Protected by: Connecticut Farmland Trust
Year Protected: 2007
Acres: 20
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In 2007, the Connecticut Farmland Trust collaborated with dairyman Chris Hopkins to preserve the 20-acre Stone Wall Dairy Farm. The farm’s high concentration of prime farmland soils and importance as a local agricultural resource since 1830 made the farm a high priority for CFT. Hopkins’s business is the largest active dairy in the town of Cornwall.
The state Farmland Protection Program had already protected adjacent pastures that support the farm. However, the parcel of land containing the farmhouse and barns – the very portion that enables the fields to remain actively farmed – was unprotected and at risk of being subdivided and developed. Through its Acquisition Fund, CFT was able to purchase a conservation easement to prevent this loss and permanently protect the farm.
Stone Wall Dairy has closed, but since 2018, a new farm business now works the land. The new business is named Calf + Clover Creamery, which sells its products in varous shops in Western Connecticut.
The farm is located at 332 Kent Road South (Route 7), Cornwall Bridge.
“CFT’s biggest strength is they are familiar with the way farms work and know that a working farm will need to evolve to stay viable. Since I preserved the farm in 2007, CFT has been an important partner, working with me to help my farm expand its operations, yet also keep the land open and free. It was a great decision to work with CFT and I’ve told other farmers that they are an organization that really understands how to keep a working farm in business.” – Chris Hopkins