KENNEBUNK — Standing alongside a fenced-in pasture for sheep grazing, Tom Chappell looks out onto the illuminated rolling hills of his Ramblers Way Farm, a bucolic view he said he would never want to see changed.
This 65-acre sheep farm on Alewive Road, along with another 89 acres on Russell Farm Road for growing hay, were donated by Chappell and his wife Kate last month to the Maine Farmland Trust for preservation.
“It’s a personal value we have that we take care of our environment,” said Chappell, who owns the Kennebunk-based Ramblers Way clothing company.
The 154 acres will join approximately 30,000 acres of protected farmland already owned by the trust, eliminating the possibility of the land being developed for uses other than farming in the future.
“Our easements give flexibility that a normal land trust doesn’t,” said William Bell, president of the Maine Farmland Trust, whose headquarters are in Belfast.
Bell said that the trust allows farmers to operate the reservations for vegetable, pig, horse or any other type of farm they choose. In addition, the trust sometimes purchases auctioned farms that farmers can no longer afford to save them for preservation and put them back into the owners’ hands.
With nearly 130 donated farms under the trust’s belt, Chappell recently agreed to be the honorary chair of its campaign to preserve 100,000 acres of farmland that would cost about $50 million.
Although the total goal is $50 million, Bell said the first $10 million raised is the most important, since foundations will likely contribute funds based on initial donations. The trust has raised $7.1 million in fundraising so far.
The Maine Farmland Trust announced Tuesday at the 71st Maine Agricultural Trades Show in Augusta that they expect to provide support to more than 1,000 Maine farmers by the end of 2014.
Chappell’s farm is just one of many preserved by the trust.
On the trust’s list of recent accomplishments is obtaining the 66-acre vegetable farm, Flanagan Farm, in Buxton; the more than 200-acre Clark Farm in Windham; and the 1,000-acre Pray Farm in Bradford.
Intended to revitalize Maine agriculture, the Maine Farmland Trust was organized in 1999 by a group of farmers and key organizations. Other than protecting farms, Bell said the trust makes land more affordable to farmers and promotes where they can find such parcels.
Formerly owning the natural personal care product company Tom’s of Maine, Chappell sold the business after 40 years to the Colgate toothpaste company in 2006. The sale of Tom’s led Chappell to start Ramblers Way in 2009, designing ecological garments made from Rambouillet sheep wool.
Running a successful business, Chappell said he wanted to make sure jobs were created for Maine residents while producing fine clothes. Chappell said his company has 20 employees in Maine, and that will soon grow to 25 as it expands.
“We’re always in need of an extra pair of hands for work on the farm,” said David Norman, farm manager, referencing the amount of work required to keep the property functioning.
Norman said he thought preserving Ramblers Way Farm was a great idea, and that he wouldn’t want to see it turned into a lot for houses or businesses.
The farm is maintained with environmental sustainability in mind, and has a barn constructed partially from recycled wood beams and solar panels, which generate energy for Norman’s home on the property.
“I grew up spending summers on the Maine coast and in the Berkshires, so I was fortunate enough to learn to appreciate beautiful natural surroundings,” said Chappell of why he thinks it’s important to be environmentally conscious.
This passion drove him to buy the acres on Russell Farm Road in 2008 that were to be auctioned for development.
Even though he bought the farm to keep sheep, Chappell said the financial side of it wasn’t his interest, but its sustenance.
“You don’t buy a place like this unless you want to pass it on,” said Chappell.
For more information about the Maine Farmland Trust, visit www.mainefarmlandtrust.org, call 338-6575 or email info@mainefarmlandtrust.org.
— Staff Writer Matt Kiernan can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 326 or mkiernan@journaltribune.com
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