Agricultural Commission Secures Grant

The Town of Woodstock is pleased to announce that the Agricultural Commission has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the American Farmland Trust’s Soil Health Stewards Program. This program allows the town to send two people to be trained in the benefits and science of building healthy soil on agricultural land and learn how to best to support farmers in their efforts to build healthy soils. Additionally, the funds will support a part-time position tasked primarily with recording and creating a central database of all agricultural property in town that is protected from development.

Over the years, the town’s Open Space Land Acquisition & Preservation Committee has been involved in ensuring approximately 700 acres of Woodstock land will not be developed, through the outright purchase of development rights and/or the donation of easements which travel with the deed so that future owners are restricted in what they can do with the property. The town also owns certain parcels outright. In addition, private land trusts and various state and federal programs have allowed for the protection of another 1,300 acres. The American Farmland Trust grant will enable the town to better organize this information and engage with owners and managers to support good soil management.

Healthy soils are the foundation of productivity on a farm, as well as the health of the animals and people consuming the food produced. They ensure nutrients and soil are not readily lost to surrounding waterways, and thus help keep our waters clean. They sequester carbon and mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases. They provide resilience to drought, floods, and other climate extremes.  

Agricultural Commission Chair Stewart Morse says, “This grant gives a number of boards and commissions in town the funding to record and identify agricultural easements and open space that without the grant would be difficult to find.  I applaud Rebecca Hyde; without her work we wouldn’t have been able to complete the application in time.”

Persons interested learning more about this project may email assistant@woodstockct.gov for more information.