Conservation ensures farmland will be preserved for generations
Dan and Lise Brosseau chose to protect their family farm overlooking the Missisquoi River in Highgate. This one-time dairy farm uses its many acres of prime agricultural soil to grow sweet corn and pumpkins for area stores and markets.
Growing things and feeding people
The Brosseau family has farmed the land for generations. Dan bought it from his parents in the 1980s. Together with his wife, Lise, he continued operating it as a dairy until 2002 when they decided to change and grow sweet corn.
Conserving the farm will help them continue to invest in the land and their community without worrying about the future.
“I’ve always had a passion for growing things,” said Dan. “I’ve been farming here all my life.”
He spent decades researching and experimenting to find the varieties of sweet corn that would grow best on their property’s well-drained soils. Today, Brosseau sweet corn is found in several area Hannaford stores, and other local groceries and farmstands across Franklin County and Vermont. They also grow about 10,000 pumpkins for those retail outlets.
But that’s not all — they sell sap from their 8,000-tap sugarbush to a local maple sugarmaker, though they plan to build their own sugarhouse soon. They’d also like to expand the pumpkin side of the business and perhaps open a pick-your-own pumpkin patch for the public.
Farm conservation keeps farming consistent through change
As Vermont farmers, Dan and Lise are well-versed in adapting to changing seasons, conditions, and economics. They already made the transition from dairy to vegetable farming. The couple hoped to pass the farm to their son to keep the family farming tradition alive. But they also wanted assurance that the farm would remain a farm no matter what happens in the family or on the land.
The Brosseaus reached out to VLT to talk about conservation in early 2023. VLT’s Tucker Malone worked with Dan and Lise to understand the land’s natural resources, its value for local food and farming, and develop a conservation plan that suited the couple.
“Dan and Lise are joining many farm neighbors to the north and south, who have together conserved hundreds of acres in Highgate and Swanton. That block of protected farmland, woodlands, and streams will always be there – for future farmers, for wildlife, and for the wellbeing of future generations,” said Tucker.
In December 2024, the Brosseaus signed a conservation easement with VLT and protected 293 acres. As they grow and adapt their farm, they’ll have the peace of mind that it will remain a farm for future generations.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to keep the farm in the family, and keep the best ag. land from being developed,” Dan said.
Woods and wetland also protected
The protected property has over 170 acres of agricultural soils and nearly 160 acres of managed forest that includes 87 acres of sugarbush. The parcel also hosts an 8-acre wetland area that provides habitat for local wildlife and enhances clean water in the Missisquoi River basin. The conservation easement has established a Wetland Protection Zone to limit disturbance. Dan and Lise are working with a local forester to develop a Forest Management Plan.
