John & Robin Luther of Parnassus Farm awarded legacy award

Sullivan County Conservation District
UNITY — In honor of the 75th anniversary of New Hampshire Conservation Districts, 10 recipients — one in each county — have been selected to receive the Conservation Legacy Award.

This award seeks to honor sustained commitment to the stewardship of natural resources across the state. For 75 years, the County Conservation Districts have worked tirelessly with landowners and communities to promote the conservation and responsible use of natural and agricultural resources. The Legacy Award endeavors to shine a spotlight on those who embody this mission. The Sullivan County Conservation District’s (SCCD) legacy awardees are John and Robin Luther of Parnassus Farm.

John & Robin implement best practices for conservation on their dairy farm, through their partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and John’s role as a supervisor for SCCD for the past 24 years. John’s love of farming started when he was a small boy on the family farm. John’s father, Earl Luther, Jr., was one of the first cooperators to sign with SCCD.

“Over the years, Mr. Luther has made consistent effort to apply as many conservation practices as possible on his 192 acre farm & continues these efforts in partnership with his son, John,” reads a passage from the 1984 SCCD Annual Report.

Earl was named the 1984 Cooperator of the Year. John’s partnership with NRCS is still strong, valued, and ongoing. The Luther’s were there for the slow pivot from old-school “conservation” to the contemporary vision advocated for today.

Why does John think conservation is important? He does it for the well-being of his cows and his family, including his daughter, Karen, who works part-time at the farm.

“Caring for the animals and caring for the land go hand in hand,” John said.

Conservation practices are better for the cows. Cows benefit from clean water too. John was encouraged to switch to pasturing his cows by Heidi Konesko of NRCS. He has found that people like to see the cows grazing by the road. John enjoys seeing his cows out on pasture, knowing they are comfortable and doing what they should be doing – grazing.

“A farm is a place you can [proudly] say, ‘This is where my food comes from,’” John said.

The Luthers have a milk house waste system that was the first of its kind in New England. The one they had previously wasn’t as efficient as John would like and he knew there must be something better. He wanted to make sure that “the milk waste from our barns (the proverbial ‘spilled milk’) was not seeping into the local watershed.” John worked with NRCS staff to find a better system and they found one that was being used in Pennsylvania that seemed promising. They constructed a grass filter strip designed by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service with two settling tanks and a pump that evenly discharges the liquid into a manifold (which is painted green and blends into the shrubbery). The waste now seeps inconspicuously into the sod along the edge of the farmstead. John initiated the search for something better and implemented it. This milk house waste system is still working after 20 years.

Educating others is important to the Luthers. Robin was a youth and family 4-H field specialist in the UNH Coop. Ext. Sullivan County office, teaching the next generation about caring for plants, animals and the natural resources that sustain us all. She retired this June after 36 years! The Luthers have frequent visitors to the farm whether it’s friends, neighbors or school groups. They are always willing to stop what they’re doing and show folks where their food comes from and how it gets from the farm to their table. The way they manage the farm sets a great example for conservation, and that’s visible to people in other walks of life. John and Robin want people, especially young people to know that they “aren’t the last generation, someone is coming after [them]. The natural world needs care. Love your cows, love the land, love the water. It sustains us.”

Join us in congratulating our first-ever Conservation Legacy Award winners at the upcoming virtual Farm & Forest Expo session on Tuesday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. To register for this event, visit tinyurl.com/4w9jxt3u.

Awardees will also be honored later this year at the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting in November. For further information on 75th anniversary activities such as the Legacy Awards, visit nhconservationhistory.com.

The Sullivan County Conservation District promotes the conservation and responsible use of our natural and agricultural resources for the people of Sullivan County and promotes Place-based Education. Established in 1946, the Conservation District operates out of Unity and connects residents of Sullivan County to resources, experts, and funding opportunities relating to natural resources conservation and place-based education. For more information, contact Lionel Chute at [email protected] or (603) 542.4891.

Award recipients by countyThe Hodsdon Family of Picnic Rock Farm in Belknap County: The property at Picnic Rock Farm has been farmed since 1801, with a sustained commitment to innovative conservation practices. As of today, 120 acres of this land is in an agricultural easement.

Blair Folts in Carroll County: Blair is the founder and former director of the Green Mountain Conservation Group, a community-based charitable organization founded in 1997 with a mission dedicated to the protection and conservation of natural resources in the Ossipee Watershed.

The Monadnock Conservancy in Cheshire County: The Monadnock Conservancy is a non-profit land trust based in Keene that got started in 1989. Their mission is to work with communities and landowners to conserve the natural resources, wild and working lands, rural character, and scenic beauty of the Monadnock Region. They serve 39 towns including all of Cheshire County, Western Hillsborough County, and Southern Sullivan County. They have conserved 240 properties for a total of 21,500 acres in a little over 30 years.

David & Andrea Craxton of Roots & Fruits Farm in Coos County: Dave & Andrea have 42 years of homesteading & agricultural experience. They are the founding members of the Lancaster Farmers Market, have operated a CSA which has served 25 families for 8 years. They additionally run the Lost Nation Cider Mill, host workshops with UNH Extension and the Coos County Conservation District and are well known for the 35 varieties of garlic that they grow and sell.

Ann & Dick Fabrizio of Windy Ridge Orchard in Grafton County: Ann & Dick have demonstrated a lifetime of natural resource stewardship and sustaining the New Hampshire family farming community throughout their careers as educators and owners of Windy Ridge Orchard, founded in 1967.

Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hillsborough County: Brookdale Fruit Farm, located in Hollis, is a family-owned, diversified fruit and vegetable farm which has been operating for 174 years. Harold Hardy served on the first Board of Supervisors in Hillsborough County in 1946. His grandson, Chip Hardy, has served on the Board from 1985 to the present.

Families in Merrimack County: All of the families who have put their land into conservation in Merrimack County.

The Rye Conservation Commission in Rockingham County: The Rye Conservation Commission has been committed to protecting and restoring Rye’s natural resources for over 40 years.

Robin Aikman in Strafford County: Robin has been a District Supervisor for over 30 years, and a leader in conservation in her community for many decades. She has demonstrated continued dedication and commitment to land protection, agricultural conservation, and the Conservation District.