HAGERSTOWN – Washington County announced it has secured the permanent preservation of another 72 acres of farmland with an easement settlement on a Downsville Pike farm in Williamsport.
The farm, characterized as a high-intensity cattle and crop operation, was permanently conserved through the popular state Agricultural Land Preservation Program, which allows landowners to sell easements that retain a preserved status, protecting the farmland from any future development.
This addition expands the county’s growing aggregation of conserved land, which supports neighboring farmers who may want to preserve their own tracts in the future. Nearly 17,000 acres, representing nearly 40 percent of the county’s conserved land, have been preserved under this state Department of Agriculture program managed by the county’s Land Preservation Office.
“Preserving contiguous farmland creates efficient agricultural blocks, enhances ecological benefits, and curbs rural overdevelopment,” county Rural Preservation Administrator Chris Boggs said.
Washington County’s farmland preservation efforts also incorporate the Rural Legacy Program, which has preserved another 9,400 acres, and others such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement and the Farm and Ranchland Protection programs.
Last year, county commissioners allocated $1.5 million from the General Fund and $100,000 for an Agricultural Innovation and Equipment Grant to support rural preservation, and also made a three-year funding commitment of $1.33 million to the state’s 60/40 matching program and meet its match requirement.
Land preservation is also a big part of the county’s comprehensive plan for the next decade and half, with a goal of 50,000 preserved acres, which is well in reach with around 43,000 acres already preserved.
“[The goal] is about more than food production, it’s about sustaining our agricultural economy and rural heritage,” Boggs said.
Boggs added that in recent years commissioners have boosted funding for rural preservation, including a $1.5 million contribution from the general fund last year, and another $100,000 for an agricultural grant program financed with hotel taxes to promote the growth of agribusiness.
Farm owners interested in preservation programs can apply before the Jan. 31 annual deadline, for easements to restrict future development and maintain agricultural, environmental or historical value.
