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Pollson family seeks help to conserve 174-acre century farm; county staff outline funding options
Summary
A Pollson family representative told the CO-Ass they want to preserve a 174-acre century farm (54-acre parcel contains a family cemetery) from development; staff advised filling the round‑one application, partnering with land trusts, and described typical funding mixes and timeline differences between county-only easements and USDA/federal grants.
A representative for the Pollson family told the CO-Ass they want to preserve a century farm on the west side of Petersboro and asked how the county could help protect the property from residential development.
"I'm representing the Pollson family. We live on the west side in Petersboro," the representative said, describing the farm as a longtime family property (originally ~430 acres) now totaling roughly 174 acres across three parcels and noting a family cemetery on a 54-acre parcel.
Staff walked the family through the typical conservation-easement process, advising that applicants can submit the county’s round‑one application (a short initial form) or work with a local land conservation organization to pursue additional funding sources such as NRCS or the Utah Department of Agriculture programs. Staff described common funding structures—examples presented during the meeting included county funding at roughly 25% of easement cost, state contributions, and larger federal grants that may cover a greater share but extend timelines.
Staff cautioned that pursuing federal grants (for example, USDA programs) can lengthen the project timeline to two to three years, and that USDA grant payments may be treated as taxable income and can trigger further tax reporting and review for landowners. "If you get an easement from USDA, that is considered a grant and you'll get a 1099 on that," staff said.
The committee encouraged the Pollson family to submit a round‑one application to the county and offered to share contacts for land trusts that can assist with appraisal, deed search, and additional funding applications. Staff noted county-only easements can sometimes be completed more quickly, sometimes within months, while federal funding applications can take much longer.
Next steps: the Pollson family was advised to prepare a round‑one application, consider land-trust partnership for funding leverage, and be aware of potential tax implications and timeline trade-offs when pursuing federal funding.
