AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION RESTRICTION PROGRAM 

 Thomas Storrow, Administrator 



The Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program was established 

 by the legislature in December, 1977, to protect the Commonwealth's rapidly 

 diminishing farmland resources through the purchase of Agricultural Preser- 

 vation Restrictions, commonly known as development rights. It is a volun- 

 tary program whereby farmland owners apply to the Department of Food and 

 Agriculture to sell a restriction on all or a portion of their property. 

 After field inspections, a screening and selection process, appraisals, and 

 approval by the Agricultural Lands Preservation Committee, the Commonwealth 

 acquires these deed restrictions, which run in perpetuity, and prohibit all 

 non-agricultural uses. Title to the land still rests with the landowner 

 who enjoys all the traditional rights of property ownership, except the 

 right to develop the land for non-agricultural purposes. 



Since the program's inception, more than 5,605 acres have been protec- 

 ted statewide. There are also more than 4,700 acres currently under consid- 

 eration. During the past four years the legislature has appropriated five 

 million dollars each year for a total of twenty million dollars to fund the 

 program. The Massachusetts program is now the largest, most active state- 

 wide purchase of development rights program in the country and is being 

 used as a model by other states considering similar farmland protection 

 techniques. 



The Division of Land Use within the Department of Food and Agriculture 

 is responsible for administering the Agricultural Preservation Restriction 

 Program. Since 1978, two full time staff members and various appraisal and 

 legal consultants have been providing the needed expertise to implement and 

 manage this unique farmland protection effort. 



Background 



During the last 40 years, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has lost 

 nearly three-fourths of its land in farms and one half of its productive 

 cropland as a result of unbanization and changes in the agricultural econ- 

 omy. Tremendous changes have occurred in regards to agricultural technolo- 

 gy and resource use; farm size, mechanization and capital investment have 

 all increased substantially. Land is used more intensively today and pro- 

 ductivity per acre has increased. Consequently, there are fewer farms, 

 farmers and farm laborers. Total farm production has declined somewhat, 

 though not in equal proportion to the decline in the agricultural land base. 



As more and more farmland is lost permanently to urbanization, it has 

 become apparent that agriculture is in serious jeopardy of being lost as a 

 viable component of the Massachusetts economy. Sprawling urban develop- 

 ment and land speculation subvert farming and inflate the value of avail- 

 able land beyond the financial reach of farmers. If one farm in an area 

 is sold for speculation or development, then all the farmers in the vi- 

 cinity begin to lose faith in agriculture ' s future. Often, the necessary 

 investments in livestock, equipment, soil fertility and farm buildings 

 are not made and farm income begins to fall. Because of high land values 

 and development pressures very few farms are transferred to the next gen- 

 eration and the agricultural community becomes debilitated. In some cases 

 this transition has happened preria lurely and excellent agricultural land 

 becomes idle. When land is lost or idled, society loses the benefit of 



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