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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 14, 2008 | |||
Neighbors Join to Protect Hardwick Agricultural Land: Celebration Scheduled for June 2 Bridgman Hill Road is a scenic treasure in the Hardwick-Greensboro area and a sought after location for development. The area is also important for farming, so it was not a surprise that when the Penelope Lewis Farm came on the market this past summer, neighbors and farmers were concerned for the agricultural future of the land. Through the efforts of neighboring landowners and two land trusts, over 360 acres of land along Bridgman Hill Road in Hardwick, including the former Lewis Farm, have been conserved, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. The Meyer family has been farming for over 30 years on Bridgman Hill Road, where the second generation, sons Nick and Taylor Meyer, now operate the farm as North Hardwick Dairy. The dairy, which is certified organic, has earned the overall highest quality milk award in Vermont for four years running. Collectively, Nick and Taylor Meyer and their parents, Steve and Patty Meyer, protected 218 acres that includes land they purchased from the Lewis estate and three additional parcels that contain some of the best cropland along Bridgman Hill Road. The family conserved the land, with the help of the Freeman Foundation, by selling the development rights to the Vermont Land Trust at less than their actual value. “We feel that it is important to conserve agricultural land for future generations,” said Steve after the closing. The Meyer’s neighbors, Henry and Barbara Jordan, also joined the Bridgman Hill conservation effort by donating a conservation easement to VLT on 128 acres adjacent to the Meyers’ land. Sixty of these acres are used by the Meyers as cropland and 10 acres are part of a soybean trial being conducted in collaboration with the University of Vermont and Vermont Soy, which is owned by another Meyer son, Andrew. "The Jordan and Meyer families have been close friends for many decades,” said Henry Jordan. “Granting simultaneous conservation easements on land that both families care about just feels right.” Another neighbor, Paul Cillo, donated a conservation easement on 18 acres just south of the Lewis land to the newly formed Northern Rivers Land Trust. “The Meyer and Jordan families have such a strong connection to their land and their community,” said Tracy Zschau of the Vermont Land Trust. “Permanent conservation easements that ensure the continued availability of this land for agriculture, forestry and recreation were a good fit for them as families and for their agricultural businesses.” A conservation easement is a legal tool that limits development on productive farmland and forestland, and other meaningful natural and community places. Landowners continue to own, manage, and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property. The Northern Rivers Land Trust and the Vermont Land Trust invite the public to celebrate the conservation of over 360 acres of the working landscape and their first joint project at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at the former Penelope Lewis farm, located on Bridgman Hill one-quarter mile north of the Renaud Road in Hardwick. Refreshments from Vermont Soy, Jasper Hill Farm and other local producers will be served. All are welcome.
From the Meyer Farm, looking south down Bridgman Hill Road
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