On May 26, 2016 the Upshur County Commission approved updates made to the Farmland Protection Program. These changes were made to stimulate program participation. Program points worth noting are:
- Areas of importance – Middlefork, Buckhannon River, Stone Coal and French Creek area (and adjacent areas).
- Additional “points” are given to generational farmers.
- Properties with severed mineral rights can be considered.
- Costs involved will be paid by the board up front, to be reimbursed by the landowner at closing.
It has been recognized that the agricultural community of Upshur County provides sources of agricultural products for the citizens of the state; enhances tourism, protects worthwhile community values, institutions and landscapes which are inseparably associated with traditional farming; and controls the urban expansion which is consuming land, topsoil, and woodland of the county.
Farmland protection is entirely voluntary. The program is here to assist those who want to place a conservation easement on their property. Under a conservation easement, ownership of the land remains with the property owner. You may continue to live on the land and use it for hunting or fishing. You may farm it in any way you see fit, or not farm it at all and simply leave it as open space.
To find out more about a conservation easement through the Upshur County Farmland Protection Board, please contact our Board Chairman, Steve Butler at 800-398-4630 or Amy Moloney at 304-667-4877 or e-mail us at upshur@wvfp.org.