A Historic Farm Enters its Next Evolution
Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the sweeping vistas of New York and Vermont, is the history of the land that is called Battle Acres Farm in Walloomsac.
As the farm’s name suggests, a literal war once was fought there; specifically, the Battle of Bennington in August of 1777. Nearly 100 years later, the land that abuts the Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site was partially cleared for use as an expanded family farm.
A transformational transition takes place
Situated along the border of Vermont in northern Rensselaer County, with extensive frontage along the Walloomsac River, the 373-acre property was home to generations of the Cottrell family who ran a successful dairy operation for years. However, when the family patriarch passed in 2005 with no apparent successor to the business, the family chose to lease the land to Landview Farms based in nearby White Creek, NY. Landview Farms was eager to utilize the productive farmland to help support their local dairy operation and were familiar with ASA’s program since they have conserved several of their own farm properties.
Protecting the land, preserving a way of life
While he may not have chosen agriculture as his way of life, Mark Cottrell has a deep and abiding respect for farmers and, perhaps, a deeper attachment to the land so many of his
family members worked. Which is why he and his wife, Wendy, also decided to conserve some of their land in conjunction with protecting the family farm.
“The land is steeped in so much personal and revolutionary history,” he says. “Working
with ASA allowed us to protect the land from development; support a local farm operation
that needed additional acreage; and, in time, make it affordable for another farm family—be
it Landview or another operation—to build their own legacy.”
"The land is steeped in so much personal and revolutionary history."
—Mark Cottrell
Funding for this conservation project was provided by a grant through the State Farmland Implementation Program administered by the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets.
