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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Author Wendell Berry has witnessed what he called “ruinous” development of fertile Kentucky farmland. He and his wife, Tanya, decided to take action.
They donated an agricultural conservation easement on their 117-acre farm in Henry County last November to a Kentucky Department of Agriculture program dedicated to keeping farmland in agriculture. The Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements (PACE) board hopes others will follow the Berrys’ lead.
Wendell Berry, a nationally known activist for environmental causes and sustainable agriculture, said he and his family donated the easement to preserve their farm beyond their lifetimes.
“One of our reasons for doing this is that we think the present rate of so-called development (130 acres a day in Kentucky) is ruinous,” Berry said in a written statement. “Another reason is our hope that our small place, which has meant the world to us, can survive us unspoiled.”
Conservation easement donations ensure that the land will remain available for agriculture and will not be converted to other uses in the future. The owners retain the right to farm the land as they always have and can sell the land at any time with the restrictions of the conservation easement.
Donating an agricultural conservation easement also has potential tax advantages, Berry pointed out. “A practical advantage may be that by our gift we have reduced the assessed value of our property by about a third,” he wrote.
Anyone interested in donating a conservation easement should consult with a tax professional.
The PACE program was established to purchase easements but also accepts donations. The program did not receive funding from the Kentucky General Assembly for the 2006-2008 fiscal biennium in the recently concluded legislative session.
“The PACE board is disappointed that funding for this valuable program was struck from the budget,” board Chair Frances Ann Brown said. ”Federal grants are awarded on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis, so the lack of state funding will hamper our efforts to access federal money.”
PACE program coordinator Brent Frazier said the program still has funds available to cover administrative costs for services such as surveys and legal work associated with acquiring donations.
The PACE program has accepted donations of 27 easements totaling 3,815 acres.
To find out more about donating an agricultural conservation easement, contact Frazier at (502) 564-4696 or brent.frazier@ky.gov.
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