New Leaf Farm
Description
New Leaf Farm is located northeast of the intersection of Davis Road and Chesley Hill Road in Durham, near Runaround Pond. In 2023, this cornerstone of the Maine organic farming movement was placed under a “Forever Farm” conservation easement as the result of a partnership among Dave and Chris Colson, Maine Farmland Trust, and Royal River Conservation Trust (which holds the easement.)
Established in 1983, New Leaf Farm was among the first commercial organic farms in Maine. Dave and Chris Colson commercially farmed the land through 2014 providing organic, nutritious food for local communities while caring for the soil, water, and other natural resources and habitat values.
With its gently sloping, agriculturally productive soils and its location above two significant freshwater aquifers, the property encompasses some of Maine’s best farmland and ecologically significant habitat. With the conservation easement in place, New Leaf awaits the arrival of the next generation of Maine’s organic farmers.
The 75-acre New Leaf Farm conservation easement comprises a portion of a total of 450 acres of conserved land near Runaround Pond. This region has been identified in RRCT’s 2022 Conservation Plan as an important conservation and ecological area within the four-town “hot-spot” of Auburn, Durham, New Gloucester, and Pownal.
Davis Road and Chesley Hill Road, Durham
More information
New Leaf Farm
New Leaf Farm is located northeast of the intersection of Davis Road and Chesley Hill Road in Durham, near Runaround Pond. In 2023, this cornerstone of the Maine organic farming movement was placed under a “Forever Farm” conservation easement as the result of a partnership among Dave and Chris Colson, Maine Farmland Trust, and Royal River Conservation Trust (which holds the easement.)
Established in 1983, New Leaf Farm was among the first commercial organic farms in Maine. Dave and Chris Colson commercially farmed the land through 2014 providing organic, nutritious food for local communities while caring for the soil, water, and other natural resources and habitat values.
With its gently sloping, agriculturally productive soils and its location above two significant freshwater aquifers, the property encompasses some of Maine’s best farmland and ecologically significant habitat. With the conservation easement in place, New Leaf awaits the arrival of the next generation of Maine’s organic farmers.
The 75-acre New Leaf Farm conservation easement comprises a portion of a total of 450 acres of conserved land near Runaround Pond. This region has been identified in RRCT’s 2022 Conservation Plan as an important conservation and ecological area within the four-town “hot-spot” of Auburn, Durham, New Gloucester, and Pownal.
