For immediate release: December 8, 2011
Working to Build Cheese, Meat and Milk Operation
Wolcott -- Gwyneth Harris and Neal McNaughten conserved 93 acres of farmland on Allen Road in Wolcott by selling a conservation easement to the Vermont Land Trust. Conservation of the farm protects it from subdivision and development and ensures the land will always be available for farming. Selling a conservation easement is also helping the couple invest in their new business.
Gwyneth and Neal are experienced, determined farmers who moved their farm from Maine to Wolcott in 2010 so that they could be a part of Vermont's vibrant local food economy. The couple had moved to Maine in 2007 after searching unsuccessfully for a farm to purchase in Vermont. After several more years of looking, they finally found the Wolcott land.
"We knew immediately that this piece of land would work," said Gwyneth. "It was the right size, had nice soils, and it was in a great community. We purchased the land in December of 2009, and arrived on Fourth of July weekend with a 33-foot camper, the kids, the dogs, and soon followed by all the livestock."
They purchased the property as bare land, but in short order they have begun to create a farmstead on the same site as the original farm that had been there years ago. They poured the basement of the farmhouse in early September, built a pole barn this fall, and have plans for a coverall barn in the spring.
The couple plan to establish a small, organic dairy producing farmstead cheese and raw milk, complemented by grass-fed meats, and a small draft horse breeding operation.
While Gwyneth and Neal are building their own business on the property, they are also leasing one of their fields to nearby High Mowing Seeds for organic seed production.
Gwyneth had previously managed Sterling College's farm and served as the Vermont Pasture Network Coordinator at the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture from 2001-2004.
"There are so many people that want to farm, but don't have access to land or capital," explains Gwyneth about their decision to conserve. "This easement has reduced our debt load and made it possible to build farm infrastructure, and it's good to know that this land will stay open and productive. It gives us more freedom to do what we want to be doing,"
The newly conserved land is mostly open fields, with the remainder split between farmstead, woods, and a swale that runs between the front and back fields. In all, 50 acres are tillable land and 65 acres have high quality agricultural soils. The property is adjacent to the East Hill Wildlife Management Area and 20 acres are mapped as a deer wintering area.
"The Vermont Land Trust is thrilled to conserve this very productive farmland as part of the building of a new diversified farm business," said Tracy Zschau of the Vermont Land Trust. "We look forward to watching Gwyneth and Neal get their business up and running, supplying quality agricultural products to the community."
The acquisition of this conservation easement was funded by both state and federal sources. The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board grant contribution is matched by the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program managed by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The financial assistance from VHCB and NRCS help make it possible for Vermont to permanently protect Vermont's highest quality agricultural resources.
