Great Bay Farm
Iconic Dairy Farm in Greenland, NH Offers Local Food Production, Significant Conservation Value
Along Newington Road in Greenland, NH, sits Great Bay Farm, an iconic, sixth-generation, family dairy farm that is rich in history, production, and conservation value. Recognizing the importance of this 154-acre property to the region, SELT is working closely with the Smith family to conserve their farm, and a major step towards that achievement is the recent awarding of $500,000 from the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP).
Since 1899, the Smith family has owned and operated the farm, which milks approximately 50 cows and raises beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. The milk from Great Bay Farm is sold to a variety of artisan cheese makers across New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
“The Smith family reminds us of the very definition of stewardship with their deep respect for the land and for preserving open space for future generations and the public,” said Thomas M. Sherman, MD, NH State Senator for District 24 and a Senate representative to the LCHIP Board of Directors. “I am so grateful for their vision and commitment to the town of Greenland and to the state of New Hampshire.”
Beyond its agricultural value, Great Bay Farm presents a wealth of natural resources. In addition to their own land, the farm operation also manages an additional 235 acres of productive fields in the surrounding community, many of which are owned by NH Fish & Game and managed for wildlife habitat. The property is close to the shores of Great Bay, one of the largest estuaries on the Atlantic coast, and its watershed provides critical filtration of excess nutrients and pollutants to protect the water supply of the City of Portsmouth and nearby Pease Tradeport.
“Great Bay Farm is a community treasure,” says Jeremy Lougee, Conservation Project Manager and Farmland Coordinator for SELT. “It is home to productive farmland and forest soils, critical wildlife habitat, public water supply protection, larger connectivity to the region’s conservation landscape, and scenic rural views cherished by the local communities of Greenland, Newington, and Portsmouth.”
“Great Bay Farm has always been open to any and all who ask,” says Cynthia Smith of Great Bay Farm. “We have hosted school and scout groups of children who have never seen or touched a real live animal. Great Bay Community College students in veterinary technology class use our cows and calves in their bovine studies. Area birdwatchers are frequent visitors and are excited to find rare species here. People come to walk their dogs, snowshoe, or cross-country ski. We hope this can continue for generations to come.”
The LCHIP award is one of many necessary to purchase the conservation easement on the Great Bay Farm. SELT has a pending grant application to the US Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Agricultural Land Easement Program and the Town of Greenland is considering a warrant article for the March 2022 Town Meeting. SELT hopes, with these and other pending commitments, to complete the conservation easement by 2023.
Gaziano Tract
Key 30+ Acre Parcel known as Gaziano Tract Protected Forever
Also, LCHIP has awarded a $150,000 grant to SELT to purchase and conserve the 32-acre Gaziano Tract in Newmarket, a critical addition to the Piscassic Greenway network of protected lands.
The Gaziano Tract represents the last unprotected land on the unmaintained portion of Neal Mill Road in Newmarket. With more than 1,700 feet of shoreline along the Piscassic River and prime wetlands, keeping this land undeveloped helps protect Newmarket’s public water supply in addition to the water quality of the river and Great Bay. The land lies entirely within NH Fish & Game’s Wildlife Action Plan, making it a crucial habitat for rare wildlife species.
“LCHIP’s grant ensures the permanent protection of this beautiful land,” said Brian Hart, Executive Director for SELT. “When we learned about the property’s availability for purchase this spring, we knew we had to leap at the opportunity. Thanks to LCHIP and the generosity of the community, we were able to add this incredible piece to the Piscassic Greenway puzzle.”
In addition to the LCHIP grant and incredible donor support, the Town of Newmarket contributed $75,000 towards the purchase and the Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission awarded a grant. SELT will manage the land as part of its ongoing stewardship of the now 4692-acre Piscassic Greenway, of which the Gaziano parcel is a permanent addition.
