Land Trust receives Pathfinder Award

ROXBURY — The Roxbury Land Trust received the Working Land Alliance’s Outstanding Organization 2018 Pathfinder Award. Recognized for its accomplishment in advancing farmland preservation in the State of Connecticut, the Land Trust recently developed, under the supervision of the Farm Management Committee and Property and Land Manager James Curren, a lime management program to improve the soil quality on its agricultural lands. The mission of WLA’s Pathfinder Program to increase the productivity of the soil now and for future generations of farmers.

The Roxbury Land Trust is dedicated to the preservation and sustainability of its working farmlands. Founded in 1970, the Roxbury Land Trust has preserved just over 3,700 acres, most of which is within the Town of Roxbury. Throughout its history the land trust has actively sought working farmland properties for preservation.

The Trust currently leases its tillable agricultural lands to several local farmers. The total tillable acreage owned by the Land Trust adds up to approximately 240 acres with an additional 120 acres of tillable acreage protected by a conservation easement. Leases are written to ensure the farmers use sustainable farming practices on the land. Farmers pasture animals, grow hay, corn, pumpkins and a variety of vegetables on the properties.

In 2017, the Farm Management Committee developed a lime management program to improve the soil for agriculture. This program was intended to increase the productivity of the soil now and for future generations of farmers. In December 2017, the Land Trust applied more than 300 tons of lime to its agricultural fields through the program to help neutralize soil PH. Farmers were encouraged by the results and reported higher yields in 2018 over previous years due to the lime application.

As stated in its mission the Roxbury Land Trust continues to focus on “sustaining Roxbury’s rural and agricultural heritage.” This will be achieved by continuing to pursue the preservation of the important farmlands within the Town of Roxbury, as well as ensuring the farmlands currently in Land Trust control remain as viable and productive as possible.

For more information, visit www.roxburylandtrust.org or call 860-350-4148.

Roxbury Land Trust Roxbury Land Trust board members, staff and farmers attended the Pathfinder Award ceremony in Hartford recently.