Lebanon goat farm gets permanent protection
Lebanon — A 22-acre goat dairy farm has been permanently preserved for agricultural production in a transaction finalized this week conveying the farm's development rights to the state Department of Agriculture.
The protection of Beltane Farm was reached under the state's Community Farms Preservation Program, the agriculture department announced Wednesday. The program was created in 2011 as an alternative for smaller farms that might not qualify for funding through the department's long-running Farmland Preservation Program, which has protected more than 300 farms and 40,000 acres.
"Beltane Farm is a prime example of a smaller enterprise whose value-added products make a strong contribution to the agricultural economy," Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky said. "Protecting these kinds of working lands is exactly why the Community Farms Preservation Program was created."
The agriculture department contributed 75 percent of the $150,000 purchase price, with other contributions made by the Connecticut Farmland Trust and the Town of Lebanon.
Owned by Paul Trubey and Mark Pearsall, the farm on Taylor Bridge Road has become a popular destination for sales of its cheese, as well as cheese-tastings and tours of the farm, where about 100 goats are raised.
The farm also has been improved through a Farmland Restoration Program grant that supported the clearing of 10 acres that had become overgrown.
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