From Harford County government:
Harford County Executive Barry Glassman signed legislation on May 18 enacting new incentives to protect key agricultural land that might otherwise be sold for development. The legislation provides cash incentives for farmland owners to enter the county’s existing agricultural preservation program. The new incentives make the county program more competitive with the state’s program, which has limited availability. The new law affects two specified areas adjacent to the county’s development envelope, one in Jarrettsville/Forest Hill and another in Churchville, in support of the Green Infrastructure Plan established in HarfordNEXT, the countywide master plan.
“My administration proposed this legislation to help protect Harford County’s rural heritage and our rural villages, and to focus growth in the areas that are intended for development,” said County Executive Barry Glassman.
Funding for the incentive program will come from a portion of the county’s transfer tax revenue, which also funds Harford County’s existing agricultural preservation program. The one-time cash incentives are estimated at $1,000 per acre and will be based on criteria approved by the Dept. of Planning & Zoning. The incentive payments would be in addition to the price paid to qualifying landowners for selling development rights easements in the existing county program. That price is based on formulas and an evaluation of the underlying land. Once development rights are purchased by the county, new non-agricultural structures that a property owner may build on the property are severely restricted, thereby forestalling residential or other types of development.
The legislation entitled “Agricultural Preservation Easement Incentive” was passed by the County Council on May 18; it becomes effective July 17, 2017. The full text of the legislation is published on the county website at http://hcgweb01.harfordcountymd.gov/Legislation/Bill/BillDetail/17-005.
This is nothing more that a glorified loan program where the landowner gets money from the taxpayers and when he decides to sell the property to a developer all he has to do is include the interest owed in the sale price.
Harford County Code § 60-6 Withdrawal from program.
A.An owner who has received payment under the program and who has requested that the Foundation approve termination of an easement shall file a copy of the request with the Department.
B. Approval by the County Council of a request to terminate an easement under the Agriculture Article, § 2-514, of the Annotated Code of Maryland, constitutes approval to withdraw from the program.
C. If withdrawal from the program is approved, the owner shall repurchase the easement from the county by paying an amount equal to the total payment the owner received under the program, plus interest. The interest rate used to calculate the amount of interest shall be the same as the current redemption rate established by or under the authority of the Tax-Property Article, § 14-208, of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
D. Upon repurchase of the easement by the owner, the county shall reconvey and release its easement to the owner.
Yes, but it’s an incentive to get into the awful permanent ag preservation easement system, where farmers commit their lands to the government, forever.
There can never be a more productive use for the property. And tax dollars pay for it
It’s a predatory system where down-on-their-luck farmers get stuck selling out rights to the government. This will lead Harford County to becoming more like Howard County, where developers, when building a neighborhood of $650,000 homes have to build 10% for ‘workforce-housing’ at salaries of less than $52,000 per year. Bad, bad, bad.
I couldn’t disagree more. Where do you think your food comes from – a magic room in the grocery store?
Reality is hardly any food anyone in Harford county eats comes from Harford county farms. All those farmer fields of corn and soybeans will never wind up on a dinner plate as a meal. The food you might eat like wheat… you shouldn’t because that crap is sprayed with roundup and milk from dairy farms just don’t that’s so gross even cows have the better sense to stop drinking it when they are babies.
There are no real farmers left just low skilled machine operators harvesting poor quality crops
What shit are you eating boy? We grow our own and eat our own. All of my relatives lived at least 90 years with minimal health concerns.
What are you some kind of liberal elitist with soft hands who hasn’t done an honest days work since you were conceived?
Who knew Trump is a liberal elitist?
I earn the best stuff here.
The other reality is that more and more next of kin (of farmers) are not interested in continuing their “family farm business.”
I’m sure there are some, but I know several farmer’s kids who decided that life isn’t for them.
The reason the next generation is not interested is most farmers are like a cook at McDonalds. It’s a mass production job turning out garbage for little profit. The true farmers are the entrepreneurs you see carving out a niche in the local ,market getting top dollar for a superior product. No need to farm 10,000 acres when they can make more farming 15 acres selling direct to people who recognize quality.