Maryland Permanently Preserves Twenty-Four Working Farms

3,715 Acres of Farmland Protected Forever

ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 18, 2023) – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 24 new Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements during their meeting today. The easements will permanently preserve 3,715 acres of prime farmland in Anne Arundel, Carroll, Charles, Harford, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, St. Mary’s, Somerset, Talbot and Worcester counties for an investment of more than $17 million.

“Maryland has one of the strongest agricultural land preservation programs in the country. Each farmer that sells an easement to the state helps to keep farming a viable and profitable Maryland industry,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “Working together, we can protect the resources necessary for a strong agricultural economy and sustain our agricultural heritage.”

View a list of the Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements broken down by county here. The newly-approved easements will help the state meet its Chesapeake Bay goal of conserving and preserving over 1 million acres of productive agricultural land by 2030.

The Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation was established in 1977 as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.The foundation purchases agricultural preservation easements from willing farmers to forever protect prime farmland and woodland. 

For more information, please contact the foundation’s Executive Director Michelle Cable at (410) 841-5860 or michelle.cable@maryland.gov.

###

Follow Maryland Department of Agriculture on Twitter @MdAgDept