Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation

About This Association

f you are the owner of eligible farmland and/or woodland, the Foundation can help you by purchasing an agricultural preservation easement on your property. This will ensure that your property remains agricultural in perpetuity. The amount that MALPF will pay for your easement is your asking price or the difference between the appraised fair market value of the land and its agricultural value, whichever is less. Depending on where you live in Maryland, the value of your property, and your asking price, the Foundation has in recent years paid from $800 to more than $10,000 per acre for agricultural preservation easements. If you sell an easement for less than the full value of the restrictions, you may qualify for certain tax benefits (consult your tax advisor). Easement purchases are made through a competitive application process. For your property to qualify for the program, it must meet minimum size and soil eligibility criteria and be located outside a 10-year water and sewer service area. MALPF and local governments rank properties relative to other properties applying to the program with consideration to how much funding the program has available to make offers. After selling an easement to the Foundation, a property owner will continue to own and operate the farm as before. Landowners may sell or transfer the property, but the land will be permanently preserved for agricultural use. The original seller of the easement retains limited development rights. Landowners have used the sale of their easements for many purposes, including: to finance the purchase of their farm or additional farmland; for retirement; for estate planning and settlement; to finance the improvement of an existing farming operation; to fund the production and marketing of new farm products; to finance the restoration of an historic home; and to pay off existing debt.

Publications

Conventions

Specialties:

1. Agriculture

Information Summary