Putnam Farms Conserves Lower Plain Property in Charlestown

UVLT’s purchase of a conservation easement on riverfront farmland in Charlestown protects some of the best land in our region for growing crops. Alan Putnam and his wife Sheila manage one of the largest dairy operations in Sullivan County, with a herd of about 500 milkers. The 53-acre parcel includes portions of floodplain forest and more than a half mile of riparian buffer. This is the second parcel conserved by Putnam Farms, Inc.

Putnam Farms, Inc. was founded by Ellsworth and Ethel Putnam in 1924. Alan Putnam is their grandson and the current president of the company. His farm operation involves over approximately 1,000 cows providing dairy, approximately 1,200 acres of corn sileage each year, 600 acres of haylage while producing maple syrup from nearly 16,000 taps. Alan and Putnam Farms have previously conserved the “Hunter Meadow” property located in Claremont.

Putnam Farms has owned the 53-acre Lower Plain property since 1978. The conservation of this land protects prime agricultural soil and soil of statewide significance.  It provides riparian buffering along 2,778± feet of Connecticut River frontage. This land also provides scenic benefits from the Connecticut River and from Patch Park, a municipal park which is adjacent to the property along to the north.

The project was funded by UVLT’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant from USDA NRCS, the NH SCCC Moose Plate Program, and a donation from the Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.