Vermont Land Trust Press Release - Scenic and Productive Farmland in Norton Vermont Conserved

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 2006
For more information, please contact:

*	Elise Annes, Vermont Land Trust Vice President of Community Relations at 802/223-5234
*	Tracy Zschau, Regional Director, Northeast Kingdom Region, at 802/748-6089

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Scenic and Productive Farmland in Norton Vermont Conserved

Ulrich Strickler sold a conservation easement on 36 acres of farmland on VT Route 114 in Norton, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. This farmland is adjacent to a large area of conserved land and therefore is adding to the strength of the Northeast Kingdom farming and forest-based economy. Funding for the conservation of the Strickler Farmland was provided by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.

“This addition to the Strickler Farm is not only good quality agricultural land, it also adds to the largest block of conserved land, in the State of Vermont,” said VLT Regional Director Tracy Zschau of the parcel.

Originally from Switzerland, Ulrich Strickler has milked cows since he was 14 years old. He purchased the 274 acre conserved Norton Dairy Farm in 2000 and has actively expanded the operation. Ulrich milks 190 cows and rents close to 200 acres in addition to his own tillage. With increasing pressure on the real estate market, Ulrich has lost several fields to second home “camp” development and decided he needed to purchase more land for haying. The views into the mountains of Canada from this recently conserved land’s upper hayfield are stunning and the frontage on Route 114 could be easily developed. The sale of the conservation easement made it possible for Ulrich to afford and continue to farm the land.

”By selling a conservation easement, I was able to afford to buy this land. It is hard to compete for land, because buyers are coming in with more money than a farmer has. It doesn’t matter how good the land was for farming, it will be developed. We are losing ground every day,” said Ulrich. Tracy Zschau followed with, “The current real estate market has made it difficult for farmers to hold on to the land base they need to stay in business. Farmers are losing rental land that is crucial to their operations as it is bought for second homes, in this area of Essex County. With decisions to conserve land such as the one that Ulrich made, we can continue to protect our land-based economy and the culture of the Northeast Kingdom.”

The Vermont Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that works with individuals, organizations, and communities to conserve land for the future of Vermont. Since 1977, VLT has helped conserve more than 1,300 parcels of land covering over 455,000 acres, or about 8% of the private, undeveloped land in the state. The conserved land includes more than 600 working farms, hundreds of thousands of acres of productive forestland, and numerous parcels of community lands. This conservation work changes the lives of families, invigorates farms, launches new businesses, maintains scenic vistas, encourages recreational opportunity, and fosters a renewed sense of community. For more information, call 802/223-5234 or visit VLT on the web at www.vlt.org.