GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES $4.25 MILLION IN FARMLAND PRESERVATION GRANTS ~ Fourteen localities receive funding to place lands under permanent conservation easement ~

News Date March 03, 2008

       Governor Timothy M. Kaine has announced the distribution of $4,250,002 dollars to fourteen Virginia localities to preserve farmland within their boundaries through local Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs. PDR programs compensate landowners who permanently preserve their land by voluntarily placing a perpetual conservation easement on it. 
       "For the past several years, we have lost valuable farmlands to development at an alarming rate," Governor Kaine said. "Today we have taken an historic step to ensure that well-managed farmland around the Commonwealth will be preserved and available for continued agricultural use, now and into the future. These funds will benefit Virginia's farmers, the local economies and the environment."
       Twenty-one local PDR programs exist in Virginia, seventeen of which have some level of local funding currently available. This is the first time that the Commonwealth of Virginia provided state matching funds for certified local PDR programs.   
       Eight localities received $403,220 each: The counties of Albemarle, Clark, Fauquier, Goochland, Isle of Wight, and James City plus the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Stafford County received $299,242; Frederick County $265,000; Rappahannock $165,000; New Kent County $150,000; Cumberland County $100,000; and Northampton County $45,000. Grant applicants had to report how much funding was available for their local PDR programs as of July 2, 2007, and the state funds matched that amount up to $403,220 per locality. 
       "Preserving farmland is not just a theoretical exercise for me," said Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Todd P. Haymore. "I grew up on a farm in Pittsylvania County, which fortunately is still in the family. As farmers approach retirement, I see the appeal of turning land-based assets into a more liquid form that will support them as they age. PDR programs have the potential to allow farmers to have it both preservation and financial support, and I encourage all localities to consider carefully a PDR approach to farmland preservation."
       Localities interested in future rounds of grant applications for PDR matching funds should contact the Office of Farmland Preservation, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor St., Richmond VA 23219 or call 804/786-1346. Or they may e-mail Kevin Schmidt, the Program Coordinator, at kevin.schmidt@vdacs.virginia.gov. (Contact: Elaine Lidholm, 804/225-4260)