The Upshur County Farmland Protection board acquired a conservation easement under the West Virginia Voluntary Farmland Protection Act. This easement was acquired from Mike and Linda Hicks on March 22, 2018. This easement protects 174.58 acres of land in the Washington District of Upshur County.
The Deed of Conservation Easement, which was agreed to by all parties, outlines the terms, conditions and restrictions on the property, and protects the landowners and the Farmland Protection Board. The Hicks’s wanted to protect the conservation values of their property, and for the property to remain available as a working farm for generations to come. As the grantee under the Deed of Conservation Easement, the Upshur County Farmland Protection Board agrees to protect the property as farmland and in accordance with the property owners desires as spelled out in the easement.
The Upshur County Commission adopted a resolution creating the Farmland Protection Board in May of 2012. This is the first easement since the inception of the program. The purpose of the Farmland Protection Program is to preserve land for farm use, while the farmland remains in the ownership of the landowners. To learn more about this program visit our web page at http://upshur.wvfp.org.