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Meserve FarmGuidelines for Use of LMF Properties
Project DescriptionThe Meserve family has resided in Scarborough for more than three centuries, and at the Meserve Farm for nearly 150 years. Family members sought to maintain this tradition but, following the death of the previous owner, estate taxes threatened to force sale of their ancestral farm. With grants from the Land for Maine’s Future Program, the Town of Scarborough and the USDA Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust (SLCT) and the Trust for Public Land were able to help the family protect their cherished 360-acre farm, whose prime agricultural soils and scenic open space are a valuable community resource.
By purchasing the property, selling a conservation easement to the Maine Department of Agriculture and providing land available for lease to other local farmers , the local Land Trust will be able to keep highly productive farmland working and ensure that the property will remain in agricultural use for generations to come.
More than half of the acreage on the Meserve Farm has prime and statewide important farmland soil types. Most recently, the farm has produced hay primarily, but at one time it provided a diverse array of farm products–including apples, vegetables and dried beans, milk, poultry, eggs, firewood, timber and hay. Being 20 minutes from Portland and on the county line of populous York County, the Meserve Farm could sell fresh produce through a growing number of local farmer’s markets, a roadside stand or a community-supported agriculture (CSA) operation. The Land Trust will continue to work with other future farmers, to enhance the economic viability of the farm and encourage sustainable agricultural practices.
Please note: On private farms protected with Land for Maine's Future Program support, public access is by landowner permission only. Please see the icons to determine allowed uses and follow any guidance posted on the property. For more information on how to obtain landowner permission, contact Stephanie Gilbert at the Maine Department of Agriculture.
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