1

An Application from the Vermont Land Trust

to the

Vermont Housing & Conservation Board

for the

Purchase of Development Rights on Farmland

DOUG BUTLER

MIDDLEBURY

ADDISON COUNTY, VERMONT

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

TRANSFER TO NEXT GENERATION

HIGH DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE

80% AGRICULTURAL SOIL

CLAYPLAIN FOREST

TOWN LEVERAGE SUPPORT

Butler Project Summary

Doug Butler’s dairy farm is just a few miles outside of Middlebury. His farm is the last

active dairy farm on Munger Street. Not long ago there were five farms shipping milk and

he’s seen the young people move off the farms. His son Casey (30) is an exception. Casey

is firmly planted on the home place and he’s the fourth generation to be milking cows.

Casey’s great grandparents bought the farm in 1926 and then Doug bought the farm after

his mother died in 2003. Doug is 60 and he’s setting the stage to eventually transfer the

farm to Casey. To ease their substantial debt, they’d like to conserve some of their best

land. Doug says, “I’d like it conserved to protect myself from myself. Once it’s conserved I

won’t be tempted to sell it to a developer. Believe me, our family has had plenty of offers.”

The Butlers have 680 head; 300 cows and 380 young stock. They own 340 acres and rent

another 600 so they are an important player in keeping this area of town productive. All

the dairy infrastructure and the farmhouse is on a separate 29 acre parcel and it is excluded.

The parcel has one wet meadow with minimal development threat.

Doug Butler might consider conserving other land he owns and some has been appraised

but he’d like to start with this 148 acre parcel first. The land is 80% agricultural soil,

contains some of his better cropland and it has high development value with good views of

the Adirondacks. It also has 40 acres of rare clayplain forest. That area will be protected by

a wetland protection zone that restricts logging and prohibits conversion to agricultural use.

Doug is somewhat familiar with farmland conservation because he owns 29 acres of

conserved land south of Cobble Road. The easement is held by the Middlebury Area Land

Trust (MALT) and was conserved as part of an open space agreement when Doug’s father,

Lawrence, developed some abutting land.

EXHIBIT A

BUTLER

PROJECT BUDGET

04/06/17

INCOME EXPENSE VHCB OTHER TOTAL

VHCB Funds 449,000 Acquisition 445,000 30,000 475,000

Town 30,000 Third Party costs 4,000 0 4,000

Specify source 0 Associated Costs Contract 0 0

Specify source 0 Value Donation 0 400 400

Landowner Funds 0 Stewardship Contract 0 0

Bargain Sale 400 Landowner contrib., if applic. 0 0

Easement Donation 0 Survey costs 3,000 0 3,000

TOTAL $479,400 TOTAL $452,000 $30,400 $482,400

PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS TO VHCB: $1,750

An appraisal cost split between landowner and VHCB.

Appraisal done by: Rich Larson

Total cost $3,500

VHCB grant $1,750

Landowner $1,750 owes at closing $1,750

Other $0

TOTAL PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS: $3,500

TOTAL ALL COSTS: $485,900

Stewardship

5%+ barg. sale

1st farm

1 other (explain) financial distress

VALUE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS & ACREAGE CONSERVED:

Appraised Easement Value with Option to Purchase at Ag Value $475,400

Enhancement of Excluded Land $0

Final Easement Value $475,400

Bargain Sale $400

Purchase Price of Easement $475,000

Number of Purchased Acres Conserved 148

Easement Cost per Acre $3,209

Category for landowner exemption, if applicable (check one, use a 1):

GMNF - BRISTOL CLIFFS WILDERNESS AREA

GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST

GMNF - BRISTOL CLIFFS WILDERNESS AREA

GREEN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST

Dow Pond

M I D D L E B U R YM I D D L E B U R Y

N E W H A V E NN E W H A V E N B R I S T O LB R I S T O L

R I P T O NR I P T O N

W E Y B R I D G EW E Y B R I D G E

C O R N W A L LC O R N W A L L

W A L T H A MW A L T H A M

QR125

QR116

QR30

QR17

QR125

£¤7

£¤7

RIVER RD

MUNG

ER ST

SOUTHST

EAST ST

N BRANC H RDPEARSON RD

CREEKRD

JAMES RD

MORSE RD

HUNT RDSOUT H

ST EX T

FOOT

E ST

QUARRY RD

WEYBRIDGE RD

RIDGE RD

TH 28

CADY RD

HALP

IN R

D

PAINTER RD

UPPERNOTC H RD

DOG TEAMRD

HALLADAYRD

CIDER MILL RD

TOWN HILL

RD

CAVE

RD

MIDDLE RDN

COBBLE RD

SHEEP FARM RD

CO VE RDEX

CH

ANGE ST

E MUNG ERST

LINCO

LN RD

MU NSON

RD

PERKINS RD

SUMNER RD

NOTCH RD

SCHO

OLHO

U SE H

ILL R

DHIGH ST

T WITCHELL HILL RD

DAN

DRAG

ONRD

SEMINARY ST EXTWEYBRIDGE ST

BOARDMAN ST

SEYMOUR ST

ROBBINS RD

BARKER RD

TH 30

HARVEY RD

ROGE

RS RD

TH 29

HALPIN RD

State Land Other Non-profitVLT Conserved Land

Municipal LandFederal Land

Subject Property I1:70,000Scale:

Property:Location:

8 Bailey Avenue Montpelier, VT 05602

Locator MapButlerMiddlebury, Vermont

VermontLand Trust

Excluded

Excluded

Subject Property

I0

480

960

1,440

1,920 Fe

et

Protec

ted Pr

opert

y

Ease

ment

Acr

es: 1

48

Barn

Comp

lexEx

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d Lan

d

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rty:

Ortho

photo

Map

Butle

rMi

ddleb

ury, V

TVe

rmon

tLa

nd

Trust

1:7,50

0Sc

ale:

Wetl

and P

rotect

ion Zo

ne (W

PZ)

VgB

VgB

Cw

VgC

VgD

BeB

BsC

CtB

VgB

Sw

VgB

BsC

Cw

FaC

CvFaCBeB

VgD

LhMrB

VgD

I1:9,000

Property:Location:

8 Bailey Avenue Montpelier, VT 05602

Agricultural Soils MapButlerMiddlebury, Vermont

VermontLand Trust

Symbol Name Status AcresBeB Berkshire and Marlow stony loams, 3 to 12 percent slopes Statewide 2BsC Berkshire and Marlow extremely stony loams, 3 to 20 percent slopesNPSL 13CtB Colton gravelly sandy loam, 5 to 12 percent slopes Statewide (a) 8Cv Covington silty clay, flooded Statewide (b) 2Cw Covington and Panton silty clays Statewide (b) 2FaC Farmington extremely rocky silt loam, 5 to 20 percent slopes NPSL 4Sw Swanton fine sandy loam Prime (b) 4VgB Vergennes clay, 2 to 6 percent slopes Statewide 85VgC Vergennes clay, 6 to 12 percent slopes Statewide 16VgD Vergennes clay, 12 to 25 percent slopes NPSL 13

PrimePrime (b)Statewide, Statewide (a)Statewide (b)Other

TOTAL

Total Acres % 0 4111 4 30148

0 375 320

Prime

b b b bb b b b Prime (b)

StatewideStatewide (a)

b b b bb b b bb b b b

Statewide (b)

I1:25,000

Property:Tax Parcel Map

ButlerMiddlebury, VT

VermontLand Trust

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