ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 14 new Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation easements during their Aug. 2 meeting. The easements will permanently preserve 1,400 acres of prime farmland in Baltimore, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, Queen Anne’s, Washington and Wicomico counties, for an investment of more than $8 million.

“Keeping farming viable in Maryland starts with preserving farmland," said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “Fortunately, Maryland has one of the most successful agricultural land preservation programs in the country. And with these additional easements being approved, 1,400 more acres are secured for the purpose of providing food and fiber to the region.”

The Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation was established in 1977 as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture.The foundation purchases agricultural preservation easements from willing farmers to forever protect prime farmland and woodland. 

The newly approved easements will help the state meet its Chesapeake Bay goal of conserving and preserving over 1 million acres of productive agricultural land by 2030.

For more information, please contact the foundation’s Executive Director Michelle Cable at (410) 841-5860 or michelle.cable@maryland.gov.