Agricultural Initiatives

 

Agricultural Easements

We hold conservation easements on over a dozen privately owned farm properties throughout the Mount Washington Valley. These easements ensure these lands will always be available for agricultural uses, including crop production, hay fields, livestock farming, maple sugaring, and more. Sometimes these easements are donated, but USVLT frequently fundraises in order to purchase easements from local farmers. These purchases protect and sustain the financial viability of small, local agriculture. Since its founding in 2020, USVLT has worked with farmers across our service area on dozens of agricultural easement projects. The properties listed below all have active or historic farmland and these easements now protect hundreds of acres of prime agricultural soils. If you are interested in protecting your farm with an agricultural easement or would like to know more, please contact us.

  1. Albany Town Forest (Historic Homestead Farm)
  2. Chamberlain Farm
  3. Earle Family Farm
  4. Hatches Orchard
  5. Hayes Farm
  6. Hussey Farmland
  7. Uplands Apple Farm
  8. Kennett Farmland
  9. Lucy Brook Farm
  10. Lucy Family Farm
  11. Old Blake Farm
  12. Old Pinkham Farm
  13. Weston's Farm
  14. Mountainside Farm
  15. Windy Hill Farm

 

 

Our Commitment to Farm Viability

The Upper Saco Valley Land Trust’s service area boasts some of the most productive and fertile agricultural soils in the northeast, and yet many of our area farms face challenges. USVLT is concerned about our regional food system as a whole, and we know that conservation of agricultural land is only one component of a healthy agricultural system. In addition to permanently protecting our valley’s precious agricultural lands, we want to increase size and the resiliency of local markets, support beginning farmers, and increase collaboration within our local food system. In so doing, we join other statewide and regional organizations, such as UNH's Sustainability Institute and Food Solutions New England. These groups assert that New England has the potential to produce more than 50% of its food by 2060, and that such a regional transformation would come with significant economic, health, and environmental benefits. We agree. To check out our 2016 "Local Food System Evaluation" report, click here.

 

 

Mount Washington Valley Eaters & Growers (MWVEG)

USVLT is a founding member and supporter of MWVEG, an organization of farmers and food advocates who are working together on local food issues. MWVEG's mission is to strengthen the regional food system through communication, collaboration, and cooperation among our farms and our community. USVLT initially helped MWVEG get off the ground by hosting community forums and listening sessions. MWVEG publishes an annual guide to help residents and visitors learn where to access local foods in the Mount Washington Valley: