| APRIL 23, 2011 -- The Connecticut Farmland Preservation Program has preserved four farms comprising over 614 acres in calendar year 2011 to date. Six additional farms are projected to close soon.
Located in three towns and three counties, the farms preserved so far in 2011 are representative of the diversity of farming in Connecticut and the abundance of marketing opportunities. They vary in their production from an active historic dairy in the town of Ashford in eastern Connecticut; to beef cattle, swine, and strawberries in the town of Somers near the Massachusetts state line; to hay land and pumpkins in the central-western town of Woodbury. From a contract with a dairy cooperative, to pick-your-own, to active on-site farm stands, to regional deliveries, these Connecticut farmers are committed to productivity and engaged in direct marketing of their Connecticut grown products.
The development rights to these four farms were purchased by the state for just over $2.24 million in state bonding, with an additional $331,542 from the town of Ashford through joint state-town projects. The price per acre paid for the development rights to these farms averages $4,185 per acre. Richard and Peggy Ann Kuss preserved their scenic farm and historic farmhouse with farm stand in the town of Woodbury through a generous bargain sale and easement donation of 60 acres—a wonderful gift to the people of Connecticut.
These state bond funds, reinvested in Windham, Tolland, and Litchfield counties in our farmers and their agricultural operations, and in our prime and statewide important farmland soils, contribute to local food security, natural resource conservation, and the preservation of our state’s agricultural heritage and quality of life. State funds expended are expected to leverage the cost of development rights on qualified farms from the federal Farm & Ranch Lands Pro-tection Program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Since inception of the program, development rights have been acquired, or are under contract for acquisition, on 283 farms totaling 37,262 acres. Acre by acre, the program works toward the goal of protecting 85,000 acres of cropland on 130,000 acres of farmland in Connecticut.
If you have been thinking of preserving your farm or farmland, we welcome your application. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Preserved farms have met minimum eligibility requirements and have successfully competed with other priority farms for the limited dollars available for farmland preservation. Farms that are not eligible may be referred to other state or federal programs, or to the Connecticut Farmland Trust. For an application or more information on the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Program, please call 860-713-2511 or visit www.ct.gov/doag.
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