1 An Application from the Vermont Land Trust to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board for the Purchase of Development Rights on Farmland DOUG BUTLER MIDDLEBURY ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS TRANSFER TO NEXT GENERATION HIGH DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE 80% AGRICULTURAL SOIL CLAYPLAIN FOREST TOWN LEVERAGE SUPPORT
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on Farmland DOUG BUTLER · Doug is somewhat familiar with farmland conservation because he owns 29 acres of conserved land south of Cobble Road. The easement is held by the Middlebury
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1
An Application from the Vermont Land Trust
to the
Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
for the
Purchase of Development Rights on Farmland
DOUG BUTLER
MIDDLEBURY
ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
TRANSFER TO NEXT GENERATION
HIGH DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE
80% AGRICULTURAL SOIL
CLAYPLAIN FOREST
TOWN LEVERAGE SUPPORT
Butler Project Summary
Doug Butler’s dairy farm is just a few miles outside of Middlebury. His farm is the last
active dairy farm on Munger Street. Not long ago there were five farms shipping milk and
he’s seen the young people move off the farms. His son Casey (30) is an exception. Casey
is firmly planted on the home place and he’s the fourth generation to be milking cows.
Casey’s great grandparents bought the farm in 1926 and then Doug bought the farm after
his mother died in 2003. Doug is 60 and he’s setting the stage to eventually transfer the
farm to Casey. To ease their substantial debt, they’d like to conserve some of their best
land. Doug says, “I’d like it conserved to protect myself from myself. Once it’s conserved I
won’t be tempted to sell it to a developer. Believe me, our family has had plenty of offers.”
The Butlers have 680 head; 300 cows and 380 young stock. They own 340 acres and rent
another 600 so they are an important player in keeping this area of town productive. All
the dairy infrastructure and the farmhouse is on a separate 29 acre parcel and it is excluded.
The parcel has one wet meadow with minimal development threat.
Doug Butler might consider conserving other land he owns and some has been appraised
but he’d like to start with this 148 acre parcel first. The land is 80% agricultural soil,
contains some of his better cropland and it has high development value with good views of
the Adirondacks. It also has 40 acres of rare clayplain forest. That area will be protected by
a wetland protection zone that restricts logging and prohibits conversion to agricultural use.
Doug is somewhat familiar with farmland conservation because he owns 29 acres of
conserved land south of Cobble Road. The easement is held by the Middlebury Area Land
Trust (MALT) and was conserved as part of an open space agreement when Doug’s father,