MFT is looking for a qualified farm buyer to purchase the former True North Farms in Montville, or enter into a short term lease agreement that would ultimately lead to the purchase of the farm. MFT’s goal is to have the property in active agricultural use within the next year and to transfer ownership within 1-2 years.
The sale of this approximately 26-acre farm in Montville is part of our Buy/Protect/Sell program. Through this program, Maine Farmland Trust (MFT) purchases farms and farmland that are vulnerable to non-farm development. We then arrange to protect the property with an agricultural conservation easement and sell it to a farmer at a price that reflects the value as farmland.
True North Farms is approximately 26 acres and has been run as an organic mixed vegetable farm for over a decade, first by its previous owners and then by several different leasing farmers. There are several fields, comprising approximately four acres in cultivation, which have been planted with either cash crops or cover crops over the past decade-plus. There is room to expand cultivated fields by roughly two acres and another another approximately four acres suitable for hay and pasture. The woodlot is approximately thirteen acres, a small portion of which the previous tenants managed as a mushroom woodlot.
Agricultural infrastructure including a barn (24’ x 32’ with a lean to (16’ x 32’), a “gothic style” high tunnel (30’ x 72’), and two small cabins. One of the cabins has been converted into a kitchen space and the other needs repair or replacement. The high tunnel currently has a skin that is aged and will need to be replaced. There is an irrigation system serving the 4 acres in cultivation and a drilled well (12 gpm). There is currently no housing on the property, however, a septic system was installed in 2023, and the site is equipped for electric and septic hookup for a tiny house or RV.
The farm has about 800 feet of frontage on Woodmans Mill Road, with excellent views to the southeast. There is a shared driveway which bisects the property and leads to the neighboring home. The cultivated fields are to the west of the driveway and have minimal slope. The fields to the east of the driveway have some room for expansion of cultivated crops before dropping off into a more significant slope that has been used as hay and pasture ground. In addition to the Agricultural Conservation Easement that will be placed on the property at the time of sale, there is a pre-existing viewshed easement that places some restrictions on construction of structures to the east of the shared driveway.
Once you have read all of the below information, including about True North Farms' agricultural easement, please submit a completed Proposal Form and any supporting documentation by May 4th, 2026 at 2 PM. Please either fill out the online proposal form and submit online, or use the downloaded proposal form and email or send by mail your completed form and any supporting documents to brett@mainefarmlandtrust.org or mail to Brett Sykes, 97 Main Street, Belfast, ME 04915.
MFT is hosting an open house at the farm on April 23rd from 12:00 pm- 2:00 pm to allow potential buyers to see the property (Farm Address: 900 Woodmans Mill Road, Montville). Please RSVP if interested in attending the open house.
To submit the proposal form (if not applying online), RSVP for the open house, or if you have questions, contact Brett Sykes, Co-Director of Farmland Protection:
brett@mainefarmlandtrust.org
207-338-6575
97 Main St. Belfast, ME 04915
If you cannot make this deadline but are interested in the farm, please feel free to contact us. We will do our best to keep you informed of the progress of the farm sale.
Click below to download the RFP Package (Proposal Form/Agricultural Conservation Easement Draft/ Purchase and Sale Agreement Example/Lease Example/ Aerial Map / Soils Map /Topo Map /Drainage Map/Climate Vulnerabilities Map).
Before filling out the proposal form listed at the bottom of the page, please click the headings below to learn more about the True North Farms property and the proposal proces.
RFP issue date: March 27, 2026
True North Farms Open House: April 23, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Proposal Form Due: May 4, 2026 by 2 PM
True North Farms will be sold subject to a perpetual agricultural conservation easement restricting non-agricultural development of the property.
The conservation easement will designate a “Farmstead Area” where the agricultural structures are located. Subject to certain limitations, the easement will permit the construction of a residence and additional agricultural structures within the Farmstead Area. An additional building area for other farm structures may be permitted. The conservation easement will prohibit any future division of the property, and it will also include an Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV). This Option will allow MFT to re-purchase the farm at its agricultural value should the buyer (or a future owner) contract to sell the farm to a non-farmer. The OPAV is included in the conservation easement to ensure the property remains in active agricultural use.
While some easement terms are non-negotiable, the selected buyer will have an opportunity to work with MFT to ensure the easement terms fit with their plans for the property. A draft agricultural conservation easement is provided in the RFP Package available for download above.
True North Farms will be sold at its appraised value as encumbered by an Agricultural Conservation Easement. The final price will be determined by an appraisal commissioned within 6 months of the purchase date. An initial appraisal was commissioned in 2024 and the subsequent purchase price is expected, but not guaranteed, to fall within the range below:
Estimated Appraised Value as of January, 2026
MFT is hosting an open house at the farm on April 23rd from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm to allow potential buyers to see the property (Farm Address: 900 Woodmans Mill Road, Montville). Please RSVP if interested in attending the open house:
Brett Sykes, Co-Director, Farmland Protection
207-338-6575
Proposals will be reviewed and ranked by a Review Committee based on the criteria below, and thoughtful and thorough narrative explanations are appreciated. Through your narrative answers and supplemental documentation, the Review Committee seeks to understand how your specific farm vision fits with this particular property, and see a clear plan for the purchase and start-up of the farm. Finalists will be asked to take part in an interview and submit a list of references. Interviews will occur during the week of May 11th, but may be flexible as needed. A final decision is tentatively expected by May 22nd, 2026.
After a proposal is selected, MFT will work with the selected applicant to enter into a purchase and sale agreement and/or lease agreement at which time an earnest money/security deposit will be required. The lease agreement will be in a similar form to the examples included in the RFP package. An example purchase and sale agreement is also included that can serve as an offer template. MFT will entertain full and complete offers in other formats as well.
Selection criteria includes:
Please either fill out the online proposal form and submit online, or use the downloaded proposal form and email or send by mail your completed form and any supporting documents to brett@mainefarmlandtrust.org or mail to Brett Sykes, 97 Main Street, Belfast, ME 04915 by May 1, 2026.
For questions or additional information, contact Brett at brett@mainefarmlandtrust.org or 207-338-6575.
If you cannot make this deadline but are interested in the farm, please feel free to contact us. We will do our best to keep you informed of the progress of the farm sale.
Click here to download the RFP Package (Proposal Form/Agricultural Conservation Easement Draft/ Purchase and Sale Agreement Example/Lease Example/ Aerial Map / Soils Map /Topo Map /Drainage Map/Climate Vulnerabilities Map).
