Protected by: Connecticut Farmland Trust
Year Protected: 2004
Acres: 41
Tom Nielson and Steve Bengtson, cousins and owners of Cold Spring Brook Farm, worried about the impact of encroaching development on the future of their farm, which is located just off the Berlin Turnpike. At 41 acres, the farm did not rank highly enough to participate in the state’s Farmland Preservation Program so the cousins ultimately offered to sell CFT a conservation easement on their family’s farm at a steep discount. Worked for by Tom’s family since 1910, the farm includes a high percentage of the state’s very best agricultural soils.
CFT secured funding to purchase the easement from the USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service and provided matching funds from its Acquisition Fund.
Tom and Steve sell a wide variety of bedding plants and vegetables grown on the farm at their seasonal farmstand, which is located at 979 Deming Road, Berlin. www.ColdSpringBrookFarm.com
“Our goal in protecting our farm was to keep it in production so we can continue to do what we love to do. We are greatly relieved that the farm is now protected.” – Tom Nielson