil, fresh air and pure water,” tirelessly sharing her expertise on the value of sustainable agriculture, open space and smart land use through her participation in local civic and school groups. She practiced what she preached, using sustainable farming techniques and protecting her historic farm property in perpetuity through CT Farmland Trust.
After graduating from UConn in 1951 with a degree in Dairy Husbandry, Anita set out to build the "best Holstein herd on the planet. “ But when economic and lifestyle changes devastated family dairy farms in the 1960s, she pivoted, selling the 150-head herd and starting Ballek’s Garden Center in 1969, eventually bringing on seven of her children and grandchildren as partners.
Watch as she describes her legacy in this clip. For more about Anita, visit www.easthaddamstories.org/ani...