on farmland doug butler · doug is somewhat familiar with farmland conservation because he owns 29...
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1
An Application from the Vermont Land Trust
to the
Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
for the
Purchase of Development Rights on Farmland
DOUG BUTLER
MIDDLEBURY
ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
TRANSFER TO NEXT GENERATION
HIGH DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE
80% AGRICULTURAL SOIL
CLAYPLAIN FOREST
TOWN LEVERAGE SUPPORT
Butler Project Summary
Doug Butler’s dairy farm is just a few miles outside of Middlebury. His farm is the last
active dairy farm on Munger Street. Not long ago there were five farms shipping milk and
he’s seen the young people move off the farms. His son Casey (30) is an exception. Casey
is firmly planted on the home place and he’s the fourth generation to be milking cows.
Casey’s great grandparents bought the farm in 1926 and then Doug bought the farm after
his mother died in 2003. Doug is 60 and he’s setting the stage to eventually transfer the
farm to Casey. To ease their substantial debt, they’d like to conserve some of their best
land. Doug says, “I’d like it conserved to protect myself from myself. Once it’s conserved I
won’t be tempted to sell it to a developer. Believe me, our family has had plenty of offers.”
The Butlers have 680 head; 300 cows and 380 young stock. They own 340 acres and rent
another 600 so they are an important player in keeping this area of town productive. All
the dairy infrastructure and the farmhouse is on a separate 29 acre parcel and it is excluded.
The parcel has one wet meadow with minimal development threat.
Doug Butler might consider conserving other land he owns and some has been appraised
but he’d like to start with this 148 acre parcel first. The land is 80% agricultural soil,
contains some of his better cropland and it has high development value with good views of
the Adirondacks. It also has 40 acres of rare clayplain forest. That area will be protected by
a wetland protection zone that restricts logging and prohibits conversion to agricultural use.
Doug is somewhat familiar with farmland conservation because he owns 29 acres of
conserved land south of Cobble Road. The easement is held by the Middlebury Area Land
Trust (MALT) and was conserved as part of an open space agreement when Doug’s father,
Lawrence, developed some abutting land.
EXHIBIT A
BUTLER
PROJECT BUDGET
04/06/17
INCOME EXPENSE VHCB OTHER TOTAL
VHCB Funds 449,000 Acquisition 445,000 30,000 475,000
Town 30,000 Third Party costs 4,000 0 4,000
Specify source 0 Associated Costs Contract 0 0
Specify source 0 Value Donation 0 400 400
Landowner Funds 0 Stewardship Contract 0 0
Bargain Sale 400 Landowner contrib., if applic. 0 0
Easement Donation 0 Survey costs 3,000 0 3,000
TOTAL $479,400 TOTAL $452,000 $30,400 $482,400
PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS TO VHCB: $1,750
An appraisal cost split between landowner and VHCB.
