AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION RESRICTION PROGRAM 

 William H. King, Administrator 



At the conclusion of Fiscal 1981, the Agricultural Preservation 

 Restriction Program has purchased restrictions on 19 properties involving 

 1556 acres of farmland. They were located in 10 counties and 16 

 municipalities. Another 15 properties with 1247 acres of land were 

 under signed purchase agreements. The goal of retaining a farmland 

 base for Massachusetts food and livestock production is becoming realized. 

 In addition, the benefits of the rural landscape and farm employment 

 in many municipalities are being maintained. 



The Program provides farmland owners the opportunity to realize 

 the value of their property's "development rights" without the land 

 being taken out of production or developed. The Commonwealth compensates 

 the landowner for his willingness to place a permanent restriction on 

 his land prohibiting all non-farm uses and allowing for only agricultural 

 uses. The land, once restricted, is still privately owned and it can 

 be leased, sold, devised, etc., but only for agricultural purposes. 



Farmers and other farmland owners voluntarily apply to the Program 

 for consideration. Following review of the application by Department 

 staff, the property is field inspected and then presented to the Agricultural 

 Lands Preservation Committee for action. If approved, the application 

 will become a finalist and an appraisal of the property's market value 

 and agricultural value will be conducted. The landowner is offered the 

 difference between the market value and agricultural value. If the 

 landowner concurs, a final vote of the Committee is needed. Following 

 a successful vote, the purchase agreement is signed and a title search 

 is completed. Once clear title is established, the landowner is compen- 

 sated for the restriction that is recorded with his deed. 



The Program is one of five state programs now operating in the country. 

 They include New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, New Hampshire and 

 Massachusetts. Several county programs are also active. Purchasing 

 development rights/restrictions is one of the few permanent solutions 

 available for preserving productive farmland. 



At the end of the 1981 fiscal year, over 235 applications had been 

 submitted to the Department of Food and Agriculture for funding consideration. 

 The applications represented 121 cities and towns in 12 counties across 

 the Commonwealth. A total of over 22,000 acres have been proposed for 

 restriction with asking prices exceeding $55 million. 



A total of $15 million has been appropriated to the Program, but 

 as seen above, this sum falls far short of the application demand. A 

 $10 million request has been made in the 1982 Capital Outlay Budget. An 

 annual appropriation is needed to satisfy demand for the Program and to 

 maintain administrative continuity. 



Total program expenditures at end of the fiscal year amounted to 

 $3,197,035. On the average, the cost of restricting Massachusetts farmland 

 is $2000 per acre. Fifty-five additional properties involving over 5000 

 acres are under appraisal for Program consideration. Fiscal 1982 should 

 be a successful year for farmland preservation in Massachusetts. 



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