Since 1989, Blue Hill Heritage Trust has worked to protect farmland across the Blue Hill Peninsula, with a particular focus on the Route 15 farmland corridor stretching through Orland, North Penobscot, and Blue Hill.
This corridor contains a band of glacially deposited soils that are deep, fertile, and exceptionally well-suited for agriculture. These soils are among the most productive agricultural lands in Hancock County and have supported generations of local farmers.
Today, farmland faces increasing pressure from development. As land values rise and properties are subdivided, agricultural land can quickly be converted to housing and other uses. Once these productive soils are developed, they are effectively removed from agricultural use forever.
Through the Farmland Forever Program, BHHT works with landowners and farmers to permanently conserve farmland and surrounding woodland through agricultural conservation easements. These easements ensure that farmland remains affordable and available for future generations while allowing landowners to continue farming and managing their properties. Conserving farmland strengthens local food systems, supports working farms, preserves rural character, and protects the landscapes that define our communities.
To date, BHHT has supported the conservation of more than 1,860 acres of working farmland and productive agricultural soils, throughout the region.
Conservation Looks Different for Everyone
Conservation is not a one-size-fits-all process. Every property, family, and landowner has unique goals, and successful conservation efforts often require solutions tailored to those needs.
One example of this is Rainbow Farm (formerly known as Barrett Hill Farm) in Orland, a property permanently protected by BHHT since 1999.
In the spring of 2024, former owner Jo Barrett recalled purchasing the 135-acre property because of its exceptional agricultural soils and proximity to King Hill Farm, which she operated with her late husband, Dennis King. At the time, the land had been heavily farmed and the woodlands aggressively harvested. While the property held tremendous agricultural potential, restoring it required significant investment.
Recognizing both the value of the land and the development pressure it faced, Barrett and King worked with Blue Hill Heritage Trust and Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust to place a conservation easement on the property. The easement helped make the purchase financially feasible while ensuring the land would remain available for farming and sustainable forest management in perpetuity.
Years later, after Dennis suffered a stroke and Jo moved to Blue Hill, the property became increasingly difficult to manage from a distance. During the COVID-era real estate boom, she considered selling but remained committed to finding the right future steward for the land.
That opportunity arrived when Noah and Lorelei Cimeno of Rainbow Farm were searching for a larger property to continue growing their farm operation. After meeting on the land and discussing their shared vision for its future, Jo offered the farm at a price she believed would keep it accessible to working farmers.
Today, Rainbow Farm is home to livestock, thriving fields, and active agricultural production. For Jo, seeing the land in the hands of dedicated, community-minded farmers is deeply rewarding.
“When I drive by or visit, I am rewarded over and over again by the vibrancy of the whole place….To have such savvy and good, community-minded farmers on that land is priceless to me.”
Stories like Rainbow Farm/Barrett Hill Farm demonstrate how conservation easements can protect farmland, support farmers, and ensure that some of the Blue Hill Peninsula’s most productive agricultural lands remain working landscapes for generations to come.
To read more about Jo Barrett’s experience with conservation easements, click HERE.
The following farms have been permanently protected through Blue Hill Heritage Trust’s Farmland Forever program:
Blue-Zee Farm, Mark and Renata Scarano
652 Front Ridge Road, Penobscot 207-374-9976
Horsepower Farm, Andrew and Donna Birdsall & Paul Birdsall
90 Horsepower Farm Road, off Route 15, Penobscot
Ken-Rose Farm, Nathaniel Birdsall
1381 Pleasant Street/Route 15, Blue Hill
King Hill Farm, Amanda Provencher and Paul Shultz
29 Faerie Kingdom Road, off Route 199, Penobscot
Old Ackley Farm, Bob Sullivan
42 Ackley Farm Road, Blue Hill
Quill’s End Farm, Phil and Heather Retberg
192 Front Ridge Road, Penobscot
Rainbow Farm, Noah and Lorelei Cimeno
4 Rainbow Farm Drive, Orland 207-610-3793