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Lorraine Merrill and her family at their Stratham farm.

AFT Steward of the land winner Lorraine Merrill Selected to Lead Agriculture DEPt.


American Farmland Trust applauds the appointment of Lorraine Merrill as the new Agriculture Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Foods.

“Lorraine Merrill is an excellent choice for this position,” says Cris Coffin, New England States Director for AFT. “She has been a passionate voice for New Hampshire agriculture and our region’s dairy industry. Lorraine brings tremendous skills to this position, along with a longstanding interest in protecting farmland and sustaining the health of the land through good conservation practices.”

Merrill Family Farms on the Edge

John and Lorraine Merrill are farmers with a family-owned dairy operation, as well as 270 acres of alfalfa, clover, grass and corn for feed. They are "farming on the edge," as the Stuart Farm is located in a rapidly growing community just one hour away from Boston. The Merrills were honored in 2003 with American Farmland Trust's Stewards of the Land Award for their tireless work to protect the sensitive ecosystem of the Great Bay Estuary, where they milk 200 cows on a tidal saltwater farm less than 10 miles from the Atlantic Coast. more