Agricultural Preservation Fund (Farmland PDR) Grants

The Agricultural Preservation Fund and associated Agricultural Preservation Fund Board provide grants to eligible local units of government and their qualified Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs. The funds are used to purchase permanent agricultural conservation easements to preserve locally important farmland.

To apply, a local unit of government must first be qualified by MDARD. Qualified programs may submit multiple applications. Applications are reviewed and scored based on criteria including agricultural capacity and productivity, conservation plans, MAEAP participation, parcel size, property location, local preservation commitment, matching funds, intergovernmental cooperation, and local capacity. Grants are awarded to purchase development rights, which are held jointly by the state and the local unit of government.