LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — A 275-acre farm in New Hampshire that has been around since the late 1800s has been protected from residential or industrial development.
The Pearl Farm in Loudon has been in the Pearl family for four generations, J.T. Horn of the Trust for Public Land said. He added that “protecting this space helps to sustain the local foods movement and the rural character of the community.”
The farm produces hay, squash, pumpkins, sweet corn, and maple syrup.
The Trust for Public Land worked for the last three years alongside Howard Pearl and the Loudon Conservation Commission to purchase a conservation easement on the land.
Funding for the $850,000 easement purchase came from the Natural Resource Conservation Service, New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, Loudon Conservation Fund, and a bargain sale by the landowner. Loudon’s funding passed at their 2021 town meeting.
–Associated Press