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the upper altamaha initiative:
spring 2007
Abstract The loss of farmland in the United States poses a threat to the viability of the nation's agricultural industry. Due to an increase in residential development and a dramatic rise in property values in rural areas, farmlands with vital conservation values are increasingly at risk for conversion to urban and sub-urban uses. Such disappearance of working farmlands presents challenges to maintaining the quality and quantity of drinking water supplies, as well as maintaining the economic viability of surrounding farm acreage. This project addresses the loss of farmland in Walton County, Georgia, by utilizing a conservation easement and two grant programs which allow for the Purchase of Development Rights (PDRs). A third generation farmer in Walton County seeks to permanently preserve his 200 acre cattle farm by means of a conservation easement. In addition, our client would like to receive compensation in order to retire his farm debt and help secure his financial well-being. Farmland conservation easements permanently sever all development rights from a property while allowing the owner to continue all farm operations. Our project seeks to assist our client in achieving his goal of protecting his farm from future development while also pursuing state and federal monies which provide fair market compensation for the value of the development rights. These state and federal compensation programs or PDRs (purchase of development rights) will allow our client to retire the remainder of his outstanding farm debt, thereby increasing the economic viability of future farm enterprises. Any remaining land not subject to a purchase of development rights may be donated by our client in order to protect the entire parcel. The donation of these remaining development rights will provide our client additional compensation through income tax benefits. The project will engage five primary parties: the farm owner, a local land trust (Athens Land Trust), a local sponsor (Walton County), the Georgia Conservation Lands Program (GLCP), and the federal USDA Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP). A case for the benefits of preserving Mr. Wiley's farm will be made to each of the other four parties, whereupon this property will be ranked according to a variety of conservation criteria. The ranking of Mr. Wiley's property relative to other applicants will determine the options for permanent conservation through an easement and the opportunities for compensation. In addition to the immediate benefits to the property owner, this project represents the first farmland conservation initiative in Walton County. Our hope is that the successful preservation of Mr. Wiley's farm will serve as a working model and lay a framework for future farmland conservation projects. Due to the property's location within a regional drinking water sub-basin, the project also creates a model for conservation of critical lands that influence drinking water supplies in the Upper Altamaha river basin. |
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