Appraisal done by: Rich Larson
Total cost $3,500
VHCB grant $1,750
Landowner $1,750 owes at closing $1,750
Other $0
TOTAL PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS: $3,500
TOTAL ALL COSTS: $485,900
Stewardship
5%+ barg. sale
1st farm
1 other (explain) financial distress
VALUE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS & ACREAGE CONSERVED:
Appraised Easement Value with Option to Purchase at Ag Value $475,400
Enhancement of Excluded Land $0
Final Easement Value $475,400
Bargain Sale $400
Purchase Price of Easement $475,000
Number of Purchased Acres Conserved 148
Easement Cost per Acre $3,209
Category for landowner exemption, if applicable (check one, use a 1):
GMNF - BRISTOL CLIFFS WILDERNESS AREA
GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST
GMNF - BRISTOL CLIFFS WILDERNESS AREA
GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST
Dow Pond
M I D D L E B U R YM I D D L E B U R Y
N E W H A V E NN E W H A V E N B R I S T O LB R I S T O L
R I P T O NR I P T O N
W E Y B R I D G EW E Y B R I D G E
C O R N W A L LC O R N W A L L
W A L T H A MW A L T H A M
QR125
QR116
QR30
QR17
QR125
£¤7
£¤7
RIVER RD
MUNG
ER ST
SOUTHST
EAST ST
N BRANC H RDPEARSON RD
CREEKRD
JAMES RD
MORSE RD
HUNT RDSOUT H
ST EX T
FOOT
E ST
QUARRY RD
WEYBRIDGE RD
RIDGE RD
TH 28
CADY RD
HALP
IN R
D
PAINTER RD
UPPERNOTC H RD
DOG TEAMRD
HALLADAYRD
CIDER MILL RD
TOWN HILL
RD
CAVE
RD
MIDDLE RDN
COBBLE RD
SHEEP FARM RD
CO VE RDEX
CH
ANGE ST
E MUNG ERST
LINCO
LN RD
MU NSON
RD
PERKINS RD
SUMNER RD
NOTCH RD
SCHO
OLHO
U SE H
ILL R
DHIGH ST
T WITCHELL HILL RD
DAN
DRAG
ONRD
SEMINARY ST EXTWEYBRIDGE ST
BOARDMAN ST
SEYMOUR ST
ROBBINS RD
BARKER RD
TH 30
HARVEY RD
ROGE
RS RD
TH 29
HALPIN RD
State Land Other Non-profitVLT Conserved Land
Municipal LandFederal Land
Subject Property I1:70,000Scale:
Property:Location:
8 Bailey Avenue Montpelier, VT 05602
Locator MapButlerMiddlebury, Vermont
VermontLand Trust
Excluded
Excluded
Subject Property
I0
480
960
1,440
1,920 Fe
et
Protec
ted Pr
opert
y
Ease
ment
Acr
es: 1
48
Barn
Comp
lexEx
clude
d Lan
d
Prope
rty:
Ortho
photo
Map
Butle
rMi
ddleb
ury, V
TVe
rmon
tLa
nd
Trust
1:7,50
0Sc
ale:
Wetl
and P
rotect
ion Zo
ne (W
PZ)
VgB
VgB
Cw
VgC
VgD
BeB
BsC
CtB
VgB
Sw
VgB
BsC
Cw
FaC
CvFaCBeB
VgD
LhMrB
VgD
I1:9,000
Property:Location:
8 Bailey Avenue Montpelier, VT 05602
Agricultural Soils MapButlerMiddlebury, Vermont
VermontLand Trust
Symbol Name Status AcresBeB Berkshire and Marlow stony loams, 3 to 12 percent slopes Statewide 2BsC Berkshire and Marlow extremely stony loams, 3 to 20 percent slopesNPSL 13CtB Colton gravelly sandy loam, 5 to 12 percent slopes Statewide (a) 8Cv Covington silty clay, flooded Statewide (b) 2Cw Covington and Panton silty clays Statewide (b) 2FaC Farmington extremely rocky silt loam, 5 to 20 percent slopes NPSL 4Sw Swanton fine sandy loam Prime (b) 4VgB Vergennes clay, 2 to 6 percent slopes Statewide 85VgC Vergennes clay, 6 to 12 percent slopes Statewide 16VgD Vergennes clay, 12 to 25 percent slopes NPSL 13
PrimePrime (b)Statewide, Statewide (a)Statewide (b)Other
TOTAL
Total Acres % 0 4111 4 30148
0 375 320
Prime
b b b bb b b b Prime (b)
StatewideStatewide (a)
b b b bb b b bb b b b
Statewide (b)
I1:25,000
Property:Tax Parcel Map
ButlerMiddlebury, VT
VermontLand Trust
BU
TLER
– M
IDD
LEB
UR
Y
Doug a
nd C
asey
Bu
tler
at
ho
me
farm
. D
airy
bar
n a
t hom
e fa
rm.
Lo
okin
g s
outh
wes
t to
war
d C
hip
man
Hil
l in
Mid
dle
bury
. L
ookin
g s
outh
at
Adir
ondac
ks
Mts
.
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