Clifford Farm Receives Wright Treatment

By ecoRI News staff

Clifford Farm in North Smithfield can't be developed.NORTH SMITHFIELD — The Agricultural Land Preservation Commission recently acquired the development rights to the 18-acre Clifford Farm on Iron Mine Hill Road. The property will be permanently preserved for agricultural use and open space purposes.

Twelve acres of the land are actively farmed for hay. Overall, the property consists of more than 45 percent prime farm soils, and the remaining 6 acres are woodlands, according to the commission. The land is situated in an important drinking water supply area.

Total cost of the acquisition is $400,000. Funding includes $200,000 from the Agricultural Land Preservation Commission and $200,000 from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

“The preservation of this farm, which has been in cultivation for generations, is another step towards sustaining the future of farming in Rhode Island,” said Janet Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM).

The preservation commission acquired the development rights from Michael Clifford, executor of the estate of his late mother, Nella Clifford. The land has been in the Clifford family for generations. The 5-acre parcel of the farmland known as the “barn lot” was acquired from Michael Clifford’s great-grandfather’s 106-acre farm, which was purchased in 1871. Michael’s parents inherited the rest of the acreage. The hay fields on the parcel to which the commission holds the development rights represents the last piece of original acreage still being farmed.

“Anyone who knew my late parents would agree with me when I say that I am certain that my parents would be very happy to see their land preserved as farmland,” Michael Clifford said. “They would be delighted to know that their land is protected from development and that it will now be farmed and maintained by Wright’s Dairy Farm.”

Farms to which the state acquires development rights are working farms and remain in private ownership. The development rights require that the lands remain in agriculture or in a condition available for agricultural use. Clifford has transferred ownership of the farm to Wright’s Dairy Farm so it can expand its operation. Wright’s Dairy Farm will use the land to grow feed for its animals and utilize the farm’s cow manure for fertilizer.