Matt and Peggy Cannon purchased the Cannon Cattle Ranch, a 358-acre dairy farm in Pittstown, in 1979. Over the years they’ve made many improvements to the farm and grown their herd to about 115 milking cows and 90 young stock. They’ve purchased additional acreage and for the past 30 years have rented land from their neighbor, Theresa Baum, to raise feed crops.
Matt and Peggy aren’t sure what will happen to the farm when they can no longer work it but wanted to make sure it stays a farm. Matt explains “I’d already heard a lot about conservation and have had it in the back of my mind for a long time. It’s a good fit for us. We worked hard to build this farm, our retirement is in it and we don’t want to see it go down the drain. We want to see another farmer here someday.”
The Cannons and Baum, who was also determined to protect her property from future development, worked with ASA and the Town of Pittstown to secure funding through the New York State Farmland Protection Program. Not only has conservation satisfied their shared desire to see the land remain in farming, but it has also given the Cannons the opportunity to purchase the land they’ve rented from Baum at its reduced, agricultural value, strengthening their operation’s viability.
Hooskip Farm, owned by John and Mary McMahon and their son Dan McMahon, is located on the Hoosic River in Petersburgh and straddles the Vermont border. John and Dan operate a 115-cow dairy operation and raise all of their feed on the farm’s rich, river-bottom fields. John says that these superb soils produce nutrient-rich crops, which are in turn responsible for his cow’s strong production and the operation’s success. Soils like these, he felt, should be protected.
The McMahons had already conserved 371 acres of their farm in Vermont with the Vermont Land Trust before working with ASA and Rensselaer County to apply for New York State Farmland Protection Program funding on the remaining 343 acres in New York. Conservation will eventually enable John’s retirement and the transition of the farm to Dan. To date, 1,338 acres of contiguous land have been conserved in this rich valley formed by the Hoosic River.
Also protected is the Stearns Brothers Farm, consisting of two non-contiguous parcels, one of which lies across the river from the McMahon’s farm in Petersburgh and another nearby on Breese Hollow Road in Hoosick. The Stearns retired in 2007 and were renting their land to Guy Clark, who runs a 198-cow dairy operation and custom crop business based in Cambridge. Since only 40 acres of the 287 he owns there are tillable, renting land to support his operation was critical.
The Stearns wanted to see their land remain in agriculture but needed to sell to provide for their retirement. In addition to the Stearns’ land, Clark was also renting a critical parcel of land along Route 313 in Jackson which was also up for sale. Looking for a way to secure both parcels at an affordable rate, Clark asked ASA for assistance.
Castanea Foundation, ASA’s long-time conservation partner, was able to act quickly and purchase the Stearns’ parcels and the 313 parcel as an interim conservation buyer. Clark and Castanea then worked with ASA and Washington County to apply for New York State Farmland Protection Program funding to conserve all three properties.
Clark explains, “I can’t say enough good things about the Castanea Foundation and ASA. I wouldn’t have been able to secure this land, which is so important to my business, without their help.” The Whipstock Hill Preservation Society also contributed funding to protect the Stearns portion.
The Clarks were able to purchase one of the Stearns’ parcels and the land on Route 313 and plan to purchase the remaining Stearns parcel in the near future. In all, 539 acres have been protected and conservation has enabled the transition of land from one farming family to the next.
Municipal partners on these projects include Rensselaer County, Washington County and the Town of Pittstown.
The Agricultural Stewardship Association was founded in 1990 by farmers to protect agricultural land and ensure a future for farming in our region. To date, ASA has helped protect 13,701 acres on 90 properties in Washington and Rensselaer counties. For more information about ASA’s work, visit www.agstewardship.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janelle Castro
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
315.779.2239 | tughilloutreach@nnymail.com
PHILADELPHIA, NY -- “When it’s time for me to leave this earth, I know I will be leaving my land better than how I found it,” stated fifth generation dairy farmer, William (Bill) Gleisner, “I value the tranquility and peacefulness of the land – and I want to keep it that way.”
Bill Gleisner and his brother, Charles (Chuck), moved to the North Country in the late 1970s from Ohio looking for good farmland and somewhere they could call home. At the time, farmers in Ohio were being pushed out of their land due to development; Bill and Chuck knew they wanted to continue farming, or as Bill put it, “Once you get the manure under your fingernails, it is always there.”
Since then, Bill and Chuck have been farming together in the Town of Philadelphia, NY. But now, they have done something more – they have protected their land, ensuring it will remain available for agricultural purposes, and compatible uses, forever. Fort Drum, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited partnered with the Gleisner brothers through the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program.
The purpose of the ACUB program is to limit use or development of property near the Fort Drum installation to agricultural and forestry uses. This minimizes encroachment while protecting conservation values and open space. Encroachment is defined here as urban development surrounding military installations that negatively affect the ability of the military to train realistically.
"The North Country is a special place, and it is partnerships like these
that make Fort Drum so unique,” stated Michael H. McKinnon, Fort Drum Deputy Garrison Commander. “From the early days when the 10th Mountain Division was activated, the North Country community embraced the military as one of its own. Today, the ACUB program continues in that same tradition and is a great example of neighbors working together to protect family farms, while preserving Fort Drum's training capability well into the future."
The ACUB program benefits the Army, as well as the land trust and the landowner. The Army maintains or enhances training capabilities, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust protects open space, and the landowner is paid not to develop their land, and in this case, the landowners will continue to farm.
After thirty years of working the land together, the Gleisner brothers are still at it. “We work together; we bail hay together – we do everything together, and that’s something special that not many families have,” explains Bill.
With six children and three grandchildren he is hoping to keep the land in his family, “Hopefully one day my kids will take over the farm and keep it going, but even if they don’t I can rest in peace knowing that it will not be developed. Someone will be able to farm it, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
Totaling 274 acres, Bill and Chuck Gleisner’s farms are the fifth and sixth properties to be protected by Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust through the ACUB program. With the addition of these properties, over 1,300 acres have been conserved with agricultural agreements through the ACUB conservation partnership program.
“The ACUB program strengthens our local farming community by providing financial resources to these farm families,” explained Linda Garrett, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust Executive Director, “The Gleisner brothers are leaders in our community; they have a great connection to their land and share a passion for the long-term importance of farming. Through this program they will be able to either invest the funds they receive back into the farm or pass it on to the next generation – and most importantly the land will continue to be available for agriculture.”
When participating with the ACUB program, farm families work with Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited to create a conservation plan for the property. The plan addresses immediate and long-term goals, while ensuring flexibility for future operations. Farm families are then paid through the ACUB program for the appraised value of their non-farm development rights, as determined by a state-qualified appraiser familiar with this type of conservation project. The properties remain in private ownership and stay on the tax rolls. The farmers are not told how to farm or manage their land in the agreement, as Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust believes farmers are important stewards of the land.
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and the Army have worked in partnership with Ducks Unlimited as part of the ACUB program when a farm or property contains bird habitat that the farmer and Ducks Unlimited are interested in conserving. This beautiful and productive land and its associated wetlands will now be able to provide important wildlife habitat.
To learn more about the ACUB program please visit their website or contact Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust Executive Director, Linda Garrett at 315.779.8240, email thtomorr@northnet.org or visit www.tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org.
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust is a nonprofit regional community-based organization that works with local landowners to protect and foster responsible stewardship practices of working forests and farms. The organization also hosts educational and recreational programs free to the community to help connect children and families to the land within the Tug Hill region.
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