The mission of Connecticut Farmland Trust is to preserve Connecticut farmland for current and future generations of farmers.
To further this mission, the Connecticut Farmland Trust:
• accepts donations of agricultural conservation easements and farmland,
• purchases agricultural conservation easements and farmland,
• partners with towns and land trusts to identify threatened farms and opportunities for land protection and to help address farmland stewardship and management concerns, and
• partners with communities throughout the state to encourage local farmland preservation efforts through outreach and support to farmers, local land trusts, local officials, town planners, conservation commissions, and community organizations.
Our Values
FUTURE OF FARMING: We believe in the enduring value of farmland and the need to protect our agricultural land base to ensure the long-term future of farming in Connecticut.
HONESTY & INTEGRITY: We prioritize honesty, integrity, and fiscal responsibility in all of our transactions, and seek to provide excellent service in all that we do.
URGENCY: We share an urgency for achieving the statewide goals for farmland protection, understanding the finite nature of our state’s prime farmland.
RESPONSIVENESS: We value our relationships with landowners, farmers, and farm families, and work hard to understand and support their individual conservation needs.
DIVERSITY: We believe all facets of the agricultural economy in Connecticut are integral to its success. We work to protect farmland across farm sizes, commodity types, and geographic distribution, and to support a diverse group of farmers of all ages, races, and ethnicities.
CREATIVITY: We strive to approach our organizational work and mission with creativity and resourcefulness, and to find new and innovative mechanisms to achieve our farmland protection goals.
LOCALLY-GROWN: We share an understanding of the importance of growing food locally and the countless benefits of a thriving agricultural economy.
COMMUNITY: We appreciate the many ways farmers and farm businesses connect communities and add to the environmental sustainability and cultural richness of our state.