CHARLOTTE, Vt. (WCAX) – When Charlotte’s historic Nordic Farm was sold this year, many wondered what was in store for the property. The new owners unveiled their plans on Thursday.
When Kaspar Meier and Benjamin Dobson bought the Nordic Farm property earlier this summer, they couldn’t have known that the U.S. government was eyeing it too.
Christian Peters, a USDA researcher, says he was on the hunt for a place to do field research. “Having moved to Vermont, I’d driven by the farm several times and it stands out because it’s got this iconic look,” he said.
The farm checked two requirements — it was big enough for cattle grazing yet also close to the University of Vermont campus.
Representatives from UVM on Thursday signed a 30-year lease to use roughly 400 acres of farmland for long-term agricultural research in partnership with the USDA.
“Having access to this space over the long-term is that a lot of questions that people want to answer pertaining to how to make our food systems more environmentally sustainable and more socially, just require a long-term commitment,” said Polly Ericksen, director of UVM’s Food Systems Research Center.
USDA researchers will work with their counterparts at UVM to study food and forage crops, grazing, and cattle. The goal is to help improve the nutrition and sustainability of Vermont’s food production systems.
“We signed a lease that could go up to 120 years with the University of Vermont Agricultural School. And I’m 40, so another 120 years — I’m not gonna make it to 160 — so maybe grandkids or great-grandkids of mine will be here to participate in this deal,” said Benjamin Dobson, the farm’s new co-owner.
The hope is to start research opportunities early next spring.