The MD Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation purchased 14 new agricultural easements in 9 counties. The program buys development rights from farmers to keep land in farming, the state’s goal is to preserve 1 million acres. Maryland has wine and brewery trails that include preserved farms, as well as an ice cream trail. Easement acquisitions are funded by the Program Open Space fund. Comments from Michelle Cable, executive director, Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation.

The Maryland Board of Public Works recently approved the preservation of several working farms. The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation purchased 14 new agricultural easements across 9 counties in the state representing over 14-hundred acres. The program purchases development rights from farmers so the land will be kept as farmland in perpetuity. Foundation Executive Director Michelle Cable says farms are a critical part of the state's infrastructure.

 "Agriculture is the number one industry in Maryland, and being able to keep the land in farming is a critical tool to be able to keep that industry going. "

In 2002 the state established a goal of preserving 1 million acres of farmland by 2030. She says they are at 86-percent of that goal.

Cable says some of the working farms in the easement program include wineries, breweries and other producers that might surprise people.

"One of my favorite things, you'll read about different states that have like wine trails, and they go around. Maryland actually has an ice cream trail. So, all of these ice cream creameries are on farm dairies that produce and make their own ice cream."

The easement acquisitions are funded by the Program Open Space fund, which established a half percent transfer tax on land transactions in 1969 as a mechanism for funding land conservation in the state. Cable says the Program Open Space fund supports several land preservation projects in addition to funding the purchase of agricultural easements.

"That money goes toward land conservation efforts. We get a percentage of it for our agricultural easement program. Department of Natural Resources get a good percent of it for their parklands or forest land, their easement programs, wildlife heritage programs, parks and playgrounds, more urban and suburban parks as well, and playgrounds."

This round of farm easements were purchased for just over $8 million.