Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 6, 2026 11 26_000584_Hartford_Business_Journal_APR Mod: February 20, 2026 2:23 PM Print: 02/20/26 page 1 v2.5 π IT'S A CLEAN SWEEP! JANITORIAL SUPPLIES ALWAYS IN STOCK COMPLETE CATALOG 1-800-295-5510 uline.com Data from real estate analytics firm CoStar show that dozens of agri- cultural land parcels in Connecticut have sold since 2021, often at widely varying prices. Among transactions with disclosed prices, the median sale was about $255,000, while prices per acre ranged from under $1,000 to nearly $900,000. Elisabeth Moore, executive director of the nonprofit Connecticut Farmland Trust, said some of the decline in farmland may reflect consolidation within the industry, with smaller farms being sold to larger operations. "So it's actually land that is not going out of production," Moore said. "It's just that it's been bought by a bigger farm." Still, farm owners have filled the Legislative Office Building in Hart- ford at least twice during the 2026 session to seek help from the General Assembly, saying current economic conditions make it increasingly diffi- cult to stay in business. In January, Gov. Ned Lamont ordered a delay in issuing new valua- tions for agricultural land after farmers complained the new assessments would bring huge tax increases and force some to sell their land. Lamont also formed a working group with farmers, municipal leaders, assessors and state agriculture officials to develop reforms to the valuation process, in an effort to avoid large spikes in the future. Dairy farmers, meanwhile, want the state to approve a $20 million annual tax credit program to help offset the cyclical downturns in milk prices. Connecticut now has fewer than 80 dairy farms, a 25% decline from just seven years ago, according to state data. 'Once it's gone, it's gone' Interestingly, one farm that has utilized state preservation programs is the Northeast's largest dairy. Oakridge Dairy in Ellington has 2,600 dairy cows — nearly 14% of the state's roughly 19,000 — and produces more than 21,000 gallons of milk daily. Founded in the late 1890s by Adolph Bahler, more than five generations of the Bahler family have worked the farm's 1,400 acres. It now employs about 60 people. "We have committed to being a farm," said Seth Bahler, 34, part of the latest generation to run Oakridge. "We want to be here for another five generations." To achieve that, the family has sold conservation easements on about 85% of its land to entities including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, the town of Ellington and the Connecticut Farmland Trust. Bahler, who is also CEO of The Modern Milkman, a home milk delivery service, said revenue from those ease- ments has been invested in more land and facilities and used "just so we could stay in business." In addition to the land it owns in Ellington, Oakridge also farms 1,600 leased acres spread across Ellington, East Windsor, Enfield, Somers, Stafford and Union. While some of that land is also protected, Bahler said the temp- tation for the landowners to sell is high. "Solar developers are coming in, housing developers are coming in, and they can offer a lot more money than we can pay in rent," he said. "You can't bring back farm- land. Once it's gone, it's gone." Oakridge Dairy in Ellington, shown here, is the Northeast's largest dairy farm, with 2,600 cows — nearly 14% of the state's roughly 19,000. Contributed Photo

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