NEXT-GEN FARMERS KEEPING VERMONT MILK FLOWING | NESAWG

Joe and Emily Donegan – young dairy farmers who sell milk through Organic Valley – are excited to be new owners of a 258-acre dairy farm in Hinesburg, VT, thanks to the vision of the former owners, the Vermont Land Trust, other local, state, and federal funding partners, and the use of an innovative policy tool – an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV), intended to maintain farmland affordability.

Until 2018, the O’Neil family had owned the Hinesburg dairy farm for over a century.  When the last O’Neil to operate the farm died in 2012, it was important to the family that the land remain in agriculture. Working with the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) and other partners, the family conserved the land, including a provision used in all agricultural conservation easements purchased through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board: an OPAV. The OPAV gives the easement holders the right to buy the land at its agricultural value if an owner tries to sell the land to someone without farming experience or a farm-business plan. OPAVs typically increase the value of the easement purchase and often reduce the cost of the protected land, making it more affordable for young and established farmers alike. By including the OPAV in the conservation easement, the O’Neil Farm became more affordable to the Donegans, who wanted to return to Hinesburg, Joe’s hometown.  The sale of an agricultural conservation easement with an OPAV, funded in part with federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) dollars, enabled the O’Neil family to leave a lasting legacy and provided Joe and Emily Donegan with a strong foundation for their farm’s future. Thank you to Vermont Land Trust for contributing this story.

Read more in How State and Federal Programs Support Farmers, Fishermen, Food Entrepreneurs and Consumers in the Northeast.