Sloping Acres Farm in Canterbury Conserved
January 24, 2022 – Five Rivers Conservation Trust announced the conservation of Sloping Acres Farm located on West Road in Canterbury. The 37-acre property has been owned and operated by the Glines family for five generations and is currently run by Peter and Eric Glines. It is entirely in agricultural use, growing corn and hay while also providing pasture for the adjacent 140 cow dairy.
“Five Rivers Conservation Trust is grateful to the Glines family and Canterbury community for the conservation of this historic and scenic farm,” says Sarah Thorne, a Five Rivers board member and the organization’s primary point of contact during the conservation process. “We were convinced to become perpetual stewards of this conservation easement because of the highly productive agricultural soils, farming tradition, and strong community support.”
The completion of the Glines conservation easement is a long-awaited victory after spending four years working towards the project’s fruition. Sloping Acres Farm sells their milk wholesale, providing locally sourced dairy to communities across New England. They also sell their sustainably and ethically raised Angus beef directly from the farm to consumers.
“Conserving Canterbury’s best agricultural soils and working farms are high priorities for the town,” said Conservation Commission Chair Ken Stern. “The pandemic has reminded us just how critical it is to have local food sources, and the Glines easement protects a property that has been farmed for generations. The town is grateful to the Glines, to people who donated to the project, to Five Rivers Conservation Trust, and to everyone who made this project possible.”
The Town of Canterbury’s Conservation Commission made a significant contribution to fund long-term stewardship costs. This easement enables farming to continue under the Glines’ ownership, while protecting the land from future residential and commercial development. Five Rivers’ long-term role is to monitor the conservation easement annually to assure the perpetual conservation of the land.
