Sussex farms in new round of aglands preservation

The Delaware Department of Agriculture has announced the 28th round of easement selections by the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Program, preserving 40 farms and 2,262 acres of farmland. With this announcement, the Carney administration has preserved 403 farms, the highest number in the program’s history.

In this round, 2,262 acres have been preserved on 40 farms, with more than half in Sussex County.

In the Georgetown area, the following farms have entered into the program: Joseph Farm Holdings LLC, 38 acres with estimated easement cost of $904,148; Nelson Kesselring, 13 acres, $187,779 (with Sussex funding); Lara and Lane Merritt, 10 acres, $82,108; Moore Springfield Farms LLC, 13 acres, $111,128; and Michael and Kathryn Newcomb, 80 acres, $1.4 million.

The Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation selects farms approved for easement purchase using an impartial discounted ranking system that maximizes taxpayer benefits. The foundation does not own the land but purchases landowners’ development rights and places a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the property. Landowners must first voluntarily enroll their farm into a 10-year preservation district and are eligible for permanent preservation the year after they apply.

In addition to more than 155,486 acres in permanent easements, Delaware’s Aglands and Forestland Preservation Programs have more than 47,300 acres of land enrolled in 10-year preservation districts.

County governments can partner with the state program and add county funds to select properties in their areas, leveraging state resources for the greatest impact. The county governments provided over $715,000 to help purchase 18 easements in this round, including $515,000 from Sussex County for seven easements.

Delaware’s statewide program made its first round of easement purchases in 1996 and has since preserved 22.7% of New Castle County farmland, 42.8% of Kent County farmland, and 22.5% of Sussex County farmland.

The Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation easements are available for viewing through an online dashboard at https://de.gov/agdashboard.

 For more information or to obtain applications related to the Delaware Aglands Preservation Program, interested landowners can visit https://de.gov/aglands or call 302-698-4530.