The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Farms to be protected by state preservation program
NEW MILFORD >> A local farm used to raise hay for grassfed beef and a farm in Suffield where vegetables, hay and tobacco are grown are the latest to be protected under the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, according to a release.
The purchase of both farms’ development rights ensures that the 53-acre Triple Creek Farm in New Milford and about 60 acres of the Stiles Farm in Suffield will forever remain available for agricultural production, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
Hay grown at Triple Creek Farm on Hartwell Road helps feed a herd of about 250 beef cattle raised by Stuart Family Farm of Bridgewater, which leases cropland at the farm and is one of the largest grassfed beef operations in Connecticut, officials said.
The town of New Milford and the United States Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service were partners in the preservation, according to the release.
More than 43,000 acres on about 335 farms have been protected under the state program, including nearly 880 acres in Litchfield County, officials said.
Triple Creek Farm’s 1779 farmhouse, restored by current owners Art and Marcia Patterson, and its historic hay barn were also included in the preservation project.
“Preserving the farm was always our priority ever since we purchased the property in 1998,” Art Patterson said in the release. “We wanted to preserve the farm in perpetuity so that it would never be developed and this seemed the most logical way. This will ensure that the farm is protected for future generations of farmers.”
The farm contains 25.4 acres of prime and statewide important farmland soils, and 8.4 acres of locally important soils.
“We plan to continue our haying operation in the years to come,” said Patterson, a professional arborist. “Due to the farm’s prime soils it will continue to support a healthy crop of hay or other crops if desired.” Triple Creek Farm is in close proximity to a number of active farms on the Ridge Road area of New Milford that comprise over 1,200 acres, including the 92-acre Davenport Farm and the 80-acre Harris Hill Farm protected in recent years through partnerships between the town and the state preservation program.
A section of Triple Creek runs through the property, which is adjacent to lands owned by the Steep Rock Association and Weantinoge Heritage Trust.
It is also designated as part of the Walker Brook Region of the Litchfield Hills Greenprint prepared by the Housatonic Valley Association.
The farm is the final one to be protected under a state pilot program called the Community Farms Preservation Program, created in 2011 to encourage cities and towns to preserve small farms of local economic importance.
Applications are submitted by municipalities, who work with willing farm owners, and projects are completed with a financial contribution from the municipality.
“Protecting this farm not only maintains its value as a source of food for livestock and people, but ensures that it will forever remain a vital part of the area’s agricultural community and natural resources,” Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky said in the release. “The Department of Agriculture is pleased to partner with the town and USDA to leverage funds from our Community Farms Preservation Program.”
Stiles Farm on Mapleton Avenue near the Massachusetts border in Suffield is leased by the neighboring Bielonko Farms, which grows hay, tobacco and vegetables, including their specialty sweet corn.
Almost all of the 50 acres of cropland are prime and statewide important farmland soils, officials said. The farm is also surrounded by more than 1,000 acres of active farmland within a 2-mile radius.