Oregon Road Farm Belt

Timeline

2002

The Trust’s involvement in conservation on Oregon Road began in the early 2000s. The Trust assisted Rober Schrieber with the design and eventual implementation of a conservation plan that permanently protected his property’s prime farmland. The Town purchased the development rights on 31.7 acres in April 2002 and Mr. Schreiber retained his homestead on 3.9 acres.

2004

In October 2004 the Trust assisted in the protection of two farmland parcels on the corner of Oregon Road and Depot Lane in Cutchogue by purchasing the 25.4-acre property from Anne Marie Krupski. The development rights on all but a single 1.8-acre development area were simultaneously sold to the Town. The Trust then sold the property – the protected farmland and development area – to a conservation buyer who continues to use it for agriculture.

2006

In July 2006, the Trust worked with the Shur family to subdivide their farmhouse onto a 3.4-acre residential lot which was subsequently sold. The Trust then purchased the remaining 13.2 acres, which were planted with a mix of traditional row crops and nursery stock, simultaneously selling the development rights to the Town. The Trust removed the nursery stock shortly after purchasing the property, and leased it out for several years before selling it to the new owners of the farmhouse, reuniting the farm, in December 2012. The purchasers, Browder’s Birds were leasing other lands owned by the Trust at the time of the transaction.

The southern parcel of this farmland was also acquired by the Trust in 2006. The 2.5 acre adjacent house lot was maintained while the development rights on the 10 acres of farmland was sold to the Town. The Trust sold the house lot along with the protected farmland in 2014 to Browder’s Birds.

2008

In November 2008, the Trust assisted the Town with their purchase of the development rights on 6.5 acres of an 8.3-acre parcel of agricultural land located on the south side of Oregon Road in Cutchogue.

2016

In March of 2016, the Trust assisted the Town with grant applications for the funding of the purchase of development rights on 18.59 acres of farmland in Cutchogue from John C. and Margaret B. Biggane. The Biggane farmland is located on the easternmost area of the expansive Oregon Road farm belt, adding to an important assemblage of protected land.

2020 & 2021

The Trust worked with Mattituck Farm Holdings and Southold Town in 2020 and 2021 to facilitate the purchase of development rights on 120-acres of farmland. In December 2021, the Town purchased the development rights at a bargain sale price. This represents one of the largest conservation projects to date under the Town’s farmland preservation program and adds significantly to the already protected stretch of farmland along Oregon Road in Cutchogue.

2024

The Trust purchased 151.93 acres of farmland from Mattituck Farm Holdings. All 7 parcels are protected with Town of Southold Development Rights Easements. At the closing the Trust simultaneously sold two of the parcels to qualified farm operations, Sang Lee Farms, and Sannino Vineyards. The transactions are part of the Trust’s Farms for the Future Initiative.