Featured Farms

At 22 acres and with a high percentage of good-quality soils, Barger Farm represents a parcel perfect for new farmers. Yet when the prime parcel went up for sale, it might have been lost to development had Rich Barger not bought the land to get it off the market.

Development pressure drove the urgency 

Rich had seen the disappearance of farmland in other Connecticut towns and wanted to make a difference in Bolton. His generous donation of part of the land value, together with donors to the Bolton Land Trust and Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT), and federal financing, ensured the farm will be available to future farmers forever. CFT provided partial funding for upfront costs, obtained federal funding, and coordinated efforts of the Bolton Land Trust partners. Bolton Land Trust’s donors helped fund the project, and it would not have been completed without their involvement and generosity.

Farming made possible through conservation

The two ponds on the property provide habitat for amphibians, and American Woodcocks enjoy the field edges for breeding and nesting in the early spring. Rich is currently removing the very aggressive, destructive phragmites and decades of accumulated silt from the ponds, which will restore oxygen levels in the water and allow regrowth of native vegetation. Currently, the farm is being leased to Larry Pesce, who has also preserved his farm, Pesce Farm, down the road with CFT.