Some 72 acres of farmland in Ulster County”™s “fruit belt” will continue to bear tasty produce for the foreseeable future.
Scenic Hudson this month bought voluntary conservation easements on two parcels of a family orchard in the town of Marlborough.
The purchase will permanently protect 72 acres of Overlook Farm. Opened in 1927, the 342-acre fourth-generation farm grows apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, melons, berries and assorted vegetables for both the wholesale market and retail sale at the family owned Overlook Farm Market on Route 9W in the town of Newburgh.
Scenic Hudson has bought conservation easements since 1995 on farms in several of the mid-Hudson Valley counties.
Jim Lyons, whose family has farmed that land for more than 100 years, praised Scenic Hudson for an “extremely great job” in protecting Hudson Valley farmland.
Lyons had met with representatives from Scenic Hudson when they had conducted an informational meeting in Marlborough earlier this year to discuss farmland protection options.
“They wanted to help preserve farmland when they saw the development pressure in the area,” he said.
The family farm has 342 acres and Lyons said the easement will protect a 44-acre portion of land that had been farmed by his family since the turn of last century and another 28 acres that has “excellent” soil and drainage for farming.
The conservation easement is part of a state program for preserving the agriculture land base by allowing municipalities or preservation groups to buy the development rights on farms using conservation easement.
The easement “is a legal document written in the form of a deed in which a landowner permanently restricts the future development of real property for the purpose of preserving or maintaining the scenic, open, historic, agricultural or natural condition, character, significance or amenities of that property,” according to Title 3, Article 49 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law.
But this and other farmland protection programs can”™t always contend with the lure of selling land to a developer, Lyons said.
He said even with easements and state grants, a farmer can still make more money by selling land to a private developer.
“A farmer really has to have a commitment to farm,” he said.
Overlook Farm produces about 100,000 bushels of apples per year.
Steve Rosenberg, senior vice president of Scenic Hudson, said “time is running out” in saving much of the valley”™s farmland from development.
“We felt this was the best strategy to ramp up efforts to protect them,” he said. “We anticipate that this successful transaction with a prominent local farm family will set a positive precedent for continued farmland preservation in southern Ulster County.”
According to Scenic Hudson, support for its purchase of these conservation restrictions was provided by U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, through the federal Farm Service Agency. Hinchey”™s office had helped the Lyons”™ get approval from the FSA to sell the development rights to Scenic Hudson.
In a statement, Hinchey said: “Preserving working farms in the Hudson Valley is critical to the future of our fast-growing region. In addition to protecting the rural landscapes and spectacular views that contribute so much to our quality of life, agriculture supports our local economy and ensures the continued availability of high-quality, fresh food.”
Ulster”™s fruit belt parallels the Hudson River between the shoreline and the Marlborough Mountains. The topography of the rolling hills and unique air circulation patterns help protect crops from damaging frost, while the rich gravelly loam is ideal for fruit trees, according to Scenic Hudson, which makes it an ideal location for apple orchards.
Scenic Hudson has protected more than 6,000 acres of farmland throughout the Hudson Valley.
Â
Â
