Spring Hill Farm - up to 14 acres for lease - Marlborough, MA

The Land

Property owner

Private non-farming landowner

Location

506 Broadmeadow Street, Marlborough, MA 01752

Total number of acres available with this property

14

Acres of cropland or tillable land

2

Acres of pasture

12

Acres of forested land

0

Other open and/or non-farmable land

The farm house and about an acre around it will remain inhabited by the owners

Farm Information

Water sources present

Available

Types of water sources present

  • Drilled well
  • Pond

Water sources details

We have a honda water pump that fills the 5000 gallon tank in about 1.5 hours. The tank is about 75 feet higher than the pond.

Barns, sheds or other structures

Available

Farm infrastructure details

Barns and paddocks suitable for horses, cows, sheep, goats. May require installation of some sheep fencing for sheep and goats. Currently used as horse boarding facility.

Farmer housing

None available

Farmer housing details

Rental housing available near by on Broadmeadow Road. We are considering building new house on farm. But there is no clear plan for this. Might be possible to bring in a manufactured home or RV trailer and connect to water and septic on the property.

Equipment and machinery

None available

Equipment and machinery details

We have some equipment (a Kubota 95-2s skid steer with various attachments including a 94" mower deck; a Lull 944E-42; a DR field and brush mower; a Bandit 1590XP tracked chipper; chainsaws and weekwackers; a honda water pump) but we can't allow these to be used, so other equipment may be needed. The equipment we have is not well suited for farming. It is more suited for our specific horse boarding operation, for clearing land, and for plowing the roads. We might be willing to be hired by a farmer to do specific projects with our equipment if needed.

Is the property enrolled in a current use or other state program that affects property taxes?

Yes

Is the property protected with any type of Conservation Easement?

Yes

Easement details

APR administered by DCR, not by Mass Department of Agriculture

Is there a forest management plan for forestland on the available property?

No

Tenure Arrangement

Tenure arrangement

  • Property for lease
  • Other tenure arrangement

Property for lease

To be discussed

Other tenure arrangement

The farm currently boards horses. There are also 10 or 12 people from local area who keep gardens on the farm. There may be a possibility for a farmer to take over the boarding operation and generate some income while developing other types of agriculture. Details and timing would have to be discussed.

Additional Information

The farm is currently used for boarding horses.  In addition, residents of Marlborough, about 12 in all, maintain gardens on about 1/2 acre, and in 10 raised bed gardens.

The land is not prime farm land.  It is probably most suitable for some kind of meat CSA.  The fields should be plowed and reseeded to improve the quality of grass for grazing.  Some vegetable production is possible on the existing 1/2 acre garden and existing raised beds.  Additional land could be brought into vegetable production with investment in soil improvement.  Some areas may be good for fruit trees or berry production.  The land is apparently well suited for grape production, but there would need to be significant investment to reach any revenue from this.

The pond is about a half acre and about 10 feet deep.  There are large mouth bass and blue gills.  Pond water is pumped up to a 5000 gallon tank in the grand area for watering.  Perhaps the pond could be use for production of freshwater fish.  Or it might be used for private fishing parties.  

The location of this farm is very unique, being located at the end of a 1/2 mile, dead-end, gravel road (a town road), in the middle of a state park, in a very peaceful and beautiful setting, but yet very close to all conveniences, and surrounded by the large metro west population.  There may be potential to develop it as a sort of destination for pick-your-own crops.  The peaceful location might be a draw for retail customers, enabling higher margins than a wholesale operation.

There might be a possibility to develop a herd of goats that could be rented out for weed and invasive species management. 

We lease about 1/2 acre to a dog day care company.  That would not be included in the lease of the farm.

We, the owners, would continue living in the old farmhouse.  For housing for a farmer, there might be a possibility of bringing in a manufactured home or RV trailer and connecting it to the septic system and existing water.  This could be discussed.

I am happy to show the farm to anyone interested in seeing it.  

Supporting documentation

Date posted

Map

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