Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agricultural Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kent County reports dozens of acres preserved under Purchase of Development Rights program
Summary
Kent County staff reported Aug. 26 that the county closed on 77.5 acres in Algoma Township and has roughly 325 acres under contract, with nearly $1 million in leveraged grant funding supporting anticipated preservation.
Haley Stichman, community development coordinator, briefed the Kent County Community Health & Safety Committee on Aug. 26 on the county’s agricultural preservation work, reporting recent closings and a multi‑year strategy aimed at keeping farmland in production.
Stichman said Kent County used its Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program to close on 77.5 acres in Algoma Township and that three additional projects totaling approximately 325 acres are currently under contract and expected to close next year. Together, she said, the pending and completed projects represent more than 400 acres preserved to date and are supported by nearly $1,000,000 in state and federal grant funds.
Citing the 2022 Agricultural Census, Stichman said Kent County is home to over 1,000 farms operating on about 144,000 acres, but that the county lost about 9% of farmland in five years—she described that loss as roughly 13,000 acres and “the greatest concern” for the agricultural preservation board.
Stichman described other recent activity: submission of a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant application in December 2024, a competitive PDR application round this spring that produced six applications, and township approvals for the two top applications recommended by the agricultural preservation board. She also described joint workshops with Ottawa County funded by a $100,000, four‑year American Farmland Trust grant to help landowners explore transfers and succession planning.
Stichman said 19 of Kent County’s 21 townships participate in the PDR program and outlined a new strategic planning effort focused on farmer and assessor education, improved planning tools, consistent local practices and an agricultural economic development plan to strengthen grant competitiveness.
Commissioners asked about minimum acreage thresholds and succession planning. Stichman said any amount of land can be preserved under the PDR program but that federal and state grant competitiveness typically improves for parcels of about 40 acres or more; she said land should be farmable at the time of application. Commissioner questions also asked whether the agricultural preservation board provides support to townships revising land‑use plans; Stichman said that is a developing priority.
Ending: Stichman asked for continued commissioner support as staff pursue pending closings, further outreach to landowners and new grant applications in early 2026.
