ANNAPOLIS, MD—The Maryland Board of Public Works approved 25 new Maryland Agricultural Preservation Foundation (MALPF) easements at their meeting on October 12, 2022.

These easements will permanently preserve 3,385 acres of prime farmland in Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Dorchester, Frederick, Kent, Talbot, Washington, and Wicomico counties for an investment of more than $13.6 million.

“I am grateful for the farmers that volunteer to sell and extinguish their development rights through the MALPF program,” said Agriculture Secretary Joe Bartenfelder. “These farms will now be preserved in perpetuity, thereby supporting the environment and food security for the citizens of Maryland.”

The full list of MALPF easements broken down by county can be viewed online here and in the graphic below. These 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.

MALPF was established in 1977 as part of the Maryland Department of Agriculture. MALPF purchases agricultural preservation easements from willing farmers that forever protects prime farmland and woodland.

The Board of Public Works is comprised of Governor Larry Hogan, Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, and Comptroller Peter Franchot​. The October 12, 2022 meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford.

Photo via Pixabay