Partners looking to conserve a 55-acre portion of the Hersey Farm in Andover are hoping to raise the last $26,000 needed before the end of the year.

The land is owned by Roger Hersey and is next to 268 acres owned by his cousin, Jerry Hersey, that were conserved in 2007. Jerry Hersey uses both parcels to raise beef cattle and grow hay.

The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust and Andover's conservation commission and historical society have nearly raised the $165,000 needed for the project. In July, they received a $57,500 grant from the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. The family has offered the easement for a discount. The town has allocated $28,750 from its conservation fund and private donors have already pitched in some.

Beth McGuinn, a land protection specialist with Ausbon Sargent, said they are hoping to raise the remainder from donors in the local community.

Both parcels sit in a historic district on Route 11 and are on the National Register of Historic Places. This time of year, many passers-by stop to photograph the "quintessential New England farm," where the same family has been working the land for more than 100 years, McGuinn said.

"It's really very much the same as it was, and hopefully the easement will help keep it that way," she said.

To donate, send a check payable to ASLPT to P.O. Box 2040, New London 03257.

CHELSEA CONABOY