Oweneco Farm to be preserved
Lebanon — Nearly three-quarters of 300-acre Oweneco Farm, a working farm on Exeter Road since 1701, has been added to the state's Farmland Preservation Program.
The state's acquisition of the farmland assures the Grabber family, which has owned the landmark property for generations, that the 240 acres will be preserved in perpetuity for agriculture. It was the 21st farm added to the state Department of Agriculture's farmland-preservation rolls this year — a record number.
According to Crain's Connecticut, the state paid nearly $10 million for the rights to more than 1,600 acres of farmland during the past fiscal year. It was the most ever paid during the 11 years that records have been kept, although acreage was slightly less than five years ago, when more than 1,700 acres was preserved.
"One of the major goals of the Farmland Preservation Program is to create large areas of preserved farmland with supportive infrastructure in close proximity to one another," said Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky in the June 21 edition of The Connecticut Weekly Agricultural Report.
The state program, which began in 1978, allows farmers to sell development rights as well as easements guaranteeing that their land will remain undeveloped. Farmers, however, are still responsible for property taxes.
Oweneco Farm is the 36th agricultural enterprise in Lebanon to join the preservation program. Lebanon, which now has more than 5,000 acres set aside under the program, has accounted for more than half of New London County's share of farmland preserved over the past decade or so.
"Adding Oweneco Farm to Lebanon's significant number of preserved farms is another example of the town's commitment to maitaining and growing its vibrant agricultural community," Reviczky said.
The farm, which concentrates on hay and corn crops, is one of the larger tracts brought into the program during the past fiscal year. On average, 78 acres was set aside during the year for each farm that entered the program.
New London County leads the state in the number of properties preserved through the farmland program. Litchfield and Windham are close behind.
So far, more than 300 farms have been preserved by the state program, accounting for more than 40,000 acres of agricultural land. Long-term, the state plans to set aside 130,000 acres of farmland.
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