Michigan Awards Nearly Two Million Dollars to Protect Farmland

By Andi Anderson

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund Board announced the award of nearly two million dollars in grant funding to support local farmland preservation programs across the state. The funding will help permanently protect farmland from development in selected counties and townships.

“The Agricultural Preservation Fund enables MDARD to help local governments conserve farmland that might otherwise be developed,” said MDARD Director Tim Boring. “We're working with our local partners to sustain the resource base that puts food on our plates and that powers Michigan's second-largest economic sector.”

Through a competitive review process, grants were awarded to preserve a total of 744.38 acres of farmland. The selected recipients include Dexter Township, Kent County, Macomb County, Ottawa County, Van Buren County, and Washtenaw County. These funds will be used to purchase agricultural conservation easements that permanently protect land for farming use.

Kent County leaders praised the impact of the funding on local agriculture. “Kent County's agricultural roots run deep, and this grant allows us to continue protecting that legacy,” said Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Ben Greene. “This funding will help preserve the Kruithoff family farm, ensuring these 109 acres in Tyrone Township remain in agricultural use. The Kruithoff family represents the very best of our farming community, a multigenerational commitment to the land and to feeding our region.”

Since 2019, MDARD has distributed more than ten million dollars in Agricultural Development grants to farmland preservation programs statewide. These grants are part of over two hundred fifty million dollars invested by MDARD over the past seven years to strengthen Michigan’s food and agriculture industry, protect natural resources, promote rural growth, and create jobs.

Agricultural conservation easements permanently protect farmland by restricting development for non-agricultural purposes. To qualify for funding, local governments must have zoning authority, an approved master plan, and a Purchase of Development Rights ordinance. Applicants must also maintain plans to monitor conservation easements.

MDARD grants can cover up to seventy-five percent of development rights costs, while landowners may contribute toward the remaining local match. Together, these programs ensure farmland remains productive for future generations.

Photo Credit: pexels-karolina-grabowska