Dairy farm in Connecticut receives protection

Apr 10, 2015

Property is located in Lebanon, CT

In an effort to help protect the state’s agricultural sector, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture decided that a prime-soiled, 22-acre goat dairy farm in Lebanon will remain available for producing ag-products – permanently.

“Beltane Farm is a prime example of a smaller enterprise whose value-added products make a strong contribution to the agricultural economy,” Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky said. “Protecting these kind of working lands is exactly why the Community Farms Preservation Program was created.”

The Community Farms Preservation Program was created in 2011 as a way for smaller farms to receive some funding if they don’t qualify under the Farmland Preservation Program – a program that’s protected more than 300 farms, spanning nearly 40,000 acres.

A grant courtesy of the Farmland Restoration Program also helped clear out ten acres on Beltane Farm that had become overgrown.

Connecticut’s agriculture department contributed 75% of the $150,000 purchase price ($112,500). The remainder was paid for by the Connecticut’s Farmland Trust and the Town of Lebanon.

Owners Paul Trubey and Mark Pearsall have made the farm on Taylor Bridge Road a landmark for lovers of goat’s milk, goat cheese and other products. The farm also houses about 100 goats.

“Paul and Mark have worked hard to turn Beltane Farm into a productive goat dairy and Ag-Tourism destination,” said Lebanon First Selectman Joyce R. Okonuk. “The town supports their efforts and hopes that their success here will draw more new farmers into our community.”

Beltane is the second farm in the state to have this protection. The first was Kassman Farm in Columbia, a 53-acre farm where corn and hay are produced.

Join the conversation and tell us what you think of this dairy farm receiving the designation it did. Is there a farm in your community you think deserves the same kind of recognition?

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.