<b>By KEVIN WALKER<br>
Michigan Correspondent</b></p><p>

WOODLAND TWP, Mich. — A permanent conservation easement agreement has been completed on a 115-acre farm in Barry County, Mich. – a first for the growing area.<br>
“The partnership between county, state and federal government demonstrates amazing coordination to achieve a great common goal – preserving our farmland resource base,” said Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto in a news release.<br>
The people who own the farmland, Stephen and Sandra DeGroote, would like to keep the farm for their children and grandchildren, and would like to put in check the residential development in the area. The nearby towns of Hastings and Freeport have seen a lot of residential development in recent years.<br>
“You drive around this area and there’s hundreds of acres going into development,” said Stephen, 67. “This isn’t the whole farm, but it’s one of the best pieces. I want my sons and grandsons to be involved in the farm.”<br>
DeGroote, who with his sons and some of his grandsons and extended family farm 4,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, said he once sold a piece of his land to someone to farm, and the person shortly thereafter sold it to a developer. He said this conservation agreement prohibits anyone from putting even an outbuilding on the protected property.<br>
Elizabeth Juras, a member of the Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund Board, said her office does take into account the amount of development in an area when considering
applications for preservation easement funds.<br>
“Right outside of Freeport there’s a little subdivision coming up,” she said. “If you look at aerial photos, you can see there’s a lot of houses coming up here and there.”<br>
The Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund was created in 2000 to provide funding to local governments for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, but this money the state provides is only part of what’s needed. According to figures from the state’s preservation office, the state provided $28,875 and the federal government provided $51,750 toward the cost of the DeGrootes’ conservation easement.<br>
The family donated the rest of the money by accepting less than the land’s value. In exchange for their donation, the DeGrootes can take a tax deduction for a charitable donation, said Rich Harlow, Farmland Preservation
manager.<br>
In 2005 and 2006, 12 parcels, including the DeGrootes’, either entered into a conservation agreement or are in the process of completing one. They are: Whittum in Eaton County, Maynard in Eaton County, Bradford in Kent County, Robinson in Kent County, Montgomery in Macomb County, Falker in Macomb County, Hopkins in Pittsfield Township, Wing in Scio Township, Lachman in Van Buren County, Trinkle in Washtenaw County and an unnamed parcel in Peninsula Township. The total acreage involved is 1,125. The preservation fund is made up of proceeds from the payback of property tax credit benefits when Farmland Development Rights Agreements, or PA 116 contracts, are ended and proceeds from the Agricultural Property Recapture Act. Sometimes money from other sources is put into the fund.<br>