Dutcher Hill Farm now in conservation program

NORTH CANAAN — The Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT) brought 2010 to a close on a high note with the preservation of Dutcher Hill Farm. Lucia Reynolds and her three brothers and four cousins donated a 33-acre easement to the trust at the end of December.

The farm is most visible from Route 44, just east of the Salisbury town line, and is near the 100-acre parcel just conserved by the Bok family (see story this page). It also fronts on Boinay Hill Road.

Several family members still own houses near the farm, including the Wells and Noble families. The farm is currently  used as support land for Ford’s Farm in East Canaan.

The family was united in its desire to see the farm preserved. Reynolds coordinated their efforts to protect the land through the donation of an agricultural conservation easement to Connecticut Farmland Trust, according to a press release from the nonprofit organization.

The easement guarantees that the land is protected from development and will remain available for farming forever.

“The really wonderful thing about this particular farm is that these eight relatives who own the land came together from all across the country — California, Virginia, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and of course Connecticut — to ensure that this property forever remains farmland.  We at CFT are lucky to work with a family so dedicated to farmland preservation in Connecticut,â€� Henry Talmage, executive director of CFT, said in the release.

Dutcher Hill Farm has been owned by the same family for more than 100 years.  The land has produced vegetables, corn and hay, and has supported cattle and horses. Those who pass by it today see a hillside pasture, where cows graze in a bucolic scene.

“The farm was given to my grandfather by his mother,â€� said Lucia Reynolds, in the release. “My mother was born on the farm and we lived there when my father was in the service during World War II.  I remember my grandfather had this big draft horse that he used to plow the fields.â€�

When asked how it feels to have the land preserved, Reynolds said, “I’m very grateful to my family. I’m so glad to have come to this solution because it will now always stay open land and we can make sure it stays in farming.�

Katie Matus, communications associate at CFT, told The Journal that any agricultural uses will be allowed on the land. Proposals for the construction of buildings and other structures will be considered by CFT, to ensure they fit with the requirements of the easement. No residential or industrial uses will be allowed.

Dutcher Hill Farm is the 23rd farm to be preserved by Connecticut Farmland Trust.

Established in 2002, the trust holds agricultural conservation easements that protect 2,000 acres of farmland around the state, has assisted partners in the preservation of 602 additional acres and serves as a leading resource for conserving Connecticut’s working farmland.