Agricultural Preservation Fund (Farmland PDR) Grants

The Agricultural Preservation Fund and associated Agricultural Preservation Fund Board provides grants to eligible local units of government and their qualified Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs. The goal of the program is to fund the purchase of permanent agricultural conservation easements to preserve farmland from being developed for non-agricultural uses.

Eligible applicants include counties, cities, townships, and villages that have the authority to zone property as provided by law. To qualify for the current fiscal year, the local unit of government must be approved by MDARD in the previous fiscal year (no later than September 30 prior to application). They must have a development rights ordinance, a comprehensive land use plan adopted within the last 10 years that includes agricultural preservation, and a monitoring and enforcement plan for conservation easements.

Grants may be used for the purchase of permanent agricultural conservation easements. The state and local unit of government will jointly hold the agricultural conservation easements, though the state may delegate enforcement authority to the local unit of government.

Applications for grants occur on an annual basis. A grant application notice is sent out to qualified PDR programs when the fiscal year grant cycle begins (typically December or January). Applications are usually due 60 days after the application release in early spring. A selection committee within MDARD reviews and scores all grant applications using approved scoring criteria based on quality agricultural parcels and program achievements. The results are then presented to the Agricultural Preservation Fund Board at a public meeting for consideration, evaluation, and award.