Blaisdell Brothers Family Farm: One of York’s last remaining farmlands protected forever

YORK, Maine — The Blaisdell family has tended their farm along the York River for 250 years, and thanks to a new conservation easement the farmland will be protected for years to come.

Henry and Patricia Blaisdell, as well as their son, Tom and their daughter, Cherie, have been working for more than 15 years to find the perfect partner to protect the Blaisdell Brothers Family Farm at 150 Southside Road from development. They found it with Maine Farmland Trust, with whom they signed a deal in December to ensure 84 of the farm’s 86 acres will remain in use for its intended purpose for as long as the land is there. The terms of the deal are being kept confidential.

“It’s a relief,” said Tom Blaisdell, 57. His family has seen surrounding parcels of farmland slowly sold off and developed as neighborhoods and condominiums. He said they have known for about two decades they wanted to prevent that from happening to the family farm, regardless of whether future generations look to sell it.

“If there’s another owner, we hope that they realize why we placed the easement,” said Tom Blaisdell. “We take care of the farm, but it also takes care of us.”

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A historic farm on York River

The Blaisdell family farming tradition predates the farm they have today, but it was in 1772 that Elijah Blaisdell purchased the farmland they tended for more than two centuries, according to the family. The location gave the family an advantage at a time when reliable roads and bridges were yet to be built. The Blaisdells could transport goods to surrounding communities, and over the years they have maintained a continuous operation that includes livestock, grains, hay, vegetables, meat, and forest products.

The Blaisdells have run a farm store since the 1920s where they have sold beef, lamb, pork and eggs, along with pickles sweetened with maple syrup from the farm and preserved beats. The farm also supplied and delivered bottled milk from its dairy until the late 1960s. Grass-fed beef has been the primary product from the farm since the 1970s.

In the early 2000s, the Blaisdell children, Tom and Cherie, with Tom’s wife Doris, added a pumpkin patch that has become an attraction for hundreds of families each year. They say they have enjoyed seeing children grow to become adults and then bring their own children since starting the pumpkin patch, which each fall also includes attractions like their hay maze.

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Preserving the farm

The rise of development along the York River is what brought the idea of a conservation easement to the forefront of the family’s priorities. They said they hoped to preserve the history of the farm, which also includes a cemetery, where family members have been laid to rest. They also wanted to prevent future family members from fighting over whether to keep the land or cash out, Tom Blaisdell said.

“Growing up, and having farmland next to us on each side of us, and then seeing that developed over time,” Tom Blaisdell said. “That kind of got us thinking this is a good time to try to save it.”

It soon became apparent that not every conservation easement was necessarily the right one to preserve the interests of the family, as well as that town zoning could present challenges. Blaisdell pointed to an instance where a local farm’s third generation went to rent their farm to a tenant who learned irrigation was prohibited under their easement despite its common use on farms.

“Some of the easement things just weren’t good for farms,” Blaisdell said.

The family worked early on with the York Land Trust to find solutions. They also turned to the town and spoke with then-town planner Steve Burns about getting around zoning that brought challenges to farmers.

Four years ago, the family learned about Maine Farmland Trust, which specializes in conservation easements for farms. Together, along with support from groups like York Land Trust, they crafted an easement that protects the farm from future development while ensuring flexibility for modern uses of farmland.

“Forty years ago, the idea of a whole field of chicken coops wouldn’t have been thought of, so what’s going to be the next thing coming up?” Blaisdell said. Solar panels are also not considered welcome under many easements, which is why the Blaisdells allowed for at least some use of solar in case future owners want to bring it to the farm.

The conservation easement was signed with a pen that was crafted by Burns, who enjoys working with wood as a hobby. Burns, more than 15 years ago, used wood that was hewn from the property to make the pen and gave it to them with the hope they could use it to sign the eventual deal.

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The Blaisdells still enjoying the farm

Tom and Cherie Blaisdell still work the farm alongside their father Henry, and they say their 81-year-old father is still able to work as hard as he ever did.

“My dad’s in better shape than us,” Cherie said. The family still looks forward to long days, some of which go deep into the night, just to get the work done. The love of the farm’s annual cycle is what keeps them coming back, they said.

“We’ve been here so long, but each year you’re growing something new,” Blaisdell said.

The Blaisdells today say they will farm it as long as they can, but they do not know the future of the farm when it comes to generations in the years to come. Cherie Blaisdell has two children, ages 13 and 31, and both help on the farm at times and love it like their mother. Whether they take the helm of farm operations there is still yet to be decided.

“We’re hoping it stays in the family,” Tom Blaisdell said, “But if it’s sold or the next generation decides to sell it, at least we know it’s protected as farmland.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Blaisdell Family Farm: 250-year-old farmland to remain in York, Maine forever