August 25, 2026
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Emily Lad
It’s peak season for Maine farms, and produce like fresh corn, tomatoes, wild blueberries, and peaches aren’t the only summer harvest we’re seeing. There are six farms we have been working with that have recently or will very soon close on an agricultural conservation easement with Maine Farmland Trust. In this first installment, meet two of the newest Forever Farms: Gordon Farm and Springside Farm.
Last month, we closed on a conservation easement protecting the 79.5-acre Gordon Farm in Gorham, with support from the Town of Gorham. Joan Gordon and her late husband Bill bought the land in 1959, which consists of nearly 30 acres of open fields and approximately 50 acres of forest. A few years ago, Joan and her daughter Sue Hynes began working with MFT to secure the future of the farm with an easement. Joan passed away last fall at the age of 95, and Sue continued working with us to get the project over the finish line. “Both my parents loved this land,” said Sue, “and they wanted to make sure it was protected forever.”
Managed by Sue’s cousins at Findview Farm for over 50 years, the fields have primarily been used for hay, while some of the better drained soils have been used at times as cropland for sweet corn and vegetables. Meanwhile, the forest land has been well-managed by forester Paul Larrivee. It has the potential to provide food for greater Portland for years to come!
Given the farm’s proximity to Portland and high land values in Southern Maine, the easement includes an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV), an extra layer of protection to help keep desirable farmland affordable and in the hands of active farmers. If a protected farm with an OPAV is sold outside the family, the OPAV gives MFT the ability to ensure that the land is sold at agricultural value to buyers who are committed to actively farming the land.
For more photos of Gordon Farm, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click through photos 1-4 in the carousel.
“I have always wanted to farm since I was old enough to think, and this is where I wanted to do it. Now the farm will be preserved, and the generations that follow me will have the same opportunity to do so,” says Randall Bates of Springside Farm, a 463-acre organic dairy farm that became a Forever Farm in early August. Maine Farmland Trust purchased the easement, with support from the Land for Maine’s Future program.
Randall and his wife Jill have owned and operated this property in Franklin County for the past 21 years, which is underlain by approximately 90 acres of prime soils and soils of statewide importance and includes 96 acres of open fields, plus some beautiful views from the higher vantage points. They milk 50 cows, selling the milk to Organic Valley, and also grow about three acres of winter squash and pumpkins for sale at their farm stand. The property, which includes a farmhouse, multiple barns, a milk room, and a small cabin, has been in Randall's family since the 1930s. The couple, now in their 60s, live on a neighboring property, which Randall purchased when he first started farming at 19 years old.
Protecting the farm had been on Randall and Jill’s minds for several years, but it wasn't until recently that the timing was right for an easement. As they look toward the future, protecting the farm will help facilitate its transition to the next generation. A couple currently working on the farm plans to purchase it, helping ensure it remains an active working farm for years to come.
For more photos of Springside Farm, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click through photos 5-7 in the carousel.
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