Of the thirty farms protected, eleven (or thirty-six percent) had changed 

 ownership since the preservation was completed. Out of the eleven farms that 

 were sold, nine were purchased by family members or neighboring farmers and two 

 were bought by new entry farmers. In the case of the sales to family members 

 and neighbors, the sellers were all at or near retirement age, and they went on 

 record as saying the APR Program helped them meet their retirement and 

 ownership objectives. Thus, it is clear that the APR has been successful in 

 helping farms pass from one generation to the next. 



Current Status of the APR Program 



There have been 107 farm properties covering 9825 acres of land protected 

 by the APR Program since its inception. These farms range in size from a fifteen 

 acre highly intensive market garden to 350 plus acre dairy operations. Included 

 among these farms are apple and peach orchards, specialized vegetable farms, 

 small fruit operations (mostly strawberries), general forage crop and livestock 

 farms, field crops such as potatoes, cucumbers and grain corn, diversified dairy 

 farms and specialized dairy farms. The types of farms in the Massachusetts 

 program are an excellent cross-section of the types of food producing agri- 

 cultural enterprises in the State. 



The distribution of the farms reflects the major agricultural regions of 

 the state, and the Program is continuously progressing in these areas. One of 

 the Program's major objectives is to continue to add more restricted land in the 

 vicinity of those farms already protected, in order to secure large areas of 

 land for agricultural production. More and more landowners are becoming fami- 

 liar with the program, and the assemblage of large blocks of protected farmland 

 Is underway In a number of towns. Including Westport, Lunenburg, Dudley, Hadley, 

 Amherst and others. 



Cities and towns are actively encouraged to participate in the APR Program 

 and local contributions now stand at $580,558. with $106,386. contributed in FY 

 1984. The Impact of proposition 21/2 appears to have had some negative impact on 

 local contributions, but overall there is strong local support for the program 

 and many towns are now annually appropriating modest amounts for APR purchases. 



In Table 5, the distribution of APR applications is outlined on a county 

 basis, and Worcester County is the leader with a total of 103 applications, with 

 Hampshire County and Middlesex Counties following. There are 158 municipalities 

 represented and considering that about one third of the 368 cities and towns in 

 the Commonwealth are urban, there is an excellent distribution of APR applica- 

 tions In the farming regions of the state. 



In conclusion, it is becoming more and more apparent that the APR Program 

 is being effective in protecting the state's limited agricultural land resource. 

 In addition, it is having the positive effect of giving strength to the industry 

 by releasing land equity and having the cash Invested back into the farm. A 

 number of farms have been transferred in an orderly fashion to the next genera- 

 tion of farmers and new opportunities have been created for others to enter pro- 

 duction agriculture. It appears that with continued modest funding and more 

 time, the APR Program will successfully secure an agricultural future for the 

 State, while at the same time not unduly strain the financial resources of the 

 Commonwealth. 



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