January 2006: The Washtenaw Land Trust's Farmland Protection program has gained critical momentum, thanks to a keystone grant of $25,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan.

"Most people don't realize that agriculture is Michigan's number two industry, second only to manufacturing," said Susan Lackey, executive director of the Washtenaw Land Trust.

"As noted in a recent Michigan Land Use Institute analysis, the farm industry contributes $59 billion to the state's economy every year, and provides one million jobs. Yet despite this, its base of farmland is disappearing at an unprecedented rate."

The grant supports a two-phase effort to protect key farmland in Washtenaw County. The program will focus on direct farmland preservation projects and related farm community outreach efforts. The goals are twofold: to acquire development rights on two key farm parcels owned by respected farm families in the southern part of Washtenaw County; and, to continue investing in the farm community momentum toward sustaining the local agricultural land base and a regional agricultural economy.

The Land Trust had been awarded federal farmland protection challenge grants to protect the two strategic farm parcels. The purchase of development rights on these two projects total $877,000, preserving over 110 acres of farmland in Bridgewater (69 acres at the Vershum dairy farm) and York (43 acres at the Rogers farm) Townships. The Kellogg grant provides a portion of the match for these projects.

The properties themselves are strategically located in our region. The 43 acre farm parcel in York Township is located in the Saline River watershed and adjacent to 215 acres that were preserved in 1999 by the Washtenaw Land Trust and the state Purchase of Development Rights program. This property is only a ½ mile away from a state fish hatchery and near other farms that have their lands in the PA 116 program. This particular farm has diversified operations that range from raising cattle, to grains and hay. The property owner is actively seeking to preserve the entire farm, of which this is a first phase.

The farm parcel in Bridgewater Township is 69 acres that contributes to a 200+ head Holstein dairy operation that has been in the family for generations. This farm is also near other farms that have lands in the PA 116 farmland protection program.

"Farmland protection is critical not only to our sense of place, but also from an economic standpoint," said Susan.

"We want to make sure that farmers know that there are options available if they want to keep their land open and productive."

The Washtenaw Land Trust is Michigan's oldest land trust and has protected more than 2,000 acres of farmland and natural areas. A private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it provides private land protection solutions in Washtenaw, Jackson and Ingham counties.

The Land Trust focuses its efforts on three areas of priority: The Pinckney/Waterloo/Sharonville 'arc' of protected land; the Huron, Raisin and Saline River corridors and the supporting wetlands and open spaces; and the farmlands that nestle within the larger arc formed by these public lands and the riparian extensions.

The Land Trust has directly protected 42 parcels of land - more than 2,000 acres -- through conservation agreements or nature preserves. It has also been a leader in campaigns that have successfully secured funding to protect thousands more acres - and, as part of a statewide and national network of local land trusts and conservation organizations, continues to collaborate in these efforts. The Washtenaw Land Trust's farmland protection work in Washtenaw, Jackson, and Ingham counties focuses on educating landowners and other interested community residents about the importance of protecting the open spaces that make our region a great place to live.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 "to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.

To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

Washtenaw Land Trust
info@washtenawlandtrust.org
734-302-LAND(5263)