ASA Helps Landowners Protect Three Properties in
Jackson, Hoosick and Kingsbury at the End of 2007
January 10, 2008 / News archive
The Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) assisted landowners with the protection of three properties totaling 448 acres at the end of 2007. In each case, landowners chose to donate a conservation easement which protects the agricultural and forestry characteristics by permanently restricting the type of non-agricultural development that can occur on the land.
The Hanf Farm, nestled among rolling hills on Route 61 in Jackson, epitomizes the rural beauty that so many people in Washington County appreciate. Noel and Judy Hanf had long admired the property, which was operated by Vince O’Donnell as a sheep farm and butchery, but couldn’t afford to purchase the whole farm when it went up for sale. Instead, a couple from Manhattan bought it and subdivided it into 5 to 15-acre lots for resale. But the Hanfs kept an eye on it and in 1973 were able to purchase the farmstead with 14 acres. They gradually began putting the farm back together, acquiring parcels as they became available.
A deep appreciation for their land motivated the Hanfs to donate a conservation easement on 130 acres. Noel explains, “With help from neighboring farmers, augmented by our small hay and beef operation, on what might have been a housing subdivision we have maintained agriculture and its related landscape. ASA's stewardship ensures that it will always be farmland and protects a landscape that is emblematic of Washington County.”
Ken and Marge Burns ran a dairy operation on their 202-acre farm on Clay Hill Road in Hoosick for most of their lives. Their family’s connection to the land dates back to the early 1900s and after retiring they knew they wanted to find a way to stay on the land and ensure that future generations of famers would have the opportunity to continue farming there.
They were able to come to a unique agreement with Constance Kheel , a private conservation partner who has worked with several landowners in the West Hoosick Hills neighborhood. Kheel purchased the property and donated a conservation easement and the Burns retained a life estate. Their productive fields are cropped by the Ziehm family. The New York State Conservation Partnership Program, which is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, granted funding to cover some of the transaction costs of the project.
Larry Steele protected his land from future development by donating an easement on his 116-acre Rocky Ledge Farm on Keech Lane in Kingsbury. The farm is adjacent to three working farms and its productive agricultural lands are currently leased by another local dairy farmer for corn and hay production. Steele is in the process of restoring the residence and barns. He plans to start a small, self-supporting Guernsey dairy operation when he retires and hopes that by protecting his land he will inspire others in his neighborhood to do the same.
ASA’s executive director, Teri Ptacek, said, “It is wonderful that so many landowners in our area recognize the importance of conserving their farmland and permanently protecting this resource for our community for generations to come. We are grateful to them for their generosity and vision.”
