Welcome to the Upshur County Farmland Protection Program

The WV Voluntary Farmland Protection Program was enacted in 2000 by a unanimous vote of the WV State Legislature. This law has enabled the Upshur County Farmland Protection Board to develop a program adapted specifically to protect the agricultural lands of Upshur County. The cornerstone of the program is the purchase or donation of conservation easements designed to provide stability for future agricultural enterprises in Upshur County. Funding for the program comes from local land transfer fees, federal grants, special appropriations and private donations.

On May 24, 2012, the Upshur County Commission authorized a resolution creating the Upshur County Farmland Protection Board. The Commission affirmed 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. The Board, as appointed by the Commission, is authorized to create and administer the Upshur County Farmland Protection Program in consultation with the Tygarts Valley Conservation District, and as approved by the Commission.

The Program was amended and approved by the Upshur County Commission May 26, 2016.

West Virginia enacted the Conservation and Preservation Easements Act by amending Chapter 20 of the West Virginia Code through the addition of Article 12 revised to 8A-12-1 through 8A-12-21 (2004).