DOVER, DELAWARE (12/26/2014) Thirteen farms totaling more than 1,060 acres have been selected for permanent easements to add to the Delaware Farmland Preservation Program.
The Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation’s Board of Trustees voted to add the properties for $1.43 million. The purchase of easements means more than 116,000 acres of farmland are now permanently protected in Delaware since the program began in 1991.
The voluntary preservation program uses state, local and federal contributions. The foundation does not own the land, but purchases landowners’ development rights and has a permanent agricultural conservation easement placed on the property.
All purchases by the foundation are done at discount, at 56 percent of the appraised value on average over the life of the program. The average discount for the latest round was 71 percent. The average farm size in this round was 82 acres, at an average cost of $1,345 per acre. The average farm size in the program overall is 144 acres, at an average cost of $1,793 per acre.
The properties in the latest round include five in Sussex County, six in Kent County and two in New Castle County. Kent County Levy Court contributed $146,432, allocated to six properties.
There are also more than 51,000 acres of farmland in preservation districts, voluntary agreements in which landowners agree to only use their land for agriculture for 10 years. Farmers must enroll in a preservation district before they can sell an easement.
List and map of latest properties preserved
Map: New Castle County land preservation
Map: Kent County land preservation
Map: Sussex County land preservation