27 people bought land at auction to conserve and sell to local farmer

Ferrisburgh -- In an amazing community effort, 91 acres of farmland were purchased at auction by a group of neighbors so that the land could be conserved and sold at an affordable price to a neighboring farmer, the Vermont Land Trust announced today.

Dairy farmer Wayne Stearns had been trying to get more land to keep his farming operation viable. Growing up on his father's farm, Wayne started buying calves when he was 17. Twenty years later, he has 350 head and is in need of more land.

When acreage across the road came up for sale, Wayne was very interested but couldn't compete with the high price tag. For generations, the land had been owned by the Barrows family, and more recently, Wayne had been leasing it for cropland.

After Marvin Barrows died in 2007, the heirs decided to auction of the whole property in August 2010. Wayne went to the auction knowing he wouldn't be the high bidder because the property included a spectacular one acre lakefront parcel .

Fortunately for Wayne, the high bidder was a consortium of neighbors that banded together to buy the property with the intent of conserving and selling the farmland to him. The group of bidders—27 in all— call themselves Kimball Farm, LLC.

"This is an important piece of land for our farm and once I learned about the auction I talked to a few neighbors," said Wayne. "I was amazed how quickly they organized to make it happen."

Kimball Farm bought the entire property at the auction. They sold a conservation easement on the farmland for much less than its appraised value to the Vermont Land Trust and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), and then sold the land to Wayne for its agricultural value. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service also contributed to the conservation funding.

"VHCB is pleased to support the conservation of this dairy farm that is so clearly important to the community," said Gus Seelig, executive director of VHCB. "Agricultural land in proximity to Lake Champlain is at high risk of development and conservation will keep the farmland in agricultural use for the benefit of current and future generations."

The members of the Kimball Farm group are Wayne's neighbors and they want to see his farm succeed. "Our involvement is a testament to what can be accomplished when people organize around a common goal," said Pete Mazeine, one of the neighborhood organizers. "Many families are strongly attached to this open land even though they've never owned it. They are relieved to know that it will be protected by VLT. It was great outcome for everyone and we're excited that Wayne will make good use of the land."

Forty acres of the newly conserved land is tillable, including 10 acres of prime agricultural soils. Wayne will continue to use the property for corn and hay.

"This neighborhood really came together to lend a huge hand to an ambitious young farmer and sustain the agricultural heritage of their community," Al Karnatz of the Vermont Land Trust.