David Hartshorn has been growing fruits and vegetables on that land for more than 16 years and his produce is a featured product at the Waitsfield Farmers' Market on Saturdays. Additionally he maintains a farmstand near the farm where berries, vegetables, maple syrup and grass-fed meat from the Vermont Yak Company are available. Hartshorn also provides produce to local restaurants and inns.
"Transferring the land rewards my parents for their hard work in stewarding it to this point," said David. "The farm will continue to provide opportunities for many others who enjoy working the land. It also gives a new beef company a good root for growth."
While David's organic farm thrived, the future of his family's land remained uncertain. Once part of the family's 200-acre dairy, the 40 acres used by David, including the farmstand and surrounding pasture west of Route 100, had been permitted for three house lots. As has been the case for many Vermont farm families, land conservation provided an equitable way to pass family land to the next generation.
"I think this is going to be good for everything," said Paul Hartshorn, reflecting on his and Marie's decision to conserve their land with the Vermont Land Trust and convey the property to David. "It will help to keep the land open."
Landowners use easements to voluntarily limit development on productive farmland and forestland. Landowners continue to own, manage and pay taxes on the land and can sell their land; however, the conservation easement permanently remains on the property.
A grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, with additional support provided by the Town of Waitsfield and private donations in the community, made the conservation of the farm possible. A charitable contribution from the Hartshorns, who donated a portion of the conservation easement's value, was critical to the success of the project.
The conservation of the Hartshorn farm will ensure that the property's prime agricultural soils remain available for the production of food and other agricultural products. The conservation easement permits the construction of barns, greenhouses or accessory structures necessary for a commercial agricultural operation. One future house for farm laborers or a farmer is permitted on the conserved land.
The Hartshorn farm is the third Mad River Valley farm conserved by the Vermont Land Trust in the past two years. VLT purchased and conserved the Kingsbury Farm in Warren, then sold it to the Vermont Foodbank in July 2009. Conservation was also key to the transfer of the Bruce farm in Moretown to new farm owners Keith and Rae-Anne Lacroix in April of 2009.
"The Hartshorn farm is an important addition to the innovative dairy and diversified farms we have protected in the Mad River Valley in the past 20 years," said Liza Walker, Mad River Valley director for the Vermont Land Trust. "The conservation of the Hartshorn farm, along with the recent revitalization of the Kingsbury and Bruce farms in Warren and Moretown, gives us a tremendous opportunity to look no further than our neighboring farms to find and celebrate local food."
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