Over a mile of land along the White River in Bethel has been protected for water quality, the Vermont Land Trust announced today. Supported by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, this is the latest project in a statewide effort to protect Vermont’s high priority rivers and to improve water quality.
“When things are insecure, it’s not a bad idea to produce more food,” said Angus Baldwin as he deftly cut and bound flat-leaf parsley. “I wasn’t sure if we’d be selling or giving it away this year, but I figured there would be a need for it.” Angus operates the nonprofit West Farm on VLT’s Brewster Uplands Conservation Trust property in Jeffersonville. The parsley was destined for the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program, one of several partners Angus is working with this year to get healthy food in the hands of those who need it.
“Vermont’s farming community has stepped up to serve their communities this year,” said Nick Richardson, President and CEO of the Vermont Land Trust. “The award committee wants to honor and recognize these special efforts.”
“Access to affordable farmland is one of the biggest barriers for farmers seeking to start or grow a business,” said Maggie Donin, Farmland Access Program Director for the Vermont Land Trust. “Through land conservation and the creation of new ownership models, the Vermont Agrarian Commons, Bread & Butter Farm, the Vermont Land Trust, and others are helping to address that issue today and in to the future, while protecting important farmland.”
Dan and Shelley Howrigan, organic dairy farmers, conserved 141 acres of farmland near Fairfield village. They’re using the fields for hay and pasture, and rejuvenating a sugarbush in the woods.