DeFreest Farms, Warren, has purchased and conserved a 70-acre parcel of farmland in Waitsfield on the east side of the Mad River, running north from Tremblay Road. David DeFreest and his family operate a 1200 cow dairy operation and had previously rented the property from Laurie and Don Spaulding.
The Spauldings farmed that land and more in the 1960’s through the early 2000s.
The purchase of the made possible with the help of local, state and federal conservation partners, with the Vermont Land Trust taking the lead. According to the land trust, this conservation project is the first in the nation to close under a new funding program to help farmers acquire farmland through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
FOURTH GENERATION
Fourth-generation dairy farmer Dave DeFreest and his extended family operate the 1,200-cow dairy operation in on Airport Road in Warren where they are also building a new state of the art dairy barn. The farm primarily relies on rented cropland, including this 70-acre parcel.
“Working with the Vermont Land Trust on this project has helped us secure a vital piece of our existing land base as well as contribute to our ongoing goal of environmental stewardship,” said Dave DeFreest. “The funding provided by many generous donors allowed us access to affordable farmland, while allowing the Spaulding family to sell the property for a fair market price.”
The land went on the market in 2020, after Don Spaulding passed away. In 2021, after discussions with the Spaulding and DeFreest families, VLT purchased the land with the intent to conserve it and eventually sell it to the DeFreests at an affordable price. The family continued to lease the land with the goal of buying it, subject to conservation restrictions. That happened on January 18.
RIVER CORRIDOR EASEMENT
Per the property transfer tax report, filed on January 23, the land trust sold DeFreest 70.91 acres for $142,000. That same report shows that DeFreest then sold the conservation easement on those acres to the land trust for $288,000. He then sold a river corridor easement on 38.52 acres to the land trust for $89,096
The conservation easement on the 70-acre parcel prohibits development and ensures that the prime ag soil and land will remain in agricultural use. It also protects the property’s water, habitat and recreational resources.
This was the first farmland conservation project in the country to close under the NRCS’s Service’s “Buy-Protect-Sell” program, part of NRCS’s larger Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) that funds the protection of the vast majority of working farms in the US. Buy-Protect-Sell provides conservation funds for eligible entities (such as land trusts) to acquire farmland that is at risk of being developed, and sell it to a farm operation after protecting it. The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) partnered on the federal NRCS grant for the project.
SKILLS AND RESOURCES
“VHCB greatly appreciates Dave DeFreest’s commitment to agriculture and his great patience as NRCS worked to develop the policies and procedures to implement the Buy Protect Sell provisions of the farm bill, and we thank Senator Leahy for creating these provisions,” said VHCB Executive Director Gus Seelig. “The Vermont Land Trust has brought skill and resources into helping young farmers access land, and their efforts in partnership with farmers like Dave have enhanced the vibrancy of our agricultural heritage.”
In addition to the NRCS-funded farmland conservation easement on the entire 70-acre parcel, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation provided funding for a separate “river corridor easement” on 38 acres along the Mad River. The river corridor protections will ensure that the Mad River will be able to move freely over time and spread into its natural floodplain when waters rise.
As part of this project eight acres were retired from farm use, and enrolled in the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which provides financial and technical assistance for implementing riparian buffers. About seven acres of former cropland will be planted with native trees and shrubs to benefit clean water, flood resilience and wildlife habitat. Going forward, VLT and partners will continue to work with the DeFreests on restoration projects that enhance and balance the land’s ecological functions and its agriculture use.
NEW PUBLIC TRAILS
During VLT’s ownership, the Mad River Path Association developed over a mile of new public trails across the conserved land. A public access provision in the conservation easement ensures that this trail will remain available into the future.
The effort was also supported by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and their Clean Water State Revolving Fund, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife program, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
People- Former VLT staffer Liza Walker, left, talks to David DeFreest in one of the newly conserved fields.
Field- Seventy acres in the heart of the Mad River Valley have been conserved by DeFreest Farms and conservation partners. Courtesy photo, Vermont Land Trust.jpg
River- Thirty-eight acres along the Mad River have been protected for river health and flood resililence. Courtesy Photo, Vermont Land Trust.
