Protecting Central KY Farmland
Mar 20, 2013 23:54:58 GMT -5
Post by racinggal on Mar 20, 2013 23:54:58 GMT -5
The Breeders’ Cup Forum: Protecting Central Kentucky’s Farmland
by Ray Paulick
Drive around the Central Kentucky countryside on a beautiful spring day and you’re likely to see the signs reading “PDR Protected Farm.” It’s a reassuring sign that a farm’s land – whether it’s a cattle ranch, horse farm, or used for other agricultural purpose – will not be developed, thanks to a Fayette County government program known as Purchase of Development Rights.
The PDR program, using money committed by local authorities and matching funds from state and federal government, purchases the property development rights to protect the land from any non-agricultural developments. Billy Van Pelt, the PDR program manager for Fayette County, helped us better understand how it works.
What led to the creation of the Purchase Development Rights program in Central Kentucky?
The subdivision of farms into 10-acre parcels.
When was the program established?
In January of 2000.
How does the program work exactly?
Farm owners voluntarily apply to sell their future development rights in the form of a conservation easement.
Was it difficult justifying this program from an economic standpoint? What are the benefits to local taxpayers?
The program was implemented through a broad, community-wide consensus, over several years. The benefits are summarized in the mission statement: purchase conservation easements on 50,000 acres in the Rural Service Area to secure a critical mass of protected farmland for the general agriculture, equine and tourism industries.
(Editor’s note: A PowerPoint presentation based on a University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics study calls the rural area of Fayette County the “foundation” of a $3-billion agricultural economy and includes over 200 horse farms that provide 6,300 jobs and $437 in annual revenue. Tourism in Fayette County had a $1.66 billion economic impact, supporting over 23,420 jobs. For more information, click here.)
Does the Purchase of Development Rights protect the land from development forever?
The conservation easement runs with the title of the land in perpetuity regardless of the ownership.
What percentage of Fayette County farms currently in the program are equine operations?
Fifty-five percent.
What are the goals in terms of total acreage for the program, and where do things currently stand?
The goal is 50,000 acres. The current acreage (in the program) is 26,725 acres.
Is this unique to Fayette County or are there similar programs throughout the United States?
Other locations include Lancaster County, Penn.; Napa County, Calif.; Marin County, Calif.; Sonoma County, Calif.; Baltimore County, Md.; Scott County, Ky.; and Kentucky’s PACE (Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement) program, which is statewide.
www.paulickreport.com/features/the-breeders-cup-forum/the-breeders-cup-forum-protecting-central-kentuckys-farmland/
by Ray Paulick
Drive around the Central Kentucky countryside on a beautiful spring day and you’re likely to see the signs reading “PDR Protected Farm.” It’s a reassuring sign that a farm’s land – whether it’s a cattle ranch, horse farm, or used for other agricultural purpose – will not be developed, thanks to a Fayette County government program known as Purchase of Development Rights.
The PDR program, using money committed by local authorities and matching funds from state and federal government, purchases the property development rights to protect the land from any non-agricultural developments. Billy Van Pelt, the PDR program manager for Fayette County, helped us better understand how it works.
What led to the creation of the Purchase Development Rights program in Central Kentucky?
The subdivision of farms into 10-acre parcels.
When was the program established?
In January of 2000.
How does the program work exactly?
Farm owners voluntarily apply to sell their future development rights in the form of a conservation easement.
Was it difficult justifying this program from an economic standpoint? What are the benefits to local taxpayers?
The program was implemented through a broad, community-wide consensus, over several years. The benefits are summarized in the mission statement: purchase conservation easements on 50,000 acres in the Rural Service Area to secure a critical mass of protected farmland for the general agriculture, equine and tourism industries.
(Editor’s note: A PowerPoint presentation based on a University of Kentucky Department of Agricultural Economics study calls the rural area of Fayette County the “foundation” of a $3-billion agricultural economy and includes over 200 horse farms that provide 6,300 jobs and $437 in annual revenue. Tourism in Fayette County had a $1.66 billion economic impact, supporting over 23,420 jobs. For more information, click here.)
Does the Purchase of Development Rights protect the land from development forever?
The conservation easement runs with the title of the land in perpetuity regardless of the ownership.
What percentage of Fayette County farms currently in the program are equine operations?
Fifty-five percent.
What are the goals in terms of total acreage for the program, and where do things currently stand?
The goal is 50,000 acres. The current acreage (in the program) is 26,725 acres.
Is this unique to Fayette County or are there similar programs throughout the United States?
Other locations include Lancaster County, Penn.; Napa County, Calif.; Marin County, Calif.; Sonoma County, Calif.; Baltimore County, Md.; Scott County, Ky.; and Kentucky’s PACE (Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement) program, which is statewide.
www.paulickreport.com/features/the-breeders-cup-forum/the-breeders-cup-forum-protecting-central-kentuckys-farmland/