Healey-Driscoll Administration funds preservation of two Sheffield farms

Sheffield and Boston — On Thursday, May 22, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $7.4 million in Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) funding to preserve land at three farms.

According to a press release issued by the administration, the funds will go towards protecting an estimated 600 acres of land for permanent agriculture use.

The state’s APR program, which has operated for 50 years, has preserved state farmland by partnering with land trusts and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service to pay farmers a difference between the fair market value and the agricultural value of their land.

In exchange for the funds, a permanent deed restriction is applied to the land that prevents any future non-agricultural use of the property, and also limits the resale value to its agricultural value in order to keep the property affordable.

The two farms in Sheffield purchased through the APR program are:

• Pine Island Farm for $4,075,000. The multi-generational dairy farm has 15 full-time employees and, according to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, milks the largest number of animals in the state. The 443-acre property was leased by Pine Island Dairy Farm for over 20 years. The farm has an average of over 1,500 head of dairy cattle and produces an average of 20 million pounds of milk.  The conservation of the farm property was completed as part of the larger Cooper Hill Conservation Project, which is being led by the Sheffield Land Trust, The Trustees of Reservations, and the Housatonic Valley Association in Connecticut;
• Balsam Hill Farm for $58,500. The multi-generational dairy farm has operated for over 35 years on 14 acres. The parcel was purchased through APR and NRCS funding through its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and Agricultural Land Easements Program. The property is used to produce corn silage for 500 cows.

Through the APR program, a third farm was purchased: The Herrick Farm in Rowley for $3,350,000. 

The 137 acre farm is one of the oldest farms in Essex County, operating since the early 1700s.

The diversified operation produces milk, corn, vegetables, eggs, beef, and lumber.