Maryland Permanently Preserves 55 Working Farms

6,370 Acres of Additional Farmland Protected Forever

ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 6, 2024) – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 55 new Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements during their June 5 meeting. The easements will permanently preserve 6,370 acres of prime farmland in Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Washington, Wicomico, Worcester counties, for an investment of more than $31 million.

“Farmland preservation recognizes that land is the foundation of our food, our culture, our communities, and our heritage,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “We thank these farmers that have agreed to preserve their land today, for providing a more agriculturally sustainable future for us all.”

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. 

To view a list of the Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements broken down by county, see this chart. Having already achieved the 30% by 2030 goal as outlined in the Maryland the Beautiful Act as passed in the 2023 Session by the Maryland General Assembly, the newly-approved easements will help the state meet the next goal of conserving 40% of state land by 2040.

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

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